NHS residents given temporary eviction reprieve

NHS staff facing eviction from their accommodation within the grounds of a South Yorkshire hospital have been given a temporary reprieve.

The 18 residents currently living in three housing blocks at Rotherham Hospital expected to have to leave on 10 February, but Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust said there had been "an error with the notice" issued.

Campaigners working with the residents told the BBC they believed the trust mistakenly served an invalid eviction notice in December.

Mike Suter, chair of Sheffield and South Yorkshire Save Our NHS group, said: "We welcome the news that the tenants are able to stay in their accommodation for now."

In August, the NHS trust informed residents their tenancy agreements at Swale Court, Derwent Court and Loxley Court would end in January due to fire safety concerns.

The trust said an assessment of the blocks, which were built in the 1970s, found "extensive work" would be needed and the costs were "not affordable".

Mr Suter said 76 tenants were served notices at the three blocks, including trainee GPs, mental health care workers and international students, with only 18 remaining.

Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust said "new notices will be given" to the remaining residents, with a final date not yet determined.

"We are continuing to work closely with the remaining residents to understand their individual needs and support them in securing alternative accommodation," a trust spokesperson said.

The trust said it was still "unaffordable" to repair the blocks and they "will be eventually closed".

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