House for visiting medical students to tackle accommodation issue

Up to five medical students will be able to stay at the house in Tromode at a time

Buying a house for visiting medical students will help tackle accommodation issues, a healthcare trust has said.

The lodgings in Tromode can take up to five students on work placements at Noble's Hospital at a time.

Making the purchase, the Henry Bloom Noble Healthcare Trust said existing on-site accommodation was often used by temporary UK staff in essential roles.

Undergraduate coordinator Mark Roberts said students were often put up in hotels due to a lack of accommodation.

However he said student doctors at the hospital were "a very useful part of the workforce".

'Competitive'

Mr Roberts said the trust had been approached by educational staff at Noble's about buying a "suitable property" for the students.

The trust agreed to the request as the house would be an "investment" and generate a rental return from the medical schools sending students over, Mr Roberts said.

Trustee Malcolm Clague said the island often had difficulty "filling some of its permanent medical posts" and some medical student attachments had in the past led to full time appointments.

"Of last years' intake of junior doctors more than half had been medical students here, so it does work," Mr Clague said.

"Clinicians are very keen to open up more clinical attachment positions for medical students at Noble's hospital."

Adrian Dashfield, who trains the students on placements said filling the training slots at Noble's Hospital was never a "struggle".

"By making it competitive to come and train here it means that we are attracting the pick of the crop," he added.

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