A turf cutting ceremony was held in Yeovil on 14 March 2019 to mark the start of construction work on a new accommodation complex for NHS staff and medical students working at Yeovil Hospital.
The key worker accommodation scheme is the latest project to be funded by Canada Life and delivered through Yeovil Hospital’s strategic estates partnership with Prime Partnership Solutions.
Leighton Chumbley, Chief Executive of Prime, was at the turf cutting ceremony to formally recognise the transition to the build phase of the project. He said: “The key worker accommodation complex is a much-needed scheme, which will not only improve the lives of the hardworking and dedicated NHS staff and students who work at the hospital, but it will also breathe new life into a town centre site which has been derelict for a number of years. The turf cutting ceremony celebrates our progress on the scheme, turning plans into real transformation for the town of Yeovil and the hospital workers who support it.”
The turf cutting was also attended by Jonathan Higman, Chief Executive of Yeovil Hospital. He said: “The accommodation being built will provide frontline staff with modern, high-quality accommodation, just yards from the hospital site. It’s an investment into our future and one which will help us recruit and retain employees whilst adding to the vibrancy of the wider community.”
Also in attendance on the day was Paul von der Heyde, Trust Chairman at Yeovil Hospital, and Chris Watkins, Contracts Manager at Speller Metcalfe, the contractor appointed through the PIC Framework to deliver the scheme.
Chris Watkins said: “We are delighted to have been chosen to partner with Prime and Yeovil Hospital to deliver this fantastic new accommodation complex and are looking forward to the construction phase starting. We will be using our experience of building first-class residential accommodation to deliver the modern, comfortable and high-quality facilities the NHS workers and medical students deserve for the tremendous job they do for their community.”
Expected to be completed by late 2020 / early 2021, the key worker accommodation complex will provide 176 bedrooms in a mixture of one, two, four- and eight-bedroom apartments. Located just 500m from the hospital, the scheme also includes shared living spaces and landscaped gardens to enable staff and students to socialise and relax away from work.
