Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Lochaber care home closes following allegations

the Mackintosh Centre, Mallaig.
Pictured: the Mackintosh Centre, Mallaig.

Family and friends of residents in a west Highland care home now face an 85-mile round trip to visit their loved ones.

The Mackintosh Centre at Mallaig in Lochaber is being temporarily closed due to allegations of “poor practice” at the unit.

And the seven elderly residents were today being moved to Invernevis House Care Home in Fort William – which is 42.5 miles away.

NHS Highland suspended some staff at the Mallaig care home and launched an investigation into what it described as “anonymous allegations about poor practice in the residential unit”, which can accommodate up to eight residents.

And the health board confirmed that the police and Care Inspectorate had been informed.

It is understood the allegations relate to abuse of residents at the home.

Earlier this week, NHS Highland warned it may have to temporarily close The Mackintosh Centre for the safety of the residents as the suspensions would leave the home short-staffed.

And a spokeswoman for the health board today confirmed that it was being closed and the residents were being moved to Invernevis House.

She said: “Staff from the Mackintosh Centre will be going with them, apart from those who man the day care facilities.

“This is a temporary transfer of services to Invernevis House for four to six weeks, which will allow us to implement our action plan.”

The spokeswoman added that the health board continued to work closely with the Care Inspectorate.

She would not comment on the nature of the allegations, but said the investigation was ongoing.

A Care Inspectorate spokesman said: “Our thoughts are with residents and their families at this difficult time.

He said: “As Scotland’s social care regulator, our main priority is that residents receive the appropriate standard and continuity of care which meets their needs and respects their dignity and rights.

“We are monitoring this situation closely and are working closely with NHS Highland to ensure residents and their families and carers receive the best possible service throughout this transition period.

“We take all concerns raised with us very seriously and anyone with a concern can contact us on 0845 600 9527.”

The NHS-run home is named after theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh, who supported it financially.

The day care facilities at the centre will remain open.