DORSET homeowners are offering accommodation to healthcare workers as part of a national scheme.

Dorset-based company Dream Cottages have joined forces with many other companies in the short-term rental industry to offer free accommodation to frontline healthcare workers throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Currently, 22 holiday homes in Dorset have been made available for the initiative.

Dream Cottages are part of holiday rental agency, Sykes Holiday Cottages. Across the country, over 900 Dream Cottages and Sykes owners have signed up to let NHS staff stay in properties near their place of work for free. Small contributions are requested to help cover weekly cleaning, fresh linens and utilities.

The initiative, called NHS Homes, is designed to help healthcare workers who may have temporarily relocated, want to limit their commute or have had to move away from their families during the pandemic.

With the coronavirus pandemic having caused a large drop in bookings in the short-term rental market, several companies throughout the country are offering homes that would otherwise be empty to NHS workers who need a place to stay.

The NHS Homes scheme was originally hatched in London but expanded its reach thanks to the support of accommodation providers throughout the country.

The NHS Homes website is designed so that healthcare workers simply need to fill in a few details, such as the area they need to stay in and the time period of there stay, they are then matched with property owners who have listen their property on the site.

Joy Sangster, managing director at Dream Cottages, said: “We would like to thank all of the property owners who have ultimately made this happen.

“It’s such a worthy cause and we’re proud to play a part in making such a large number of properties available to the hard-working healthcare professionals that need them.”

NHS staff and other healthcare workers who would like to request accommodation and homeowners who wish to make their property available for healthcare workers, can both do so at www.nhshomes.co.uk.