Public Inquiry into Muckamore Abbey abuse scandal announced by Swann

Health Minister Robin Swann announced the inquiry yesterday after MLAs described in the Assembly how patients had been “pulled, hit, punched, flicked and verbally abused by nursing staff” in Muckamore Abbey Hospital.

A father who helped expose the abuse and who has campaigned for a public inquiry for the past three years, said MLAs “wouldn’t be able to speak about the horror of what went on”.

Glynn Brown, whose seriously disabled son Aaron was a patient at Muckamore when allegations of abuse first began to emerge, said the next step will be to ensure families’ voices are heard when the terms of reference for the inquiry are drawn up.

Speaking to the News Letter following Mr Swann’s announcement, he said: “We are please we have got the full public inquiry because you have seen in the leadership and governance review that senior officials failed to take part — well paid officials in positions of responsibility.

“Where was their responsibility to the vulnerable? There is no excuse for that and they must be compelled to give evidence.”

Mr Swann announced he would order a public inquiry after MLAs from all five of the largest parties in the Assembly — Sinn Fein, the SDLP, Alliance, the DUP and the minister’s own party the UUP — expressed support for a motion calling on him to do so from the Alliance Party’s Paula Bradshaw.

Mr Brown said: “In Northern Ireland it’s a rare occasion where you can get everyone to agree.

The magnitude of the scandal, the catastrophic failings, the failure of the many different organisations, it warrants that unanmious support so to be honest I’m not surprised they all came out to support it.”

During the debate, DUP MLA Alex Easton said: “It is clear from some of the evidence that vulnerable patients were assaulted by staff at Muckamore Abbey Hospital between 2014 and 2017.

“CCTV footage from the psychiatric intensive care unit showed a patient being punched in the stomach by a nurse.

“That is truly shocking. Footage taken over a three-month period also showed patients being pulled, hit, punched, flicked and verbally abused by nursing staff.”

SDLP MLA Mark Durkan described the “horror” of the events at Muckamore, while the DUP’s Pam Cameron described the abuse as “systemic in scale”.

Glynn Brown said: The MLAs talked about it in general. If they knew what I know, they wouldn’t be able to speak about the horror of what went on.”

Regarding the announcement of a Public Inquiry, he said: “That’s the first leg of our journey partially solved. We’re happy with this.

“But I’ve said even before this was called that the next step is to ensure the terms of reference address the things that need to be addressed.”

Claire McKeegan, a solicitor with Phoenix Law who is representing the Action For Muckamore campaign group and who had initiated judicial review proceedings regarding the Department of Health’s failure to implement a public inquiry, said: “It has taken three years to get to this stafe. Glynn and all the other families have campaigned tirelessly to get to this stage. We will be pushing to ensure this inquiry will be set up without any further delay.”

DUP MP Gavin Robinson, who tipped off Department of Health officials about the abuse allegations surrounding Muckmore after being contacted by Glynn Brown in 2017, said: “From the first time I sat with a family impacted by the Muckamore facility and raised concerns on 2017, I quickly realised that a public inquiry was the only means of getting the truth about this sorry state of affairs.

“During the years when devolution was being blocked by Sinn Fein’s boycott, I was forced to repeatedly press the NIO to set up a public inquiry but my pleadings fell on deaf ears.”

He added: “Today I welcome the Inquiry announcement and look forward to considering the Terms of Reference to ensure that it can deliver kind of outcomes that the victims and their families deserve.

“Finally, I commend the fortitude of Glynn Brown who has been a tireless campaigner for answers to how his child alongside others was able to be subjected to such systematic abuse over such a long time.”