Health trust blasted as 'Scrooge' for eviction notices before Christmas

Sheffield Save Our NHS has previously called for clarification from Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust over the £4m figure on the proposed remedial work ahead of the closure of at the three sites, following a report by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue earlier this year.

The group has also protested outside Rotherham Hospital – alongside representatives from the Royal College of Nursing and British Medical Association – in a bid to stop the potential eviction of 76 health workers from Loxley Court, Derwent Court and Swale Court next year.

SSONHS said the Rotherham Hospital Action Group met with fire safety officers from SYFR earlier this month and claimed they were told the flats were regarded as “safe at the time of inspection”, and there was no deadline on the remedial work, with the next scheduled fire inspection in three to five years.

But both action groups have now compared health bosses to Ebenezer Scrooge – the fictional miser in Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol – after Section 21 eviction notices were sent to tenants on December 9.

A SSONHS spokesperson said: “Disgracefully Rotherham Hospital NHS Trust sent eviction notices hand-delivered under the tenants' doors by security guards to all the medical staff who are tenants at the on-site accommodation blocks.

“Many tenants have not been successful in finding alternative accommodation due to the housing crisis in Rotherham.

"The tenants are scared and do not know what to do if they are made homeless.

“Tenants have gone on the council's housing register but have not been allocated any properties.

“Some international tenants are not eligible for Rotherham's housing register due to their visa restrictions but were promised accommodation by Rotherham NHS Trust.

“Others have not been able to find private accommodation near the hospital and are now thinking of leaving the hospital to find alternative work in other areas where they can find a home.

"The NHS Trust is responsible for adding to the homelessness in Rotherham and for not keeping promises to health workers to provide suitable housing.

“They are acting like Scrooge just before Christmas.

“SSONHS and the action group call on the trust to extend the time staff/tenants can stay at the accommodation until alternative accommodation is found and call upon Rotherham Council to take over the management or own the 120 units at the accommodation blocks now that they have been declared safe to live in by the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue team.

“The next fire inspection is due within three to five years so the buildings should not be mothballed as planned by the trust but be used to house medical staff and/or any homeless residents of Rotherham.”

​A spokesperson for Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust said: “Residents were notified in August 2024 that tenancy agreements would end in January 2025 due to the unaffordable cost of addressing safety risks.

"The Fire Authority, under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which is Government legislation, agreed with our thorough risk assessments. Since then, the Trust has worked with affected residents to understand their needs and support them in securing alternative housing.

"A Section 21 notice was posted to tenants on December 9 confirming the date of February 10 as the final date to leave the premises and we remain committed to supporting those affected.”

A spokesperson for RMBC said: “Rotherham Council is committed to ensuring that residents live well, safely, and healthily.

"We are actively engaged in supporting residents who may be displaced due to the closing of NHS accommodation and have successfully rehomed some of the residents.

“The council is currently undertaking the biggest council homes building programme since the 1970s in order to address the needs of local residents.

"This has to be done in a planned and managed way and the council has had no involvement with the buildings at the hospital.”