A north couple have pleaded with health chiefs to bring their brain-damaged son back to the Highlands.
Bob and Maureen Smith have been battling for seven years to have 42-year-old former offshore worker David moved from a specialist unit in Edinburgh and closer to their Alness home.
They have been travelling by bus or train to the capital every week to stay in contact with their son, who was left disabled after contracting meningitis while working in the Pacific Ocean.
David, who uses a wheelchair and needs 24-hour care, was admitted to the Robert Ferguson Unit in Edinburgh in 2008 and was expected to be there for just four months.
His parents, of Burnside, Alness, claim not enough has been done to provide suitable accommodation for him in the north, despite their repeated pleas to house him in or nearer the Ross-shire town.
NHS Highland said the case was “challenging and complex” and the primary concern was David’s welfare.
A major issue highlighted by his parents is that he requires a care team of 16, with two on duty at any given time.
As well as paying for the weekly travel to Edinburgh and staying in accommodation there, Mr Smith helped pay the rent on his son’s house in Alness for three years in the hope he would be able to return.
The 71-year-old then tried to secure another home for his son in the north, but that was rejected by social workers because there was a requirement for two bathrooms – one for David and one for the carers.
The couple have also tried to get their son into care homes in Nairn and Contin.
A converted farmhouse in Edderton was also discounted because it lacked adequate access to paths and bus stops.
The health board also suggested two homes in Inverness, but access to one was limited and the other had just one door and one bathroom.
Another drawback is that his parents are unable to drive and would need to take three buses to visit their son in Inverness.
Mrs Smith, 69, said: “I could cry about it all but I am now past the crying stage.
“We have homes for old people but David is still a relatively young man. We have been to MSPs and all sorts and we really don’t know what to do next.
“We had not long retired when David fell ill and before that thought we might be able to go places on holiday, but we have spent all our money going down to Edinburgh and staying in hotels.”
Mr Smith added: “They say they want to keep David in Inverness so that he’s close to a general hospital. They say they can’t get the carers in Alness, but we are trying to get him home to Alness where he will be close to his family.
“David was an athlete before he took ill. He was a runner and a boxer, played football and golf, and was mad on fishing. The fact he has been stuck down there for so long is just ridiculous.”
David was working on an oil platform in the South China sea when he took ill in October 2007.
After being treated in hospital in Bangkok he was diagnosed with meningitis and was already using a walking frame before he left eight weeks later.
He was flown back to Scotland and spent two weeks in isolation at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness before being moved to the unit at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital two weeks later with severe brain damage.
An NHS spokesman said: “This is a very complicated, challenging and complex matter.
“Due to reasons of confidentiality we are unable to discuss this case in detail.
“However, what we will say is that in complex cases NHS Highland staff liaise with all concerned, with our primary goal being the welfare of the client and acting in their best interests.”
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant said: “It obviously sounds like a very complex case but I think what concerns me most is the length of time he has been waiting.
“This has been going on for a long time so wherever he goes it will need adjustment. It seems that a care package is in place and surely the adjustments to a house would be a one-off.
“If it is possible then surely something can be arranged. I would think that in the past seven years this could have been done. It’s important to be at home near to the family.”