Final residents leave Ullapool's Mo Dhachaidh care home ahead of closure as Wester Ross community demands action on future provision
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THE last three remaining residents of a Wester Ross care home have been transferred ahead of its closure.
The Lochbroom community around Mo Dhachaidh in Ullapool has rallied in a bid to secure the future of social care in the area.
Parklands Care Homes had a sparked shocked response when it announced the home it had taken over last August would close.
The company flagged some of the toughest economic conditions in decades for its decision which it said was taken with the deepest of regret. NHS Highland has been working with it to find suitable spaces for residents.
Parklands today confirmed the last three remaining residents have today been safely transferred from Mo Dhachaidh care home.
"I know that our decision to close Mo Dhachaidh has been a disappointment to many in the community. It is not the outcome we would have wished for. As someone who founded Parklands due to my own experiences caring for my grandfather, I take this closure decision very personally and I feel for everyone affected."
Discussions on the future of the building are continuing.
Ron Taylor, managing director of Parklands Care Homes said: "I am grateful to the team at Mo Dhachaidh who, with the support of NHS Highland, have managed this difficult process with grace and compassion.
"Our priority has always been the safety and well-being of the residents; while we are desperately sad to lose them, we take some comfort from the fact that they have been safely transferred to new homes where they will continue to receive the care they require.
"I know that our decision to close Mo Dhachaidh has been a disappointment to many in the community. It is not the outcome we would have wished for. As someone who founded Parklands due to my own experiences caring for my grandfather, I take this closure decision very personally and I feel for everyone affected.
"No decision has been made on the future of the building itself. However, I have made it clear that we have no intention of profiting from the sale of Mo Dhachaidh. We are continuing to have discussions with the local community to determine the best course of action for the future of the building."
At a meeting held in Ullapool Village Hall on February 26, the favoured outcome for the care home's future was to encourage Highland Council to buy the buildings, and to commission NHS Highland to run a nursing home from them.
NHS Highland currently runs Lochbroom House care home in Ullapool.
Community council chairperson, Topher Dawson said: "I have convened a local group of concerned residents to campaign on behalf of the wider north–west coast. We are extremely concerned about the shortage of nursing care beds locally and in the whole area, which means vulnerable people are sent miles away from their home. We had a well attended local public meeting which gave us a clear mandate to require Highland Council to commission NHS Highland to re–open the home.
"Highland Council recently bought Main's House Care Home in Newtonmore as it was in administration, and we are calling for them to do the same here. Through Community Councils, we will be asking people to send an open letter to their councillors and MSP's calling for action."
The campaign letter highlights some of the major impacts that the closure will have on communities across the north–west coast.
It says: "The facility is one of only two nursing care homes in the entire north–west coast area across 100 miles from Kyle of Lochalsh in the south to Durness on the North Coast.
"Our ageing population is already severely socially disadvantaged due to scattered settlements, with almost no public transport and critically under–resourced health and social care provision. Regular visits from further away by family and friends will be almost impossible, especially from those who work or have no car. The impact from this lack of contact will be distress and isolation on all sides.
"The impact of the closure is so severe that we, the local population, require to see you, our elected representative, take significant and immediate action to address and solve this matter."
