Due to ongoing recruitment challenges in remote and rural areas, NHS Highland has made the difficult decision to begin a temporary suspension of service at the Mackintosh Centre in Mallaig.
Update November 22, 2024: the Mackintosh Centre has now re-opened.
The temporary suspension of service at the Mackintosh Centre, which has seven residents, will ensure that residents can move safely into the nearest available care home facilities while we identify solutions to the staffing issues.
Karen-Anne Wilson, NHS Highland’s District Manager for Lochaber, said: “This has been an extremely difficult decision but this is the safest possible outcome for the residents.
“We are unable to safely staff the care home at this time due to recruitment and retention challenges we face across the sector in Highland and elsewhere in Scotland.
“We will begin a managed transfer of residents in partnership with their families. We recognise this decision will cause anxiety among residents, relatives and staff but we believe this is the safest approach.”
The temporary suspension of service at the home will begin on 26 July 2023. The residents will temporarily move into the nearest available care homes and all permanent staff will be offered a temporary relocation to other NHS Highland care facilities in the area.
Karen-Anne continued: “I want to thank the staff and managers who have been working tirelessly in the care home for the last few weeks to maintain the current level of care in the Mackintosh Centre. Their dedication to the residents has been inspiring.
“The issues we face in recruiting and retaining staff across the care sector have been well publicised and often lead to difficult decisions being made. Caring for others is a rewarding job that makes a difference to people’s lives every day, and the staff at the Mackintosh Centre are a wonderful example of this.
“We are committed to working with local communities in remote and rural areas to build sustainable health and social care services.”