THE Care Inspectorate has dropped a court case against a care home on Skye, where 10 residents died in a Covid-19 outbreak in March.

An unannounced inspection took place at Home Farm Care Home in Portree on May 11, which raised "serious concerns" about the quality of care residents were receiving.

The body announced at that time it would be seeking a cancellation of the care home's registration.

But in a statement, the Care Inspectorate has now said there have been "considerable improvements" and it has made the decision not to proceed with the court case.

A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said: "The Care Inspectorate initiated court proceedings seeking the cancellation of the registration of the care provider at Home Farm care home in May.

"We did this following an inspection which raised serious concerns.

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"We have monitored the home carefully and we are satisfied that there has been considerable improvement in the quality of care experienced by residents and the issues that were putting them at serious risk have been addressed.

"In light of this we have decided to no longer pursue the cancellation of the service's registration through the courts."

Local MSP Kate Forbes said the last few months have been "unimaginably distressful" for relatives and residents of Home Farm.

She said: "On top of the devastating Covid outbreak, there has been an investigation and then a court case about the standard of care at Home Farm.

"During this time, I know that NHS Highland have been providing extensive support to ensure the standard of care improved.

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"It is good to hear that the Care Inspectorate are now satisfied with the quality of care, and have been regularly monitoring the care home."

She added: "The two priorities now are to maintain that high level of care and to determine the future ownership and management of Home Farm.

"I know relatives and residents have been through the most testing of times and it is important that they are given assurance and clarity.

"I will be speaking to NHS Highland about this latest development and what it means for the future of the home."