A hospital is addressing the shortage of qualified doctors in west Kent with plans for new student accommodation and a teaching block in Tunbridge Wells.

Around 145 medical students will be able to live on the Tunbridge Wells Hospital's campus and the NHS trust hopes this means they will consider careers in the area, when their training finishes.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council gave its backing. Construction work will start next month and the new buildings should be ready in March.

The first intake of Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS) students will be welcomed in September 2022. In later years of their degree, their clinical placements will be at the Maidstone or Tunbridge Wells hospitals.

Dr Peter Maskell, medical director at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW), said: “Providing high-quality space will help attract future generations of doctors and medical students as they can live, learn and work close to their clinical placement.

“We hope this will lead to an increase in medical staff employed here and give an essential boost to improving local health and care.”

Councillors at the planning meeting last week considered the proposal ‘contributes to the future resilience of the NHS.’

Documents added: “There are specific benefits to the accommodation and teaching space being located within the grounds, including sustainability, attracting students to the course and avoiding pressure on surrounding housing stock.”

KMMS, which opened its doors in September 2020 and is based in Canterbury, will provide the trust with approximately 40 students in the first intake.

Once fully established, it will place 120 additional medical students with MTW each year – a 315% increase in the total number of students the trust currently takes.

The ground floor will house the academic space - a learning hub, private study, offices and toilets – as well as two six bedroom flats.

Floors one to five will be entirely student accommodation made up of six, five or four bed flats, all of which will have a communal kitchen, dining and living area and an ensuite attached to each bedroom.

In addition, eight wheelchair accessible flats will be provided - two on each floor - from the first to the fourth floors and eight wheelchair accessible flats will be provided - two on each floor - from the first to the fourth floors.

A free staff bus service is also available for the students should they need to travel to Maidstone Hospital on Hermitage Lane, in Maidstone.

The trust says the cost of the work is yet to be revealed as it is finalising the budget ahead of the contractors starting the work.

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