Homestay tour
NHS England South West’s Head of Transformation Ian Burden is embarking on a week-long tour of the country to help promote the Homestay service for NHS Staff.
The NHS Homestay service offers a secure platform where NHS staff can advertise a spare room(s) to other NHS staff and students. This provides an opportunity for householders to both bring in some extra cash under the government ‘rent a room’ scheme, but also to help their colleagues. For the guests, it allows for cheap and accessible accommodation options with the added benefit of sharing with someone who is likely to have a common understanding and a caring nature.
As part of his commitment to promoting the service to NHS staff in the South West, Ian will be travelling to Sussex, Kent, Liverpool and Kendal to find out what its like to rent a room through the scheme. Ian is giving up his own time and resources to book and travel to four different homes over consecutive days. He will be sharing his experience through the blog below.
- Introduction
- Monday – Hastings
- Tuesday – Maidstone
- Wednesday – Milton Keynes
- Thursday – St Helens
- Friday – Blackburn
- Conclusion
Introduction
As in many places across England, NHS staff, healthcare students and other key workers in the South West have really been struggling to find suitable and well-priced accommodation. That’s damaging recruitment and retention at a time when we are already desperately short of key personnel.
That’s why a regional team at NHS England has been working to improve things, in an age of high housing costs and in an area where putting spare rooms on AirBnB can be much more lucrative than offering them at prices affordable to local workers.
We’ve been developing a number of housing solutions to provide both short- and long-term rental opportunities. One route we have taken is to accept the support of a booking platform called Homestay.
Having been part of that regional team, personal circumstances mean I have the opportunity this summer to test what’s available via Homestay and to spread the word about wider accommodation offers for staff.
The Homestay team recognised that their platform could provide a more-secure way for NHS and healthcare staff to list their spare room and then rent that room to a healthcare colleague.
That’s perfect, because it means staff can earn some extra money, others can find somewhere to stay over, and for both the host and the person renting it is with people with the same general outlook and caring nature; it’s in the DNA of healthcare staff to want to look after others.
And it’s perfect for me in my own circumstances. Not just because it means a ROADTRrrrrrrrIP (said in an American style and jumping around with an arm in the air) where I can go and meet people, but I have just moved into a two-bedroom property in Exeter and I could do with renting a room out.
What better way for me to see what works and what doesn’t, before listing my property?
So that’s it, I will be working during the day as normal and then every evening I will try a new place to stay in England, work out how I can best rent out a room on the Homestay platform and meet people who are welcoming and friendly to share some conversations.
Do you want to come on the trip with me …..?
First night ….. Hastings
Ian with his first host in Hastings
As my first experience of using Homestay, Caroline and her husband provided the perfect experience. From the initial booking and communication on the Homestay platform, through to enjoyable conversation over a lovely dinner, I had found the perfect first hosts.
Working as a rehab support worker in the post covid service at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, Caroline helps support patients with advice, guidance and linking in with other services. As one of the few services offering this type of personalised care at an early stage of covid recovery, it is clear to see how her calm, warm nature would help settle patients.
This carries through in her hosting skills; that ability to straight away make me feel at home and relaxed in her house. In fact, from the moment of knocking on the door through to saying good night, we didn’t stop chatting.
Caroline has carried on a tradition of hosting individuals and families for over 20 years, pretty much all of her house guests coming from an international background. The enrichment of sharing in other peoples lives has driven her, helping her to learn and understand different cultures, view points, customs and ways of doing things. There is no doubt that this has not only carried through into her work and helping patients, but the way she interacts more generally – that calm and understanding nature.
