A newly opened Inverness care home has been graded ‘very good’ for leadership and its setting, with inspectors highlighting a team who worked well together and delivered ‘kind, respectful care’.
Pittyvaich Care Home, an £11 million investment by Parklands Care Homes, opened in June 2025 and provides care for up to 58 residents.
The unannounced inspection took place in March and involved speaking to residents, relatives, staff, managers and visiting professionals.
Inspectors found the home had made ‘significant progress in team building’ since opening and highlighted a leadership team committed to ‘continuous improvement’.
Residents and families spoke positively about their experience, with one resident saying, “Staff are lovely and helpful, I couldn’t wish for better,” while another added, “It’s all really lovely, they are all lovely.”
The report found that staff treated residents with ‘compassion, dignity and respect’. Families said they trusted the staff and were confident that any concerns would be addressed quickly, adding that their loved ones felt safe and valued.
Inspectors also noted clear leadership and effective working relationships within the team and with external professionals, alongside a culture of openness and transparency. One relative described the manager as “approachable” with an “open door” policy, while another said staff were “always ready with a smile.”
The report also highlighted the ‘high standard’ of the environment, describing a warm, welcoming and well-maintained home, with spacious communal areas and personalised bedrooms that help residents feel at home.
Pittyvaich received grades of ‘very good’ for leadership and its setting, and ‘good’ for resident wellbeing, staffing and care planning.
Jackie MacRae, Manager at Pittyvaich, said, “We’re really pleased with this report, which reflects the hard work and commitment of our team since opening. Bringing together around 100 staff and supporting 58 residents to make Pittyvaich their home takes time, but this shows we’re building strong foundations. We’re proud of the care we provide and the relationships we’ve built with residents and families, and we’re committed to continuing to learn and improve.”
Jacqui Ferguson, Operations Director at Parklands Care Homes, added,“Opening a new care home is always a significant undertaking. It takes time for a team to settle, for relationships to develop and for standards to embed. This is a really encouraging report and recognises the progress made in a short space of time. The feedback from residents and families is particularly important, and we’re grateful for their trust.”
The report also identified areas for development, including ensuring staff training and competency assessments support consistent practice, giving staff more time to reflect on their work, and enhancing care planning to ensure it is consistently person-centred and outcomes focused.
Jacqui Ferguson added, “We’ll continue to support the team at Pittyvaich as they build on this strong start and raise standards further across the home.”
The Care Inspectorate evaluates care services using a six-point scale, ranging from 1 (unsatisfactory) to 6 (excellent).
Headline Image: Vicky Kilgour, Katie Grant, Donna Smart Kimberley Robertson, Katrina Tiffin-Barton, Jackie Macrae