A major conference on adult social care in the Highlands has seen the announcement of a cross-party working group in a bid to tackle the growing crisis in provision.
Co-hosted by Skye MP Angus MacDonald and Kate Forbes MSP, the Highland Care Conference was held in Fort William on Friday.
It brought together health and social care professionals, NHS Highland staff, councillors, and sector leaders to discuss the challenges facing rural care delivery and to develop practical solutions.
The conference followed Mr MacDonald’s report on the crisis in the Highland care sector, which revealed the scale of the challenge posed by an ageing population, workforce shortages, and a sharp decline in care home capacity. Over the past decade, the Highlands have lost nearly one in five care homes for older people, even as the population aged 75 and over has surged by more than 70 per cent.
During his address, Mr MacDonald highlighted the human and financial costs of inaction, including more than £154 million lost to delayed hospital discharges over the past 10 years.
He said that without decisive planning, “families will continue to face heartbreak as loved ones are sent hundreds of miles from home because there’s simply nowhere local to go. That’s not dignity, and it’s not sustainable.”
To address the issue, Mr MacDonald renewed his call for the Scottish Government to invest in four new 60-bed “care clusters” with on-site staff accommodation in Skye, Fort William, Ullapool and Fort Augustus.
These integrated hubs would provide residential and respite care, step-down beds, and housing for staff – helping to reduce delayed discharges, strengthen the rural workforce, and bring long-term investment to Highland communities.
The conference heard from leading experts including Professor Andy Elder and Doctor Donald Macaskill, local NHS Highland doctors, and representatives from NHS Education for Scotland and NHS Highland.
Discussions centred on workforce recruitment and retention, funding reform, the need for long-term rural care planning and how to make social care more valued. The conference also discussed how to ensure our older people and social work are more valued in society, with Donald Macaskill of Scottish Care using his speech to warn of “endemic age discrimination in the UK”.
Mr MacDonald said: “We can’t go on patching things up year by year and firefighting the issue. We already knew 15 years ago that we would face far greater demand for care beds, yet capacity has fallen by 20 per cent. If we fail to act now, we’ll be letting down our parents and future generations. Getting this right in the Highlands means getting it right for Scotland as a whole.
“Tackling the crisis will require collaboration across all levels of government and political consensus.
“I’m very pleased that in response to my calls, the Scottish Government has committed to a working group on Highland care.
“This working group must be a cross-party effort, backed by the Scottish Government, NHS Highland, local authorities, care providers and, most importantly, local communities to plan for the future. The ideas and expertise are out there – what’s missing is co-ordination and commitment.
“The Highlands can lead the way in rethinking rural care – but only if the Scottish Government steps up. There’s no shortage of compassion or commitment, only a shortage of joined-up action. If we can build a sustainable model of care here, we can build it anywhere. The time to act is now.”
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes MSP said: “The Care Conference was an important step forward in addressing the real challenges facing adult social care across the Highlands. I’m thankful for the constructive discussions, and insightful talks given by the leading professionals who joined us.
“There was a recognition among us that the pressures on recruitment and resources are significant, but there was also a clear shared determination among us to find long-term and practical solutions.
“Going forward, I’m committed to working with those involved to ensure that everyone in our communities can access the high-quality care and support they deserve.”