Fortunately for healthcare staff in the Hastings area, Caroline has decided that whilst she will continue potentially hosting people from abroad, following some excellent promotion and engagement from her Trust workforce and accommodation team, she is determined to follow through with her sense of social justice and try to assist colleagues if they need a temporary housing solution. Whilst the Homestay initiative isn’t necessarily about providing cheap accommodation, it is very much about this shared approach to our work and our colleagues. We are all one family (a slightly odd and sometimes infuriating family, but we know that there are parts that provide us the support and love that we need so we can carry on) and that sense of wanting to help her fellow healthcare colleagues is a strong driving force in why she joined the platform.
So, what are the lessons from my first night?
The first thing was that I learnt how to make a delicious pina colada flavoured vegan dessert. But more than that, I learnt that communication is a big thing when hosting. Whilst the conversation was enjoyable and varied, Caroline’s experience shows that having clear communication with people staying in your property is critical. It set’s the expectations and saves any later confusion. By being clear from the outset about what is and isn’t acceptable within the house, it reduces points of friction and makes sure that everyone gets on. With her experience of having people stay in her property over the last 20 years, that clear and early communication has meant that there have been no major issues or upset. Friendships have blossomed in some instances, in others life has just continued on, but in all of them, Caroline has valued sharing her space with others who needed somewhere to stay.
Second night ….. Maidstone
Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find a host in Kent on the NHS Homestay website for a number of reasons. But this has provided me with a good opportunity to use my second Homestay location to book with a host on the public facing platform, rather than the specific NHS area.
And what a fine pair of hosts I have found!
The standard Homestay platform is exactly the same as the NHS version and I quickly found Kelly and Christopher in Maidstone, a town I remember fairly well from my school days. I was looking forward to staying over.
Kelly was immediately in touch via email and provided all of the necessary information, so it was clear from the beginning that their hosting since 2019 had taught them art of good and early communication!
After a hugely welcoming entrance with both of my hosts displaying lovely and generous outgoing personalities, we had a quick tour and then settled in for a chat about Homestay and their experience as hosts – they have hosted over 30 people with various lengths of stay from a couple of nights through to two years, as well as multiple return visits. Whilst predominately international visitors from Brazil, Russia, Italy, India, America and elsewhere, it was clear that all of them were made to feel very welcome …. Including invites to BBQ’s, birthdays and bands!
I was interested – have they had any bad experiences as guests are through a public website, rather than the NHS portal where it is solely for NHS staff?
Not really, in the majority they have had really good guests and will in fact be visiting some of their former guests in their own countries with trips planned to Europe and America. Of course, they have had a couple of instances where guests didn’t quite fit with their generally relaxed rules, but even then everything was dealt with quickly and without fuss by simply being clear with the guests. They have also refused some guests before they even arrived – but that’s the benefit of being able to communicate with your guest as part of the booking process to ensure that there is a common understanding between parties.
So why do they host and what do they get from it, especially as they have a young son in the house as well?
As both Kelly and Christopher come from big welcoming families it’s natural for them to regularly have people in their house and they blatantly enjoy the company and meeting new people. Not just that, they have a deep well of kindness in them which see’s them wanting to help people experience the best of Maidstone and England, as well as helping them progress their lives. For their young son, this must also provide a wonderful experience of having new and interesting people in his life which is bound to open his eyes to the world.
For me this has been a really interesting stay. It’s just so lovely to meet such an amazingly open and generous couple and their son, to feel welcomed and at home with immediate impact as though I had known them for years. But I am also sensing that there is a theme between my Monday and Tuesday night stays …. These experienced house sharers are generous, open and whilst the additional money from rentals may be useful, it’s the ability to have their own lives enriched and apply their social conscience to hosting others that really makes them such great hosts.
Third night …… Milton Keynes 
Tonight is a bit of a cheat night because I am staying with friends, but the reason is very pertinent to the purpose of this blog.
The NHS Homestay platform has been able to provide accommodation for some areas of England where very engaged Trusts have promoted the platform. But there are large areas of England, including my home region in the South West, where accommodation is not available. The issue that I have faced in the Midlands/East of England is that there are a small number of NHS hosts, but if they are not available then there is no option.
