Robin Swann to order inquiry into abuse scandal at Muckamore Abbey Hospital

The minister has also issued a public apology to the father of a patient with severe learning difficulties whose efforts helped uncover the alleged abuse.

Muckamore Abbey Hospital in Co Antrim, a specialist facility for patients with serious learning and mental health difficulties, has been at the centre of a major police investigation into allegations patients were abused by staff.

Police have been reviewing hundreds of thousands of hours of CCTV footage from inside the facility since the investigation was launched around three years ago.

Families, meanwhile, have been calling for a full public inquiry into the abuse and its handling by health authorities.

Glynn Brown, whose son Aaron was a patient at the hospital at the time of the abuse allegations, has spearheaded the campaign for an inquiry.

Robin Swann has now issued a public apology to Mr Brown and thanked him for his “perserverance” in trying to establish the truth about what happened at the hospital.

He made the comments after a report on the leadership and governance of the specialist hospital was published.

The report found that Muckamore Abbey Hospital operated “under the radar of the (Belfast) Trust.”

Mr Swann said: “I want to thank the panel for their thorough report and for their clear conclusions. Having just received the report, I now want to take the time to study it in detail.

“I can confirm that it is my intention to establish an inquiry on Muckamore. Thanks to this report, we now know more about why the appalling failings at the hospital occurred. This will help me determine the nature and scope of a future inquiry, which must focus on the questions that remain unanswered and the crucial issue of how we stop this happening again.

“To do so, after considering this report in detail, I want to consult further with families, patients and former patients about the most appropriate terms and format for an inquiry.”

He continued: “This was a sustained failure of care, affecting some of the most vulnerable members of our society. Patients and families have been let down and I want to apologise to them on behalf of the Health and Social Care system. I also fully accept that they want much more than apologies. They need and deserve answers as to why this happened and to be confident that this scandal will not be repeated.”

He added: “I also want to apologise publicly to Mr Glynn Brown and pay tribute to his perseverance and devotion to his son. Mr Brown’s determination was central in exposing the truth about Muckamore. It shouldn’t have been left to him to do this but we should all be very grateful that he did.”

DUP MP Gavin Robinson, who tipped off Department of Health officials about allegations of wrongdoing at Muckamore after a meeting with Mr Brown in 2017, said any inquiry must take place under the full rigour of the Public Inquiries Act.

“I want to thank the Minister for quickly reviewing the appalling circumstances at Muckamore and commissioning this governance and leadership review,” he told the News Letter.

“I met with him following his appointment (as Health Minister) to discuss Muckamore and he has not been found wanting.

“Not only has he rightly recognised the tenacity and determination of my consistent, Mr Brown; he has accepted the need for a full and rigorous inquiry.”

The East Belfast MP continued: “Whilst I too will take time to read the report and its findings, given that some Trust employees declined to participate, any future inquiry must have the rigour of compellability under the Public Inquires Act.”

He added: “As one chapter concludes and another looks set to commence, I think it’s right we reflect on the pain and suffering that occurred at Muckamore and resolve as a society that we must never allow similar circumstances to occur again.”