Help for NHS pharmacists to climb on the property ladder
Hospital pharmacists who are struggling to get on the property ladder may be eligible for assistance under the “key worker living” scheme, announced by the UK Government earlier this spring. The scheme, set up because high house prices have led to recruitment problems in some areas, is available in parts of London, East Anglia and the south-east of England.
One of the ways that the scheme supports key workers is to offer loans
of up to £50,000. The loan is only repayable when the house is sold.
The amount repayable is a percentage of the value the property is sold
for. Loans are also repayable if the eligible person stops being a key
worker. An alternative is to buy a part ownership of a property, and pay
rent on the part that is not owned.
Eligibility criteria vary across regions, depending on local recruitment
and retention priorities. Pharmacists who work in one of the areas listed
in the panel below should use the contact details to find out more.
How to obtain further information on the key worker housing scheme
Information on eligibility and applications is available from:
· London: telephone 0845 300 2820 or visit
www.keyworkerliving.co.uk
· South East England (Surrey, West Sussex, East
Sussex, Kent, Berkshire, Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire):
telephone
0845 600 6699 or visit
www.keyworkerliving-sep.co.uk
· Hertfordshire: telephone 01582 869 440 or visit
www.leavalleyhomes.co.uk
· Essex: telephone 07002 662846 or visit www.moat.co.uk
· Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire (including Fenland
and Peterborough, Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury): telephone 0845 456
6757or visit www.keyhomes-east.org.uk (FLASH
required)
· Norfolk and Suffolk (except Forest Heath and St
Edmundsbury): telephone 0845 8502050 or visit www.orbit.org.uk/ofs |
| In a separate development, pharmacy staff working in NHS hospitals
can also benefit from reduced-cost membership of LivingWell health
clubs across the country. “Key workers membership” has
been available from 1 May and costs £25 plus VAT per month (as
opposed to the usual £48 plus VAT). Those interested should
contact LivingWell on 0870 600 7001 or visit www.livingwell.com for more information.
|
|
Hospital Pharmacist