02 February 2018
New accommodation for junior doctors has opened in St Helier.
A £1.5 million refurbishment project has converted and expanded the former Limes nursing home in Green Street into a facility that will house up to 39 junior doctors. The first residents have already moved in and the transfer of staff now resident at Westaway Court will be complete by the end of February.
The Limes closed as a nursing home in early 2016 having been ruled unsuitable for residents who were elderly and in many cases had impaired mobility. The refurbishment was carried out by Rok Construction, acting on behalf of Andium Homes, to whom ownership of the building was transferred after its use by the Health and Social Services Department ceased.
Each of the rooms at the Limes has en suite facilities, and there are shared kitchen, laundry, leisure and other communal areas. The project was carried out in line with the standards of the Wessex Deanery, the body which is responsible for medical training for the States of Jersey and sends junior doctors to the Island as part of their two-year foundation training.
Westaway Court will be demolished to provide the site for the development of an outpatients centre as part of the Future Hospital project. The Department for Infrastructure is in discussions with Andium Homes and the Strategic Housing Unit to develop a long-term key worker strategy that will include junior doctors.
Specific features of the project included:
- the creation of six additional rooms, on top of the previous capacity
- existing heating and electrical services installations being overhauled and recommissioned
windows and doors serviced and repaired - existing curtains professionally cleaned and reused
- new carpet installed in bedrooms in order to meet current acoustic requirements
- fire precaution upgrade works to bring the building up to current legal standards
- internal decoration, a new door entry system and all-round wifi
- additional car parking, as well a bicycle storage area to encourage a green transport link with the General Hospital site
Head of Capital and Property Maintenance for Andium Homes, Stephen Lilley, said “Given the temporary use of the building for two to three years, only essential repairs were undertaken and every effort has been made to reuse existing building components in order to minimise overall expenditure. However, new furniture, fittings and equipment have been supplied, all of which will be reused in any long term solution for keyworkers. We were delighted to assist in the swift delivery of this project.”
Good use of vacant building
Minister for Health and Social Services, Senator Andrew Green, said he was pleased that the vacant building was now being put to good use.
“This accommodation for our junior doctors, most of whom are young and not residentially qualified, is essential,” he said. “The work has been carried out to a high standard in partnership with our colleagues in Infrastructure and Andium Homes.”
Minister for Infrastructure, Deputy Eddie Noel, said “This is a great example of three teams working together to find a cost-effective and practical solution. It is a good re-use of the building and a start on improving the Island’s provision of key worker accommodation.”
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