However, I was intrigued to compare my experience of staying with an NHS host, a Homestay host and staying with friends – how would they compare.
My friends, Paul, Dawn and their two daughters are fabulous people, always warm and welcoming so I knew that I would have a pleasant stay. They haven’t previously rented out a room and are not inclined to, so there is an interesting point here on why some people would rent out a room and others wouldn’t.
There is clearly personality and previous experience at play here, but as I am considering renting one of my rooms out, I am not sure how that would affect my decision whether to use Homestay or not.
A common experience appears to be growing up in very communal households and villages, or having lived in a household where parents hosted international students, for example. That doesn’t fit in with my personal experience.
However, I do have an outgoing personality, I like to find out about other peoples life experiences and I have a caring nature – love working in the NHS because it allows me to help others and work with people with the same mind set as me, people who inherently want to help those less fortunate, in distress or simply needing a helping hand.
This is something that I obviously need to explore a bit more with my next two Homestay hosts, who are both NHS staff. In the meantime, I am going to catch-up with my beautiful friends and try to convince them to join Homestay!
Fourth night …… Liverpool 
I am back with a member of the NHS who is a host on the Homestay platform, but this time it’s someone who is new to hosting.
Willhermina signed up to the Homestay platform as a host having seen an email from her workforce team advertising the initiative and thought that it sounded like a good idea – it of course helps with some additional money, but it is interesting meeting new people and also helps colleagues.
As a new comer to hosting I wanted to test my theory about whether hosts are likely to have come from big families or close knit communities, but Willhermina started the conversation with a different angle again! Coming from an international background herself, she has travelled extensively and often stayed with family, friends and friends of friends. This communal experience provided her with more than just a place to stay, but fond memories and the opportunity to explore with a small budget. In a sense, she is now paying that back by being a host.
But there is definitely something about the caring nature of those in the NHS. It was just so clear from Willhermina’s easy conversation, sharing her experience and most importantly, describing her strong community relationships with her neighbours, that she really has a natural way of displaying that she cares about others. And that was reciprocal – I met one of her neighbours who obviously cares for and trusts Willhermina.
We also discussed why there aren’t more NHS hosts or staff using the system to stay in places. Things like security and the way the stay is paid for were mentioned and this can be discussed with the national Homestay Forum chaired by the wonderfully energetic lead of the forum from Cambridge & Peterborough, but we also touched on the communication channels through Trust teams.
There is so clearly a need for more housing, so why haven’t we had more hosts sign up and importantly, more bookings for people to stay? Willhermina has been a wonderful host, she is interesting to speak with, is friendly and welcoming but still allowed me my space and her home is lovely, so how can we help her to help more staff and students?
A question perhaps for my final Homestay host in Blackburn ….. tomorrow.
Friday – Blackburn
This is my final night with a Homestay host and it’s my first visit to Blackburn so it was great to spend some time in the town centre sitting in a café with my laptop, before driving to my hosts property.
Looking at some of the background of Blackburn, the town has a long history as an industrial hub and was a major centre for the textiles industry, however, that was a long time ago. Some areas of the town has suffered with high levels of deprivation, leading to some of the negative health impacts that we recognise as health inequalities. Against this background, Blackburn with Darwen Council was allocated nearly £6 million of UK Shared Prosperity Fund funding for a three year period until March 2025. With those funds and others directed toward creating more employment, there is the potential for more economic regeneration. Whilst that is good for potential health improvements and the local economy, there could be an effect on the housing market as well, including rising costs.
But there is something that won’t change and that is the kindness and caring nature of people in the North West as a whole, like my last host, Jackie.
A healthcare assistant (in surgical day case admissions and theatres) with East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Jackie was made aware by a colleague of the Homestay platform which the Trust workforce team had advertised on the intranet. Having previously taken in foreign students and agency healthcare staff, Jackie and her children were used to sharing their home with guests and she therefore immediately took the opportunity to advertise her room on the platform. A critical element for her was that this would help support NHS colleagues but also, similar to helping agency staff, there was an implicit understanding that NHS staff will have the same caring attitude and would most likely (although not always) have gone through a DBS check.
