A request for assistance in locating staff housing has been made by the chief executive of Cornwall's largest hospital trust.
Because of a worsening shortage, landlords and estate agents are being asked to assist in finding housing for health staff.
Finding housing was "a real challenge," according to Steve Williamson, chief executive of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust.
He attributed it to the housing shortage and the rising cost of living.
Mr. Williamson asserted that he believed the issue was a result of more people relocating to Cornwall and more homes being used as Airbnb rentals and second homes.
It's a major challenge for us, he said.
"I believe that the number of visitors to the area is increasing once more. ".
"Anything the community can do to assist us in providing housing for our staff would be immensely beneficial," Mr. Williams continued.
"Our staff would be happy to accept either type of accommodation, whether it be shared or rental housing, if it were made available to us. ".
It is a problem, according to Robin Simpson, a junior doctor in Cornwall who specializes in trauma and orthopaedics.
The difficulty in finding affordable housing, especially given our current salary, is part of the problem with being able to recruit doctors, he continued.
It is quite rare and difficult to locate. ".
Since November 2021, Camel Lettings has been working with the trust to assist staff in finding housing, according to Phil Norgan, property manager.
"We give the properties to the accommodation team," he said, "and we give them as much notice before we would normally launch it onto a property portal. They have a closed Facebook page that is only accessible to NHS staff.". ".
When the program first began, "over 700" employees were looking for housing, he claimed, and since then, more than 100 of them have been placed in rental homes.
We'll just carry on until the numbers start to decline, he added.
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