Accommodation

Intro

Most Doctors either choose to live in close to Royal Cornwall Hospital (RCHT) in Truro, or by the beach, in the beautiful beachside villages of Perranporth and St. Agnes (more details below) Not all placements are at RCHT and some can be quite far away (especially when on GP placements), so where you live is up to you to decide and will likely depend on the transport you have, willingness to commute, and how close to the beach (or hospital) you want to live. There are a couple of options relating to accommodation as outlined below: 

Hospital Accommodation

Royal Cornwall Hospital (RCH) – Pendeen & Penlee House

Limited on-site accommodation is provided in Pendeen House (TR1 3UD) and Penlee House (TR1 3UT), located on the Royal Cornwall Hospital site in Truro.

  • 70 standard single rooms, arranged in mixed sex flats of 3 or 4 bedrooms with a shared kitchenette, dining room, lounge, bathroom and toilet, at a cost of £20 per night for RCHT Employees and £25 per night for all Agency Personnel.
  • This is short-term accommodation only, with routine agreements of up to 3 months available. The maximum length of stay at Penlee and Pendeen House is 6 months.
  • A typical room consists of a bed complete with bed linen and towel, wardrobe, lamp, desk and chair
  • All flats are equipped with a communal iron, ironing board and vacuum cleaner. The kitchenette is basic and has a cooker, fridge/freezer, microwave, pots, pans, crockery and cutlery
  • Residents are advised to bring a spare set of bed linen/towels as only one set is provided.
  • There is no lift access to the upper floors of the building. If you have any special requirements, please ensure that you advise us at the time of booking, and we will accommodate your request if possible.

University of Plymouth – Managed by Sanctuary Students

Sanctuary Students manage University of Plymouth’s accommodation which is located on the Royal Cornwall Hospital Site, a short walk from the hospital’s main buildings. Several rooms are available for RCHT employees:

Standard rooms

  • 4 bedroom flats
  • Fully furnished bedrooms (including double bed, wardrobe, study desk, bookshelf, desk chair and soft seating).
  • Shared bathroom facilities (2 Shower rooms and toilets per flat)
  • Fully furnished communal kitchen/living area (including oven, hob, fridge, freezer, microwave oven, toaster, kettle, iron, ironing board, vacuum cleaner, table, chairs and sofa)
  • For a six-month, non-negotiable, short-term licence £141 per week. There may be the option to extend the short term licence for a further six months (maximum) at a discounted rate of £129.00 per week. This will be subject to availability and approval from RCHT.
  • Rates applicable for period from 01 August 2022 – 31 July 2023

Ensuite room

  • 4 bedroom flats
  • Fully furnished bedrooms (including double bed, wardrobe, study desk, bookshelf, desk chair and soft seating).
  • En-suite bathroom facilities
  • Fully furnished communal kitchen/living area (including oven, hob, fridge, freezer, microwave oven, toaster, kettle, iron, ironing board, vacuum cleaner, table, chairs and sofa)
  • For a six-month short-term licence £173 per week. There may be the option to extend the short term licence for a further six months (maximum) at a discounted rate of £158.00 per week. This is subject to availability and approval from RCHT
  • Rates applicable for period from 01 August 2022 – 31 July 2023

All nominations for these rooms are managed by the RCHT Accommodation Office, please do not contact Sanctuary Students directly

For general queries, RCHT Accommodation Office is open between the hours of 08:00-16:00, Monday to Friday, contact 01872 256400 or email rch-tr.accommodation@nhs.net

West Cornwall Hospital

Limited on-site accommodation is provided at West Cornwall Hospital (TR18 2PF).

  • 20 single rooms in mixed sex accommodation floors, sharing with up to 12 people in level A and 8 people in level B both with a shared kitchenette, laundry, dining room, lounge, bathroom and toilet at a cost of £20 per night for RCHT Employees/Students on Short Term Placements and all Agency personnel.
  • This is short-term accommodation only, with routine agreements of up to 3 months available. The maximum length of stay at WCH is 6 months.
  • A typical room consists of a bed complete with bed linen and towel, wardrobe, lamp, desk and chair.
  • All flats are equipped with a communal iron, ironing board and vacuum cleaner. The kitchenette is basic and has a cooker, fridge/freezer, microwave, pots, pans, crockery and cutlery.
  • There is no lift access to the upper floors of the building. If you have any special requirements, please ensure that you advise us at the time of booking, and we will try to accommodate your request if possible.

For general queries, WCH General Office is open between the hours of 08:30-16:30, Monday to Friday, contact 01736 874240 or email rcht.wchaccommodation@nhs.net

Application Form:

If you would like to be considered for accommodation, please complete the application form in the link below:

Accommodation application form

Private Rentals

Private rent is available through estate agents. If this is your preferred option, Medical Staffing are able to provide details of your salary to estate agents (they will need to contact you before releasing information to external agencies). They can be contacted on rch-tr.JuniorDoctors@nhs.net 

The Trust has developed a dedicated staff accommodation Facebook page. If you are employed, or in the process of being employed by the Trust, you can request to join by accessing the following link:

RCHT Home Finder

You must answer all the questions (some have 2 parts) in order to be accepted onto the group. All requests to join are presently accepted within 48 hours (Monday to Friday only). There may be a slight delay in accepting you if the team are required to seek confirmation from a recruiting manager of your impending employment with the Trust.

Non-urgent advice: Room Shares

Room shares available on www.spareroom.com. You can search for available rooms or post an ad about the type of room you are looking for. 

Fellow Doctors post their spare rooms or upcoming rentals on the Truro Doctors Mess Facebook group. It is often worth joining and monitoring the group for announcements of available accommodation and posting a message stating what accommodation you are looking for. If you would rather buddy up with a fellow GP trainee, join the Cornwall GPVTS 2021 Facebook group and post in there.