The Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry has called for people with experience of moving out of the learning disability hospital and into the community to come forward.
The inquiry panel said it wanted to gather information about recent and ongoing experiences of “resettlement” to help inform its final report, due later this year.
“The inquiry panel is aware that some patients and their families have continued to experience difficulties with the process of resettlement”
Tom Kark
The Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry heard closing submissions earlier this month, after sitting for 120 days and hearing the testimonies of 181 witnesses.
The inquiry has been analysing abuse of people with learning disabilities at the Northern Irish hospital between 2 December 1999 and 14 June 2021, to determine why it happened and the circumstances that allowed it to happen.
The resettlement process, which aims to move patients from the hospital into the community, faced staunch criticism during the inquiry.
Lawyers representing patients and families affected by the abuse scandal described some resettlement attempts as “poorly planned” and also aired concerns that the ongoing resettlement process was ineffective.
It comes as Muckamore Abbey Hospital, run by Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, was due to close in June 2024 provided that all remaining patients were appropriately resettled into the community.
This deadline was missed, and patients remain at the hospital waiting to be moved into alternative accommodation.
The inquiry panel said it wanted to hear from patients, their relatives and carers who had experience of resettlement.
It asked for people to provide information on their experiences from 14 June 2021 to the present day, regardless of if they had already assisted the inquiry.
Those willing to share their relevant experience can do so through small group sessions before the panel; individual attendance before the pane in June; or by providing a note of their experience to the panel.
Applications can be made on the Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry website.
Tom Kark
Tom Kark KC, chair of the inquiry, said: “The inquiry’s terms of reference required the panel to look at events at Muckamore Abbey Hospital between 2 December 1999 and 14 June 2021.
“However, the inquiry panel is aware that some patients and their families have continued to experience difficulties with the process of resettlement since June 2021.
“If the panel decides to make recommendations about resettlement in its report, it wants to make sure that it has given an opportunity to people to tell the panel about these recent experiences.
“We would encourage anyone who has information, or wishes to provide us with any detail, large or small, to complete the contact form as a first step before 25 April.”
The Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry has been running parallel with an ongoing police investigation into abuse of patients at the hospital.
At least 16 people have now been charged, including some registered learning disability nurses.
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