A vital nursing home in the Highlands has been saved from closure after a deal was struck to take it into public ownership.
Moss Park care home in Caol, Lochaber, is to be purchased by Highland Council and NHS Highland after an agreement was reached with the current owners HC-One.
The home is the only remaining nursing home in the area, which recorded the worst delayed discharge rate in Scotland.
HC-One announced it was to close the facility last month after struggling for years to attract and retain a permanent team of staff.
Talks have been ongoing to secure Moss Park’s future, and the Highland Council said it was “delighted” to announce a decision had been made to purchase the home.
Under the deal service provision will be transferred to NHS Highland next year.
The local authority praised the “positive support” it had received from the Scottish Government to purchase the home, which it said would provide-medium term care and “certainty for people in Lochaber.”
The Highland Council considered a confidential report on the future of Lochaber care provision on October 31 and approved a recommendation to seek to purchase Moss Park Care Home.
In a joint statement released this morning, both NHS Highland and The Highland Council said they were pleased to announce that an agreement in principle had been secured.
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The statement continued: “While this is still only a first step in the process, and there remain a number of complexities to work through, it is hopeful this proposed way forward provides some certainty to care home residents and their families and the care home staff.
“A transfer of service provision from HC One to NHS Highland is likely early in 2025. NHS Highland will seek to operate the home in the medium term, until alternative sustainable models of provision in Lochaber can be established in the long term.
“We are aware that this has been a worrying time for residents and their families, and for staff and further engagement with stakeholders will take place over the coming weeks.”
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