Construction has officially begun at North Devon District Hospital (NDDH) to create urgently needed new accommodation for staff and students.

The Royal Devon has secured £22.7million from the government’s New Hospital Programme to create modern, on‑site living facilities that will help attract and retain the workforce the hospital relies on.

To mark the start of construction, the Trust has revealed the official name for the new residences as Taw View. 

They are being built as part of Our Future Hospital (OFH), the Trust’s long-term programme to build a better, more resilient hospital for northern Devon and ensure services meet the needs of local people for years to come.

Prof David Sanders, OFH Clinical Lead, said: “The start of construction work is an important moment to celebrate, but there is still much to do. The OFH team continues to work hard to secure the further funding needed to deliver vital improvements across the hospital site.

“Taw View marks the first phase of the OFH programme. Not only will it deliver much needed short-term accommodation for our clinical colleagues, it paves the way for relocating the staff car park and unlocking the site for the major, much needed clinical build that will follow. The next phase will deliver new, fit for purpose operating theatres, intensive care unit, expanded diagnostic facilities and enhanced women’s and children's services.”

Taw View will provide 120 en-suite bedrooms, including four fully accessible family apartments and six single fully accessible rooms, with shared kitchen, living and dining spaces alongside various amenity spaces. The accommodation will be used by clinical students, visiting and relocating clinicians, and on-call medical staff critical to the delivery of patient services at NDDH.

Sustainability and efficiency have also been a focus. Solar panels will cover most of the roof, supplying power directly to the building. The Trust will also be ensuring that a biodiversity net gain of at least 10% is reached through on and off-site habitat provision. 

Chris Tidman, Royal Devon Deputy Chief Executive Officer, said: “This is a significant moment for the Trust and another major step towards developing our clinical buildings through the Our Future Hospital programme. The Taw View residences will be vital for attracting healthcare professionals to our hospital, as well as supporting the recruitment and retention of skilled staff.”

Natalie Forrest, Chief Programme Officer at the New Hospital Programme, said: “It’s great to see construction begin on Taw View, which will provide modern accommodation for the staff and students who play such a vital role in delivering care at North Devon District Hospital. This investment will help the Trust attract and support the workforce it needs, while also marking an important early step in the wider New Hospital plans for the site.”

  A CGI shows how the new Taw View residences will look

Ian Roome, MP for North Devon, said: “I visited when demolition began last year and was pleased to see much of the old building carefully recycled. I lived in one of those old blocks myself when I worked in the hospital and they were already past their best, so this is an important step forward. It’s a practical investment in attracting and keeping the staff our hospital relies on, and an important part of the wider plans to improve clinical facilities.

“My thanks go to the hospital team for making this possible, and to all the hardworking staff who deserve modern, fit-for-purpose accommodation. In Parliament, I will continue pressing the government to bring forward the remaining funding needed for the next stages of the project.”

The Taw View staff residences is just one of the ways in which the Trust is investing in and upgrading its spaces to deliver excellent patient facilities and a great place to work for its colleagues, using external funding. Through the OFH programme, the Trust is continuing to seek further funding to deliver a twin MRI scanning suite as part of several planned hospital redevelopments.