‘Mistreatment became normality,’ inquiry into Muckamore Abbey hospital abuse finds | Hospitals
A major investigation into the abuse of vulnerable adults at Muckamore Abbey hospital in Northern Ireland found: “Ill-treatment has become normal” and patients complained of black eyes, broken bones, and severe neglect.
The hospital is at the center of the UK’s largest police investigation into allegations of abuse against vulnerable adults; 124 people were referred by the police for investigation.
The investigation, chaired by Tom Kark KC, found that residents were subjected to physical abuse as well as “neglect, poor care and wider restrictions on their rights”.
Kark said he has heard evidence that patients have unexplained black eyes and broken bones, are unwashed, have feces under their fingernails or smeared on their clothing, and are obese or have severely lost weight due to lack of attention to diet.
Other patients were overmedicated and described as “zombified”.
The inquiry made 106 recommendations in response to a “profound catalog of failures” at the hospital.
Starting from 2022, the oral statements of 181 witnesses were heard and 333 statements were taken in the investigation. Investigators examined more than 300,000 hours of CCTV footage from the hospital.
The hospital, run by the Belfast health and social care trust in County Antrim, has provided care for adults with severe learning disabilities and mental health needs since 1949, and allegations of abuse first emerged through CCTV footage in 2017.
More details coming soon…
