a HOSPITAl TRUST has slammed health service housing czar John Yates for leaving an NHS property lying vacant when it has been earmarked for key-worker housing.
Yates stepped in to prevent University College London Hospital Trust selling off a 54-flat property in Fitzrovia, central London, in December 2000.

However, he has since failed to appoint a registered social landlord partner to renovate and run the accommodation, despite having no shortage of offers.

UCLH Trust has been forced to spend a substantial amount on security and has had to evict squatters from the empty homes.

"We're racking up costs and we've no income for it. We can't sell it and we can't use it," a source at the trust complained.

John Yates said: "We are actively pursuing an imaginative scheme to bring the accommodation back into use for the benefit of NHS staff." He added he would appoint a partner "as soon as possible".

At least two major players in the key-worker market are believed to have tendered to take over the accommodation several months ago.

London Strategic Housing, part of the Network Group and already running 1500 units of key-worker housing in the capital, mainly for nurses, has put in a tender for the Huntley Street property. Managing director Jim Briscoe said: "It needs a full refurb to bring it up to housing for multiple occupancy standards, but we could have the units ready in about nine months if we were given the go-ahead."

Genesis Housing Group is also thought to be in the frame. It did a deal in July last year to take more than 1100 units of nurses' accommodation from the UCLH Trust to modernise and manage them.

Health policy think tank the Kings Fund reported this week that inner-London hospitals were facing nursing staff turnover rates as high as 38%, with unaffordable housing a major cause.

n Mile End hospital in east London is evicting 170 nurses to make way for a mental health unit.

Source

Housing Today