Families allege neglect at Inverness care home after undercover BBC filming

A BBC investigation into Castlehill Care Home in Inverness has prompted allegations of cruelty and neglect from families after undercover filming documented repeated care failures. The BBC Disclosure report, in which a journalist worked undercover as a cleaner for seven weeks this summer, portrays residents left for long periods in soiled clothing, bedsheets wet with urine, and calls for help that went unanswered. It also describes distress among female residents receiving intimate personal care from male staff due to chronic staffing shortages.

The home, operated by Morar Living, has been under special measures since improvement notices were issued by the Care Inspectorate. The watchdog said it "continued to have concerns" about care at Castlehill and said it was monitoring the service. In response, Castlehill said it operated to high clinical standards and followed a personal care plan agreed with families. The care home sought to block the documentary in court but failed. The facility is Inverness’s largest care home, with 88 beds and rates that can reach about £1,800 a week for private residents. NHS Highland has paid almost £10 million in fees to Castlehill since it opened in 2019.

During the undercover period, the journalist witnessed medical care concerns that left a woman with dementia repeatedly distressed. Her stoma bag, a device to collect bodily waste, was repeatedly pulled off by illness-related agitation, leaving staff to reattach it but often not promptly. Residents were seen wandering the corridors in excrement-streaked environments, and incontinence aids were not changed regularly. On several days, residents were left sitting in chairs for eight hours or more with minimal stimulation beyond a TV.

The BBC investigation also highlighted a case raised by Susan Christie, who moved her father to Castlehill in 2023 after dementia symptoms emerged. After discovering his wetness from urine during visits, she installed a secret camera in his bedroom in April. The footage showed extremely poor care: he was not washed properly, remained in an incontinence pad for more than 12 hours, and was fed with food left out of reach, including a spill of hot porridge on his body. Christie recalled, "The first day or two of footage, it was things that I already suspected. He wasn't being washed properly, he was being left in an incontinence pad for in excess of 12 hours, never taken to the toilet, food placed out of reach, spilling hot porridge on himself. It was neglect." The camera also captured a carer drinking from her father’s juice jug, a claim later questioned in care records. The device recorded repeated mentions of the word "shower" during care discussions with carers, a fear tied to a childhood trauma for her father. Christie said, "I watched a 23-minute interaction, and the word 'shower,' which my dad is afraid of, was mentioned on 22 occasions. That's almost once a minute. I watched him become more and more distressed. This seemed to be like a game to them." When Christie moved her father out in May, she said caregivers continued to log in the Care App that he was sleeping well, despite the documented distress. Christie reported her concerns to the Care Inspectorate, and her complaint was upheld in full; the cleaner involved was dismissed, and two carers were referred to the regulatory body.

Linda Larkin, whose mother-in-law Rachel was among residents recorded in the footage, described the treatment as cruelty. "She was completely distressed," Larkin said. "She was wringing her hands. She was scared. I trusted them. And they've seriously let us down, and they've let her down. That's cruelty." Larkin noted that Rachel had insisted she did not want men to provide her personal care, and said the family felt betrayed that male carers continued to perform this duty despite explicit wishes to the contrary. The family is in the process of moving Rachel to another care setting.

Nursing consultant and former chief nurse of the Care Inspectorate, Dr Jane Douglas, reviewed some of the BBC’s footage. She said, "There clearly wasn't enough staff to support these people who had very complex care needs, and there was a lot going on. People were very unsettled in that environment and there wasn't a presence of enough people, as in staff, to support them. Where there was good interaction, they responded positively to that. But I think that was minimal." Dr Douglas also noted that staffing has long been a sector-wide issue, with recruitment and retention proving difficult and competing with other employers for workers.

Castlehill Care Home, which trades as Simply Inverness, maintains that resident wellbeing is continually monitored and that independent external parties were present during the period in question. A spokesperson said a clinical lead has been appointed to provide extra support for the most vulnerable residents and that the company is investing more than £1 million to refurbish the home. The spokesperson defended the company’s approach, stating, "Each resident's wellbeing is consistently monitored and evaluated to inform the level of care required. During the period in question, independent external third parties were routinely in the home." The BBC has heard from several families who say they have seen improvements in recent weeks and notes increased activities and engagement with residents in the final week of the investigation period.

Castlehill is the largest care home in Inverness with 88 beds. Internal documents show Morar Living expects to post pre-tax profits of more than £90 million over the next five years and anticipates the group will be worth more than £500 million by 2027. Carers at Castlehill earn about £13 per hour, a rate consistent with other Scottish care homes. Critics point to the company’s profitability alongside concerns about patient care, particularly given that NHS Highland has paid substantial sums for Castlehill care since 2019.

In response to the BBC report, Highland Health and Social Care Partnership said it has a duty to protect adults at risk and maintains high expectations for care home providers. They noted that Castlehill admissions remain suspended as standards are reviewed. Care Inspectorate spokespersons said while the service met the conditions of an Improvement Notice issued in May, outstanding requirements from the earlier inspection remain under follow-up, and further action would be taken if needed. The regulator emphasized ongoing concern about resident care and pledged close monitoring.

The two parties are part of ongoing inquiries; Castlehill has been the subject of multiple investigations in recent years, including a high-profile multi-agency inquiry. In May, inspectors graded Castlehill as unsatisfactory in three care categories, triggering an Improvement Notice with targets and deadlines for improvement. As the BBC investigation unfolded, inspectors continued to impose monitoring requirements while reiterating that the home could face the loss of registration if standards do not improve. A Care Inspectorate spokesperson added that improvements have been deemed incomplete and recommended continued oversight. A Highland Council or Health and Social Care Partnership spokesperson stressed the provider has not met standards and that admissions remain suspended pending review.

The BBC’s reporting is accompanied by counsel and independent review, and the BBC has pointed to other family experiences at Castlehill that illustrate the broader concerns about care in the home. While some families report improvements since the undercover filming concluded, others remain wary of the overall quality of care and the safety of residents who have complex health needs.

If you or a loved one has been affected by issues raised in this story, the BBC’s Action Line provides information and support. The ongoing investigation highlights persistent concerns about staffing, patient dignity, and accountability in a sector integral to Scotland’s health system.