By Rachel Smart

Copyright inverness-courier

A proposal to close a specialist rehabilitation facility in Inverness is putting ‘many in severe distress’ according to a patient.

Aonach Mor, in Benula Road, is a 14-bed community-based unit that provides specialist psychiatric rehabilitation.

However, NHS Highland is now proposing to close the unit and merge its two existing rehabilitation wards into a single, larger unit on the main New Craigs site.

Marvellous Richmond (60), a patient at Aonach Mor, said that the plans to move the ward to New Craigs are going to be ‘chaos’.

Having spent much of his life around hospitals, Mr Richmond believes that the decision to close the ward is going to cause unnecessary stress to those at Aonach Mor.

He said: “They are going to be putting a lot of people into severe distress who don’t need to be moved.

“At Aonach Mor tomatoes are growing and there is a herb garden. It is a sanctuary for me.

“Now they are going to move us. It is all to fill a black hole in accounting.”

Mr Richmond also wants to see more money being invested into mental health support.

He said: “There should be many more peer to peer counsellors and more of an investment in mental health.

“There are so many people suffering with poor mental health in the UK.”

A spokesperson for NHS Highland said: “We are proposing to relocate the Aonach Mor ward and its specialist rehabilitation team from the current facility to New Craigs Hospital during November 2025.

“This move will ultimately allow us to merge our two existing rehabilitation wards into a single, larger unit on the main New Craigs site.

“By consolidating rehabilitation services, we can increase the total number of acute admission beds available while maintaining dedicated rehabilitation care with enhanced community outreach.

“Current patients in Aonach Mor will continue to receive rehabilitation services in the new location.

“We have already initiated extensive consultation with affected patients, families and carers.

“Every individual currently receiving rehabilitation services will have personalised discharge plans.

“We are working closely with patients and families to address concerns and ensure the best possible outcomes.

“Patient safety and wellbeing remain our absolute priority, and no changes will be implemented without full consideration of patient and family views.”

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