A project called NHS Homes, run by a number of suppliers within the short lets sector, has now made available some 800 homes to NHS staff with more to come.

Operating under the umbrella of the UK Short Term Accommodation Association trade body, the initiative is allowing NHS staff to stay in homes near the hospitals they work in for free during the Coronavirus outbreak, which has itself led to an almost complete collapse in traditional demand for Airbnb-style short lets.

The STAA says it is expected that the available portfolio will grow in capacity to more than 2,500 by the end of the week once new members’ properties have been made available.

Merilee Karr, chair of the STAA, says: “I would like to thank everyone involved for their efforts as the demand we’ve already had for homes from NHS workers proves that this is an incredibly valuable initiative. 

“I am particularly pleased that the scheme is now truly across the UK from as far west as Bridgend in Wales to Ipswich in the east and from Exeter in the south west to Glasgow in Scotland.

“To achieve something like this at a time where we, as an industry, are in the midst of the biggest crisis we have faced, is testament to the genuine goodwill of the people working in this sector. I am proud that we have come together in this difficult time for everyone to make a meaningful contribution as an industry.”

NHS workers who want to request accommodation and those companies with properties to offer the scheme should go to www.nhshomes.co.uk.