Highland region in 'dire' situation as care homes shut and scenic gateway town badly hit

Ministers have been urged to invest in more care homes on the west coast of Scotland.

The Highland social services situation has been described as “dire” as shrinking care home numbers struggle to support a growing elderly population, a report has found.

The study was launched by Liberal Democrat MP for Inverness, Skye and West-Ross-shire Angus MacDonald, who has called on the Scottish Government to invest in new care homes across the country’s west coast.

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The Highland MP said there was an urgent need to increase bed capacity and also tackle chronic staff shortages across the sector.

Angus MacDonald is the Liberal Democrat MP for Inverness, Skye and West-Ross-shire | Angus MacDonald

Research from the study shows, in the past decade, the number of care homes for older people in the Highlands fell by 18 per cent. Across the same period, the population aged 75 and over surged by 71.9 per cent between 2001 and 2023.

In remote areas along the west coast, only eight care homes remain, forcing many elderly residents to seek care far from their families and communities, the report said.

Results showed the Fort William area has been badly affected, with “a huge number” of constituents writing to the MP last year about the feared closure of Moss Park Care Home in neighbouring Caol. Moss Park provides care for up to 39 people and it is one of just two care homes in the Fort William area.

Ministers have since confirmed the service will remain in the Lochaber area.

Coul, a town just outside Fort William | Katharine Hay

Of the private and third-sector care homes surveyed, 92.6 per cent rated National Insurance contribution (NICs) rises as highly significant for their care home's operations and financial sustainability.

From April 6, the rate of employer NICs will increase from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent, and the secondary threshold - the point at which employers pay NICs - will drop from £9,100 to £5,000. The report also found low pay and a lack of affordable housing were a highly significant barrier to recruiting staff, according to the majority of care homes surveyed.

To inform the results, the study received responses from 88 per cent of Highland care providers, representing the care of roughly 1,275 people across the region, as well as analysing data from NHS Highland.

The shrinking social services are impacting the Fort William area | Katharine Hay

Care home staff interviewed said “the sector is consistently being tasked with doing more for less”, “the salary does not reflect the workload or skills required” and “with care beds disappearing at an alarming rate, a fair funding system – one that truly reflects the cost of complex care – is urgently needed to prevent further closures”.

Mr MacDonald said ministers needed to provide a clear, targeted funding plan for the construction of four new care homes on the west coast - at Portree, Ullapool, Fort Augustus and Fort William.

As well as increasing bed capacity by up to 240 places, these new facilities would also include on-site accommodation for staff, directly tackling recruitment issues which have long plagued the region.

Mr MacDonald said: “The situation in the Highlands is unsustainable. As my report makes clear, the ageing population of the Highlands far outstrips the number of care homes available. In recent years, more and more care homes have closed their doors and those that remain are grappling with staff shortages and higher costs.

“This dire situation is making it extremely difficult for people to get the care they need close to home, all while piling pressure on our already overstretched hospitals.

“We need to see a big investment that establishes new care facilities and tackles vacancies. My proposals would deliver for the people of the Highlands, helping them get access to the best care close to home and easing the mammoth pressures facing our health service.

"My party are also calling on the UK government to exempt care providers from the rise to employers’ National Insurance contributions that risks sending more care homes to the wall."

The Highland MP has long campaigned to improve social care in the Highlands, having previously described the gaps in social care provision as the “biggest threat” to the wellbeing of those living in the region.

Ron Taylor, managing director of Parklands Care Homes, one of the largest independent care providers in the Highlands, welcomed the report.

He said: “We support his [Mr MacDonald’s] call for an emergency summit bringing together ministers, MSPs, MPs and representatives from both the public and private sectors. The current system is broken. It’s time for some fresh thinking about how we support older people in our communities.”

The Scottish Government said it remained “deeply concerned” about the UK government’s increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions and the impact it could have on both care homes and care at home services. Scottish officials said they estimated the social care sector faced additional costs of more than £95 million as a result of this decision.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Our 2025/26 Budget provides an additional £125m to enable adult social care workers delivering direct care in commissioned services to be paid at least £12.60 an hour, in line with the Real Living Wage. This takes our total investment in improving social care pay to £950m.

“Although the Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland, the statutory responsibility for delivering, commissioning and charging for care services at a local level lies with local authorities, NHS boards, and integrated health and social care partnerships.”

In January alone, NHS Highland lost 5,188 hospital bed days because of delays in people leaving hospital. This is the highest number of bed days lost to delayed discharge of any health board covering a rural population, the report found.

Delayed discharges can happen when people are unable to get the care they need at home or in the community. The health boards identified as covering a rural population included every health board except for NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and NHS Lothian.