Health appointments disrupted at UHI House in Inverness

Dentist and diabetes appointments have been disrupted at a university building in Inverness after a water test indicated the presence of a potentially harmful bacteria.

The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) said UHI House would be closed for the rest of the week following a “precautionary closure” on Tuesday.

The property in the city’s Raigmore area has a number of tenants, including NHS Highland dental and diabetes centres.

Routine dentist appointments have been cancelled, though emergency care remains available, while diabetes centre visits have been relocated or rescheduled.

NHS Highland said all affected patients had been contacted, adding: “Patient and staff safety is our priority. We apologise for the disruption and thank you for your understanding.”

UHI said an NHS tenant had carried out the test which had indicated a “Legionella-related issue”.

A spokesperson said: “Although this was based on a single result and the wider situation was unclear, UHI closed the building as a precaution to allow for further investigation.”

They said it was an “isolated issue” and did not affect other nearby sites including the Life Sciences Innovation Centre, or UHI Inverness on the Inverness Campus.

Additional testing is being carried out along with a chlorinated clean of the water system.

The spokesperson added: “Until these safeguarding measures are fully in place, the building will remain closed to students, staff, tenants and visitors.”

Legionella is a bacteria that can grow in hot and cold water systems and cooling towers.

It can cause a number of diseases, the most serious being Legionnaires’ disease which is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia.