Highland Council members met on 31 October to discuss the urgent situation facing Lochaber’s elderly residents after HC-One’s announcement of Moss Park Care Home’s closure.
On 18 September, HC-One, the care home operator, gave NHS Highland the standard 13-week notice of their intention to close Moss Park, triggering a race against time to ensure ongoing care for its residents.
In response, NHS Highland and Highland Council have been collaborating intensively to explore options that could maintain care provision within Lochaber and minimise disruption for the residents affected.
With no finalised solution on the table yet, both agencies are preparing a contingency plan to relocate all residents, prioritising their welfare as the top concern during this time of uncertainty.
Chair of the Council’s Health and Social Care Committee, Councillor David Fraser, acknowledged the anxiety this situation has caused for residents, families, and staff, while reaffirming the Council’s commitment to finding the best possible outcome.
Fraser described the closure as a serious challenge, underscoring that Highland Council’s broader focus remains on reducing delayed discharges from hospitals and advancing a community-based care model that promotes independence for older adults.
He emphasised that this new care model aims to shift the focus from acute to sustainable community-based care, allowing people to live more independently in their communities for longer.
This model, Fraser noted, reflects a larger, proactive strategy to tackle the growing demand for care services across Highland, yet Moss Park’s closure highlights the immediate difficulties in balancing long-term goals with pressing needs.
Updates on progress will be provided to residents, families, staff, and the wider community as soon as new information becomes available, with full reports to follow at the Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Committee meetings.
Due to the confidential nature of the discussion, the Council’s session on Moss Park was held privately, allowing officials to address sensitive details without compromising resident privacy.
The search for a solution continues as the Council and NHS Highland move swiftly to prevent any gap in care for Moss Park’s residents, with all eyes on securing a sustainable outcome that will meet the needs of Lochaber’s ageing population.