Report by Highland LibDem MP Angus MacDonald exposes Highland care sector crisis as he calls for £60m rescue package
A devastating new report has exposed the depths of the Highland care home crisis as MP Angus MacDonald warns the sector is “on the brink of crisis, teetering on the edge.”
He commissioned the analysis of the causes of the crisis, prompting his conclusion that “the situation in the Highlands is unsustainable” without investment.
The MP for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire is certain that those providing care for elderly people are operating in “survival mode” due to untenable pressures.
After hosting two days of roundtable discussions this week the matter is to be discussed at the Liberal Democrat conference at Eden Court.
There Mr MacDonald will call for the construction of four new care homes with staff accommodation on the west coast at an estimated cost of £60 million.
The report illustrates a perfect storm of home closures, a population getting rapidly older combined with low wages and high national insurance payments.
On top of that there are ongoing systemic challenges, limited workforce supply, and persistent underfunding.
So after constituents expressed concerns after the closure of one home in Lochaber, Mr MacDonald ordered an “exhaustive” report into the problem.
It was based in part on a survey of the 47 care homes in the Highlands with an 81 per cent response rate, representing the care of roughly 1275 people.
Some of the main report findings for the Highlands:
• A 71.9 per cent rise in people aged 75+ between 2001 and 2023, by 2028 it will have risen another 34 per cent
• The number of care homes for older people fell by 18 per cent from 2014 to 2024, the private sector fell by 29 per cent
• Of 47 care homes, only eight are located on the west coast
• Nearly 90 per cent of respondents regularly admitted residents who had been delayed in hospital
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• More than 90 per cent of independent operators said National Insurance hikes were “Very Significant” or “Somewhat Significant” for their operations and financial sustainability
• 68.2 per cent of respondents rated increased bills and utilities costs as “Very Significant” or “Somewhat Significant” for their operations and financial sustainability
• 78 per cent rated low pay as a “Very Significant” or “Somewhat Significant” barrier to recruitment
• 65.8 per cent of survey respondents rated lack of affordable local housing as a “Very Significant” or “Somewhat Significant” problem
You can read for yourself the summary of findings and recommendations below
Just eight care homes on the west coast
Mr MacDonald found that of the 47 care homes in the Highlands, only eight are located on the west coast due to closures.
That illustrates the plight of older people in that part of the Highlands who are often forced to relocate far from home, friends and family when they least wish to.
The knock-on effect of that is felt region wide as care homes on the east coast instead of serving local populations have to find space for those from the west coast.
But Mr MacDonald has produced a potential solution that could also help the housing shortage in areas where second homes have imbalanced the market.
His report calls for the construction of four new care homes with staff housing – in Portree, Fort Augustus, Ullapool, and Fort William – estimated to cost £60 million.
But that is small compared to £154 million spent in the Highlands and Islands on delayed discharge in the last 10 years or the £30 million lost on the failed national care service.
The report states: “This would tackle the crisis of closing care homes by expanding capacity in what’s currently a ‘social care desert’, help reduce delayed discharges, improve the stock of affordable housing for care staff, and provide a significant economic boost to the Highlands”.
He is also calling for the unexpected cost of the rise in National Insurance employer’s contributions to be mitigated.
Mr MacDonald also wants a renegotiation of the National Care Home Contract to reflect the true cost of care, and a cap on agency fees to ensure the sector’s long term financial viability, protecting rights and access of people to high-quality and accessible care.
‘We can unify on the problem - and the solution’
The report says: “We are calling for an emergency summit so we can unify on the problem - and the solution”.
Mr MacDonald said: “The situation in the Highlands is unsustainable.
“As my report makes clear, the ageing population of the Highlands far outstrips the number of care homes available. In recent years, more and more care homes have closed their doors and those that remain are grappling with staff shortages and higher costs.
“This dire situation is making it extremely difficult for people to get the care they need close to home, all while piling pressure on our already overstretched hospitals.
“We need to see a big investment that establishes new care facilities and tackles vacancies. My proposals would deliver for the people of the Highlands, helping them get access to the best care close to home and easing the mammoth pressures facing our health service.
"My party is also calling on the UK Government to exempt care providers from the rise in employers' National Insurance contributions that risks sending more care homes to the wall."
