Plans to re-locate residential care home services in a new health and social care facility on the north coast of Sutherland have been approved.
The board of NHS Highland agreed the idea to develop the idea, subject to further work to explore the viability of the project.
The move follows a three month consultation of local residents where almost two thirds of the people surveyed supported the board’s preferred option of a dual “residential and nursing care” facility to be built in the Kyle of Tongue area.
It is proposed that the facility will improve the co-ordination of care in the area through healthcare services and staff sharing premises at the centre.
If the project is deemed to be viable, it will mean that NHS Highland would no longer provide residential care home services at Caladh Sona at Talmine near Melness and Melvich Community Care Unit.
During the board meeting on Tuesday, the report authors raised some concerns about staff recruitment and retention and other factors which could affect the facility’s viability.
Gill McVicar, the board’s director of operations north and west operational unit, said: “We need to have confidence that the Kyle of Tongue area can provide a sustainable workforce.
“There is a lot of concern about the viability of staffing anywhere along that north coast, not just for NHS Highland.
“We have been struggling to staff the two homes on the north coast, but we are moving the two homes into one, so it ought to be achievable.
“But we do not want to build the facility and not be able to staff it. So we need to do more work to gather evidence on the viability of the model.”
She added: “What we have in mind is to build a home for around 12 residents at the facility, but we would like to further describe what else could be provided.
“For example, we feel we can improve provision of ‘end of life’ care on the north coast and reduce local residents having to move.”
