'Closing care home will kill us' says campaigner as clock ticks down

Locals also held a demonstration in Fort William on Wednesday October 23, during a visit by the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care, SNP MSP Neil Gray.

In an update, LAMP said: “We had really positive meetings with Neil Gray, Cabinet Secretary for Health, and our MSP and Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes, which made us feel listened to and positive work was going on for Moss Park, even if it couldn’t be shared with us – grateful that our loved ones are happy and settled in Moss Park.”

Willie Ritchie, whose wife is in Moss Park, said at the demo outside: "Moss Park has to stay for the community because this is the last nursing home in Lochaber. If it closes nothing else will be built and it will be lost forever.

"My wife has been in for over two years. In the seven years prior to that I cared for her at home. If the home closes and my wife has to move somewhere else, it is going to kill her because she’s so settled, and the thing with dementia is that being regular and doing things at a regular time, it keeps things in perspectives for them.

"This could kill my wife and, probably, kill me as well if they move her so far away I can’t see her. I can’t travel, I’m 75. We have to keep Moss Park open."

Also at the protest, Fort William and Ardnamurchan SNP Councillor Sarah Fanet heard of the "heartbreaking anxiety and suffering" for residents, and reiterated the urgency to the minister.

"The clock is ticking and we can’t keep families waiting,” she said.

In a letter to the Health Minister, Caol Primary School pupil Khloe McCafferty said: "I am writing to you to ask you please do not close Moss Park. This is my Aunty Betty’s house. 

"She is sick and all the other people in the house are unwell. So if you close this house down, [I] will be very upset as she will not be close to my family."

A couple of days later, NHS Highland confirmed it had begun planning for the care home’s closure.

In a letter to key stakeholders dated October 25, NHS Highland said: "HC-One informed NHS Highland of their intention to close Moss Park Care Home on the 18 September 2024. A contractually standard notice period of 13 weeks was given. There is limited flexibility on a formal closure date. 

"NHS Highland and Highland Council have been working together with partners to find a solution to support the continuation of care in the area. Work is ongoing but no identifiable solution has been reached at this stage. 

"We will continue our efforts to find an alternative solution to this closure, but in the interests of the welfare of residents, and with no such solution assured, we have now requested that the core team progress into actively planning for closure of this service and relocation of all residents.

"We understand that this will be a distressing time for residents, relatives and all involved, and appreciate the ongoing dedicated input from the team at this time."

That day, LAMP updated: "Social workers have been contacting families of Moss Park residents telling them their loved one has to be moved. Who to trust?"

In a further diary entry, on Monday, October 28, LAMP reported: “Getting emotional now. Social worker visits have upset our family members resident in Moss Park. They are agitated and we are vibrating with stress.”

The group is now planning a further demonstration at Highland Council HQ in Inverness, from 9am on Thursday October 31, to protest against the closure of Moss Park Care Home.

Meanwhile another local MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands, Conservative), is seeking to raise the issue again in the Scottish Parliament this week.