Duror & KentallenNews

‍What is a Community Learning Event?

Many people in Lochaber will be tired of being asked the same questions, filling in surveys, or turning up to events where it feels like little changes afterwards. We want to be upfront about that.

These Community Learning Events are not starting from scratch. They build on years of work that has already taken place, including the Lochaber Redesign Project and other engagement, planning and improvement activity across the area. We are not asking people to repeat themselves. We are asking for help to test, deepen and make sense of what is already known.

This work is part of the wider Highland Adult Social Care transformation, led by NHS Highland and Highland Council. It is about improving how adult social care works for people, families, carers, communities and the workforce, now and into the future.

From the beginning, we will bring together:

• What is already known from data and previous work
• Learning from past engagement and design projects
• A developing picture of how adult social care currently works in Lochaber
  

And we will ask a simple, honest question:

Does this reflect your experience? And what is missing?

These events are designed to be connected. Each one builds on the last. Together, they are intended to shape what happens next rather than sit on a shelf. They are not about presentations or defending decisions. They are about listening, learning and being honest about complexity.

Share what you know

If you or your organisation already holds reports, insight, learning summaries or publicly available data that help tell the story of adult social care in Lochaber, please send them to:

📩 info@in-controlscotland.org.uk

We want to build on what exists, not duplicate effort.

Please share by 27th February 2026 if possible. Public or anonymised material only.

Who is leading the events

NHS Highland and Highland Council have asked In Control Scotland to lead and facilitate these Community Learning Events.

In Control Scotland is a national organisation with extensive experience of supporting communities, people who draw on support, families, and statutory partners to work together in practical, grounded ways. They have previously worked in West Lochaber, supporting approaches that helped learning influence what happened next.

Pauline Lunn, Director of In Control Scotland, said:

“The work we supported in West Lochaber was refreshing and invigorating because it was grounded in real experience and honest conversation. What mattered most was that learning didn’t just stay in the room. It influenced decisions and practice. These events are about creating that same kind of space again, where people’s knowledge is respected and used.”

A note on the new hospital

These events are not a consultation on the new hospital site or its design, and they are not directly about the hospital build.

However, adult social care and hospital services are closely connected in everyday life. People’s experiences of leaving hospital, avoiding admission, or getting support at home matter deeply.

The learning from these events will help inform wider thinking across Highland, including how new facilities are planned and used in future, by ensuring decisions are grounded in lived experience rather than assumptions.

Who these events are for

These Community Learning Events are open to anyone who lives in Lochaber or has a stake in how adult social care works locally, including:

• People who draw on care and support
• Families and unpaid carers
• Community groups, voluntary organisations and local services
• Staff working in public facing support roles across health, social care and the third sector
• Local residents who want to understand or contribute to what happens next
  

You do not need specialist knowledge or professional experience to take part. Your lived experience, questions and perspective are what matter.

Dates, locations and how to take part

We will be offering three types of sessions, in different locations to make it easier for people to attend. The first set of events are in March, and we are now taking bookings to attend these.

Event 1: Making sense of adult social care in Lochaber as it is now

This first event is about getting our bearings together.

We will:

• Share what is already known about adult social care in Lochaber
• Ask whether this reflects people’s experience and understanding
• Explore two key questions:
  
  • What is your understanding of adult social care in Lochaber, including what it is not?
  • What does it feel like to try to access support, whether to get out of hospital or to stay out of hospital?
• Notice where experiences match the picture and where they do not
• Identify gaps, blind spots and things that do not get talked about enough
  

This event is not about fixing things on the day. It is about seeing the system more clearly, together.

Dates and locations

Date: Weds 4th March 2026 10:00-3:330
Location: [To be confirmed]  Spean Bridge / Roybridge

Alternative date: Weds 11th March 2026 10:00-3:330
Location: Kilmallie Free Church, Caol

Lunch will be provided at these events, please let us know if you have any dietary requirements.

Details on events 2 and 3 coming soon!

How to sign up

To help us plan well and make sure everyone has a good experience on the day, we ask people to sign up in advance.

To take part, please contact: info@in-controlscotland.org.uk

When signing up, you will be asked which event(s) you would like to attend and which date and location suits you best.

If you have accessibility needs or need support to take part, please let us know when booking. We will do our best to accommodate this.

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