A new multi-million-pound care home has officially opened in Inverness, marking the beginning of a plan to create a pioneering care community for the city and wider Highlands region.

Pittyvaich Care Home is the 13th facility to be launched by Parklands Care Homes and is now the group's largest purpose-built development. Costing £11 million, the home features 58 en-suite bedrooms and is the first new care home to open in Inverness in five years.

Residents at Pittyvaich will benefit from a range of amenities, including a café, salon, activity rooms, quiet spaces, and landscaped gardens. Many rooms offer stunning views over the Moray Firth. Situated near a school, nursery, and several churches, the home is designed to integrate closely with the local community.

The development is expected to generate around 120 local jobs. Built by Inverness-based Capstone Construction, the project also supported local employment and investment during its construction phase.

Pittyvaich is the first phase of Parklands' wider vision for an integrated care community in Inverness—the first of its kind in the Highlands. Future phases will include a later living village to promote independent living for older people and key worker apartments aimed at easing housing pressures and improving recruitment for the care sector.

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The new facility is part of a broader investment programme across the Highlands. Parklands is also expanding its existing homes, with 12 additional beds planned in Tain, four in Fortrose, and 10 in Grantown on Spey. Subject to planning consent, the group will add 26 beds across the region over the next year at an investment of £4.5 million—bringing the total increase in capacity to 84 beds.

Ron Taylor, Managing Director of Parklands Care Homes, said: "Pittyvaich is more than just a care home – it’s a symbol of our long-term commitment to the Highlands. At a time when the region has lost over 200 care beds, this investment is more urgent than ever.

"We’re responding to that need by investing in the future of care – creating jobs, supporting families, and building something that will serve this community for years to come.

"This is just the first step in our ambitious vision for a new care community in Inverness – a place where older people can live with dignity, independence and support, and where key workers have access to affordable accommodation.

We're looking forward to working with our new team to bring the Parklands standard of care to Inverness – compassionate, person-centred and rooted in the local community."

Angus MacDonald, MP for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-Shire, welcomed the development: "It is a rare and wonderful occasion when a new care home opens in the Highlands after a decade of others closing. Huge thanks and congratulations to Parklands for their courage and foresight in opening Pittyvaich in Inverness. Many families will have good reason to celebrate this essential extra care bed capacity in the north."

Highlands and Islands MSP Rhoda Grant added: "We know that social care provision in the Highlands is under real pressure, with demand growing as our population ages. That’s why investment in new care homes like Pittyvaich in Inverness – and the planned expansions in Tain, Fortrose and Grantown – is so important. These developments will help address a pressing need for high-quality care in our communities, and I welcome the contribution they will make to supporting older people and their families across the region."