So how can we find more generous and kind hearted people like Jackie to become hosts, whilst also highlighting the housing opportunity of accessing a spare room which is an affordable temporary option with a like minded person.
Jackie’s opinion is greater visibility of the Homestay option for staff. She would be keen to help more people but those people need to know that she has a spare room that they could rent. Jackie knows that some of her previous guests have really benefitted from living with a friendly family to help them feel more at home, we just need to give her that opportunity.
Jackie, similar to all of the other hosts, is really outgoing and enjoys meeting new people. And in each property this week the common statement from the hosts has been, “Please treat this as your own home” ….. although I have to admit that my own home still needs a lot of redecoration and cleaning so I am not sure I would quite go that far! But the point is that there are willing hosts who display kindness and trust, who also have a room that may be able to help a member of staff who, for whatever reason, may need a temporary place to stay where they can feel safe, comfortable and cared for.
It’s been a great end to the week away and I’ll be driving home to Devon now through weekend traffic – I will need to charge electric car up on the five hour journey so I will have plenty of time to reflect and think about my Homestay experience and whether to rent out one of my rooms on the platform!
The Homestay Tour – To Host, or Not To Host
It’s the weekend and after a week of meeting new people and staying with them overnight, it has been a bit of come down to return to my own house and sit here by myself. I have to admit, it seems a daunting prospect that I will have quite a few more nights like this. But would I look to rent one of my rooms out through Homestay, or indeed, if I travelled to another part of the country then would I use the platform instead of a hotel?
Answering the second question first, I think that yes, I would definitely consider staying with a Homestay host rather than in a hotel. I have had to travel around for work previously and I always hate having to sit by myself in a hotel bedroom, or having dinner at a table for one. The only issue is that the Homestay platform isn’t on the NHS England booking system. But I am doing a charity event in September in London, and if there were NHS hosts available then I would definitely stay with them …… the issue is, there aren’t any NHS hosts in London! That sounds crazy, the most expensive place to rent or own a property in the country and there are no NHS hosts. It’s a far cheaper option to rent a room, but to be perfectly honest with you, I have met some truly very caring and considerate colleagues and it just made the experience of staying with them far better.
It leads on to the first question, would I rent out my spare room to NHS staff?
You might say that it’s obvious that I would rent a room out on the platform, but let me explain.
My career before joining NHS England did not really provide an opportunity to express my caring nature and desire to help others. Yes, I have been a trustee of a couple of charities and have helped causes, but on a day to day basis I haven’t done much. When I joined NHS Improvement and subsequently NHS England I was able to provide a lot more direct support to the NHS and try to assist staff, this definitely being the case now looking at the staff housing issues. That really gives me a sense of pleasure knowing that I can help my colleagues fulfil their potential to help patients.
But you know, I think that if I rent out a room to a member of the NHS through the platform, I might be helping that individual person, but through my actions I might encourage other colleagues to extend their caring nature to helping their colleagues more and potentially that includes with somewhere to stay. And that’s a beautiful thing.
The platform is easy to use. The process is secured because it’s all NHS to NHS based on the staff email accounts and Homestay’s system. It’s a good way to bring in some additional money. None of the hosts I met have had a major issue with any of their guests over the years they have shared their house. It’s a way to help colleagues.
So, overwhelmingly I would say that along with our other initiatives such as the Homeshare model trialled by Cornwall Council, the step by step rental guide, housing hubs and the potential development of new staff housing, the Homestay platform provides a really useful and flexible system for us to help each other.
If you want to sign up to the Homestay platform either as a host or a guest, you can use your NHS email address to gain immediate access at https://nhs.homestay.com/