A fine of nearly £100,000 has been issued to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Council due to an incident in St Brendan's Care Home.

The death of a 69-year-old care home patient with dementia last year prompted the council to plead guilty to breaches of its health and safety duties, resulting in a fine of £80,000, according to the BBC.

It was revealed that the patient, Allan MacLeod, had been missing for roughly four hours after leaving the home through a door that did not have an alarm installed, before dying later that day in hospital.

According to a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation, Mr MacLeod had tried to leave the home on multiple occasions before.

Carers had previously attempted to install an electronic tag on Mr MacLeod’s clothes, which reportedly proved unsuccessful due to his removal of the gadget.

Following the incident, the council is said to have begun carrying out regular checks on those living at the home every half-an-hour, as well as making plans to introduce more secure entry systems on the building’s doors.

HSE inspector Ashley Fallis reportedly said: ‘This was a tragic and preventable death. The council should have made sure the home had stronger measures in place with Mr MacLeod's risks already known and assessed.

‘Although changes have since been made, they came too late to prevent his death.’

A council spokesperson said: ‘Comhairle nan Eilean Siar once again extends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of the late Mr Allan Macleod for the circumstances surrounding his tragic passing on 9 March 2024.

‘The Comhairle has today accepted that health and safety shortcomings contributed to the tragic incident and has pled guilty to the charges brought by the Procurator Fiscal. The Comhairle hopes that the conclusion of this case will offer the family some closure.’