A woman who had to have her leg amputated has been left stuck in hospital for nearly three months because of a carers crisis in the north.
Debbie Michie is desperate to be allowed home – but health chiefs cannot let her leave her ward until they can arrange four visits a day from specialist helpers.
She and her husband Iain are growing increasingly frustrated by the situation – and there are no signs of a solution.
NHS Highland has admitted that recruitment to the adult care sector is a growing problem, particularly in the Badenoch and Strathspey area where the Michies live.
Mrs Michie, 61, had her leg amputated at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness in September last year.
She was transferred to the Ian Charles Hospital in Grantown a few weeks later, but suffered complications because of her diabetes.
Now she is healed, but cannot return to her home at Nethy Bridge until a care package is in place.
Mrs Michie said: “I’ve wanted to come home for 10 weeks but they can’t get the carers.
“The staff at Grantown are as frustrated as I am.”
Mrs Michie added: “They have been brilliant – I can’t fault the staff at all. It is a wonderful hospital But I would like to go home.
“I’ve been told that its not a funding problem, it’s a lack of carers.
“I think they need to advertise more.”
Her 63-year-old painter and decorator husband said: “The service needs more staff and better rates of pay.
“It is so frustrating for Debbie to be stuck there.”
NHS Highland’s adult care service has been under increasing scrutiny since it was transferred from Highland Council in 2012.
The local authority has twice had to give extra money to balance the books.
And the crisis is expected to deepen as because of the ageing population.
Jean-Pierre Sieczkarek, the NHS’s area manager for Badenoch and Strathspey, said: “We have been liaising closely with the family and will continue to do so.
“For reasons I am sure you will understand it’s not appropriate for us to talk about individual cases.
“However, in general terms, people being delayed in hospital is in nobody’s interest and upsetting to all concerned. We are really sorry about this and I offer my sincere apologies.
“To be clear, this is not about money or poor planning, but a lack of people who want to do care at home work in the area.
“NHS Highland has been taking a number of steps to try and improve the immediate situation including advertising more posts, working with the independent sector and our own staff doing overtime, but we have not been able to create enough capacity.
“It has been particularly challenging in Badenoch and Strathspey area. It is clear that we need to think differently by looking at new roles, pay, career structures and so on, but there are no quick fixes and of course this is frustrating.
“This is going to be a growing challenge and one which NHS Highland cannot fix on our own.”
Aird and Loch Ness councillor Margaret Davidson said that delayed discharges had a knock-on effect.
She added: “Inverness, Badenoch and Strathspey are the worst areas.
“We need to build up community services and find an imaginative solution for recruitment.
“My wish is that we have more community-based services. People want to work for their own community and in their own community.”
Councillor Alasdair Christie, who is chairman of Highland Council’s education, children and adult services, revealed that a recent recruitment drive for 142 children’s carers attracted 900 applicants, with half holding the necessary qualifications.
But, he added, a similar exercise for adult social care would not achieve anywhere near those figures.
Margaret Watt, of Scotland Patients Association, said that it was not just an issue for the Highlands.
She said: “It is throughout the system. I don’t know why they cannot get enough staff.
“It is such a shame for this lady because she does not want to be blocking a bed. It is a shame that they cannot get these care packages together.”