NHS Highland has announced the closure of a remote care home in Sutherland due to staff shortages.
The Caladh Sona care home in Talmine, Tongue, is home to four residents.
But due to “recruitment challenges” the health board has today announced it has made the “difficult” decision to shut the home.
NHS Highland says the closure will take 12 weeks allowing residents and their families to find suitable accommodation.
However, the nearest other care home is located 30 miles away in Melvich, which has a similar capacity of just six residents.
Michelle Johnstone, NHS Highland’s area manager, said the planned closure was the better option than closing the facility at short notice.
“This has been an extremely difficult decision but this is the safest outcome for the residents of Caladh Sona.
“Without a planned closure there is a significant risk that the residents will have to be moved at extremely short notice due to the ongoing staffing shortages that we face in the sector.”
NHS Highland’s area manager: ‘Extremely difficult decision’
NHS services across Scotland are under pressure to provide reliable care whilst trying to bring down long wait lists.
Inflationary pressures due to the cost-of-living crisis have also had an impact, with staff leaving the NHS and leaving gaps in healthcare services.
In the case of the Caladh Sona care home, it is further compounded by the remote location, which may discourage people from applying for positions.
The current situation is “not sustainable” says Mrs Johnstone, with staff working hard to cover when other staff are on holiday or absent.
The health board also says any permanent staff at Caladh Sona will be offered redeployment opportunities within the Sutherland district
However, there are currently only three Sutherland-based facilities run by NHS Highland, two located in Brora and one in Golspie.
“I want to reassure the local community that this decision will not have an impact on the redesign work which we have undertaken over the last few years.
“We are committed to strengthening health and social care services in Sutherland and across Highland and the new hub facility is planned to open in 2026, in line with the north coast redesign principles to help people stay in their communities by providing services as close to home as possible.”
Conversation