Living in east Kent
With miles of incredible coastline, rolling countryside, lively seaside towns, diverse communities and easy access to London and Europe, east Kent offers the best of both worlds as a place to develop your career.
Kent has some fantastic schools, excellent transport links and great value housing; the cost of a detached family home in East Kent is similar to that of a small flat in London. Travel to the capital and beyond is quick and easy due to the high-speed rail link which runs from Ashford to St. Pancras in London.
Our corner of England is host to a multitude of things to do and places to see. We've got some of the best beaches in Europe - voted by Lonely Planet - as well as art galleries, elegant stately homes, romantic getaways, fun-filled family attractions, and links to the sea and cities mean days out for the whole family are never far away. If you fancy a trip across the channel you can catch ferries from Folkestone or Dover, or hop on the Eurostar train from Ashford International.
Accommodation
Staff accommodation is available at Kent and Canterbury, William Harvey (Ashford) and QEQM (Margate) hospitals.
Bookings are managed on our behalf by 2gether Support Solutions, who manage all aspects of accommodation services, including the domestic cleaning of communal areas and vacation cleans. For details of accommodation on each site and current rents, please see the information below or click on the link to access the booking portal.
Residents rent charges are nightly from 3:30pm to 10am and that an additional charge will be applied for residents occupying accommodation outside of this timeframe i.e. in order to book a day sleep would involve booking two nights’ stay in accommodation to allow you to sleep throughout the day.
Keys will be allocated for collection once the booking has been confirmed and payment made/payroll deduction set up. Tenants will be advised on where to collect keys depending on day/time of arrival. Keys will not be available for collection until after 3:30pm on the first day of the booking and must be returned no later than 10am on the last day of the booking. Keys returned after 10am will result in an additional night’s charge being applied at the room rate of the original booking.
How to book
For Trust staff/forward bookings please book via our accommodation portal.
For Agency staff short stays please book via our agency accommodation portal.
For Medical Education Students please book via our accommodation portal.
What's provided?
Each single room is fully furnished with a desk, single bed, wardrobe, shelving, side drawers and a desk chair. Each kitchen has a microwave, oven and fridge freezer. Linen is provided in each room, this is comprised of sheets, blanket, pillows and towels. Each flat has an iron and ironing board.
Family flats are similarly furnished but have a double bed in the main bedroom, linen is provided and comprised of sheets, blankets, pillows and towels.
Download our Trust room rental rates Download our staff residential accommodation policyAmenities
Email: 2gether.accommodationkch@nhs.net
Located just opposite the Outpatients Department at K&C, the Orchard Residences are purpose built accommodation blocks provided for the use of hospital staff, medical students, and other key healthcare workers. The accommodation is divided into single rooms or family accommodation depending on your requirements and subject to availability, allocated on a priority basis in line with Trust Policy. Each single room is fully furnished with access to communal kitchens and bathrooms. All rooms have full access to the Trust’s Wi—Fi system. While the site is located on the hospital’s door step for convenience, it still maintains a quiet and peaceful atmosphere enabling residents to relax without feeling they are at work.
The Orchard Residences are a 15-20 minute walk from the historic city of Canterbury. In the city centre you will find a large selection of restaurants, bars, clubs for shoppers the White Friars Mall, as well as many quaint independent stores along the high street and in the many lanes and backstreets. Canterbury connects with the high speed rail link to London with a journey time of around 60 minutes, and connections to Ashford for the Eurostar to the continent.
Email: 2gether.accommodationwhh@nhs.net
Located to the right of the main hospital building, the Broomfield Residences are purpose built accommodation blocks provided for the use of hospital staff, medical students, and other key healthcare workers. The accommodation is divided into single rooms or family accommodation depending on your requirements, subject to availability, allocated on a priority basis in line with Trust Policy. Each single room in a cluster flat is fully furnished with access to a communal kitchen, bathroom and lounge. All rooms have full access to the Trust’s Wi—Fi system. While the site is located on the hospital’s door step for convenience, it still maintains a quiet and peaceful atmosphere enabling residents to relax without feeling they are at work.
The William Harvey Hospital is located in a quiet area just outside of Ashford town centre, but only a couple of minutes from junction 10 of the M20 making it useful for commuting between London and Canterbury. The Ashford International train station is also just a ten-minute drive away, giving residents a quick and easy route to the continent via Eurostar, or London on the high-speed rail link.
Email: 2gether.accommodationqeqm@nhs.net
Located to the right of the main hospital building, the Nightingale Residences are purpose built accommodation blocks provided for the use of hospital staff, medical students, and other key healthcare workers and is available subject to availability, allocated on a priority basis in line with Trust policy. All single rooms are en-suite with a communal kitchen and lounge in the flat, with all blocks benefitting from card-key access controls and CCTV. All rooms have full access to the Trust’s Wi—Fi system. While the site is located on the hospital’s door step for convenience, it still maintains a quiet and peaceful atmosphere enabling residents to relax without feeling they are at work.
The accommodation site situated in the seaside town of Margate, with its vibrant old town renaissance and the newly opened Turner Centre. Just a 5-minute drive away is Westwood Cross shopping and leisure complex. Margate connects with the high speed rail link to London with a journey time of around 90 minutes, and connections to Ashford for the Eurostar to the continent.
Parking
Please note that residents in Trust accommodation MUST have a parking permit to park at any of the hospital sites. Permit costs are not included as part of your accommodation booking.
Please be aware that the Trust operates a ticketing enforcement system and if vehicles are parked on-site without a valid permit then the driver will be issued with a £35 fixed Parking Charge Notice (PCN).
For more information, please visit the parking pages on Staff Zone. If you have any questions or wish to contact the Parking Team directly, you can do so by email at ekh-tr.travelsmart@nhs.net.
Useful links
Visit Kent is full of information about what to see and do.
Kent County Council's website will keep you up-to-date with the latest news and help you access local services.
Transport
Southeastern is Kent's main train operator.
Stagecoach runs bus services in east Kent.
Local news
Kent Online has local news, sport and traffic reports.
The BBC Kent local website covers the latest news, sport, weather and travel from across the county.