A final report on the abuse of learning disability patients at Muckamore Abbey Hospital is likely to be published later this year, the chair of the statutory inquiry has said.
The Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry today heard the last of its closing submissions and will now work to put together a report including findings and recommendations.
“By giving evidence, the relatives [of] patients of Muckamore gave their loved ones a voice they may not have otherwise had”
Tom Kark
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.
Counsel to the inquiry, Sean Doran KC, told the panel today how the inquiry had 120 sitting days since it commenced in June 2022.
He noted that 181 witnesses gave oral evidence to the inquiry across the four phases of evidence it was hearing: patient experience, evidence modules, staff experience and organisational modules.
More than 100 additional witness statements had been ‘read into’ the inquiry or had their evidence featured in ‘round ups’ of the evidence sessions, he explained.
In the last week, the inquiry has heard closing statements from its core participants, including representatives for patients and families; the Belfast Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust; the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI); the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) and the Department of Health in Northern Ireland.
It heard how vulnerable people with learning disabilities at Muckamore were subjected to physical, sexual, psychological and emotional harm.
Lawyers representing patients and families described how some inpatients were kept on wards like “prisons” and suffered “insidious” and “inhumane” abuse.
All of the core participants set out recommendations they would like to see in the upcoming report.
Lawyers representing the patients and families called for greater funding to be allocated to learning disability services in Northern Ireland.
They also called for improvement in the way that families are involved in patient care, and for CCTV to be introduced in all community placements to safeguard vulnerable patients.
This was echoed by the PSNI, which argued that CCTV afforded the most vulnerable “additional protection” and ensured they had “a voice in the criminal justice process”.
The PSNI further told the inquiry that it would welcome any recommendations that would assist the police in improving its response to adult safeguarding issues.
Meanwhile, the RQIA called on the inquiry to conclude that it was a “learning and reflective” organisation, noting that it was subject to limited resources and also scope of its powers.
The regulator had stood firm in its closing submission that it had acted promptly when concerns were first raised about abuse at the learning disability hospital.
In the Belfast HSC Trust’s closing submission, it rejected calls by patients and families for its senior staff members to be sacked, arguing that accountability for failings “doesn’t necessarily mean losing your job”.
In addition to the inevitable criticism that would come to light in the final report, the trust asked the inquiry to put forward “realistic workable recommendations that can help improve the provision of learning disability services”.
The Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry has been running parallel with an ongoing police investigation into abuse of patients at the hospital.
The total number of people who have been charged so far is 16, including some registered learning disability nurses.
The PSNI said, to date, it had submitted 68 files to the Public Prosecution Service for consideration.
Chair of the inquiry, Tom Kark KC, noted in his closing remarks that it was “highly unusual circumstances” to run a public inquiry while there was a police investigation and criminal trial ongoing.
He said the inquiry had “rebuted repeated attempts” to stop it going ahead, which he said was a testament to the approach the inquiry had taken to not jeopardise criminal proceedings.
Mr Kark thanked all the relatives and families for their contribution to the inquiry.
“By giving evidence, the relatives [of] patients of Muckamore gave their loved ones a voice they may not have otherwise had,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Kark also thanked members of hospital staff who spoke about their experiences, several of whom were critical of the management of Muckamore.
He highlighted that some had been “frightened to speak” but had “conquered their fear” so they could help the inquiry.
Those people, he said, had shown “considerable courage”.
Having taken in all the evidence, Mr Kark said it was now time to turn to the “serious work of drafting a report and recommendations”.
The inquiry will make recommendations on several matters, including what can be done to ensure that abuse of people with learning disabilities does not recur at Muckamore or any other facility providing similar services in Northern Ireland.
Other recommendations will be on the improvement of training of staff and management at the hospital and comparable facilities; the improvement of management, policies, systems and processes; and the improvement of competence, quality and internal governance of the board of such hospitals.
Further, the inquiry will also make recommendations on the legal and regulatory frameworks that such hospitals operate under, and the provision of redress to meet the needs of victims of abuse within Muckamore Abbey Hospital.
Mr Kark said he had written to the Northern Irish minister for health, Mike Nesbitt, telling him to expect the inquiry report to be published later this year.
However, Mr Kark noted that he could only promise the panel’s “best efforts” to meet this deadline, as there was a lot to take into consideration.
More on Muckamore Abbey Hospital
