Woman with cerebral palsy placed in care facility 100 miles from home

A young woman from the Highlands who has spent the past six months in a care home more than 100 miles from her family has launched a petition calling on health bosses to let her move back.

Iona Grant, from Lochaber near Fort William, has cerebral palsy and says she wants to regain her independence after being placed in a care facility in Nairn.

The 30-year-old says she was “uprooted” from her home after her at‑home care package collapsed while she was in hospital for what she describes as a minor operation.

Iona said she was told two carers would be required for her aftercare following surgery, but that this level of support was unavailable.

She says she was reassured the placement in Nairn would last only a few weeks – but six months on, she remains there.

Iona told STV News: “They wouldn’t tell me why the care package all of a sudden dropped. Then I was told a few months ago that the real supposed reason it fell through was because of my disability.

“They had no issue for the last four years, and all of a sudden they had an issue.

“They keep telling me, ‘Oh, you’re going home, we’re trying,’ but they’re not doing much.”

Iona also says she was forced to celebrate her 30th birthday away from home, in an area unfamiliar to her.

While in Nairn, she suffered the loss of her 14-year-old dog Diesel, which she describes as devastating, and says the situation has stripped her of both her dignity and her independence.

A recent care package offered to Iona would have required her to remain in bed for 14 hours a day – a proposal she refused.

She says she misses living relatively independently near to her loved ones.