Muckamore Abbey Hospital
| Muckamore Abbey Hospital | |
|---|---|
| Belfast Health and Social Care Trust | |
 Muckamore Abbey Hospital | |
  Location in Northern Ireland | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Abbey Road, Muckamore, Antrim, Northern Ireland |
| Coordinates | 54°41′32″N 6°11′19″W / 54.6923°N 6.1887°W |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland |
| Type | Specialist |
| Services | |
| Speciality | Mental health |
| History | |
| Opened | 1949 |
The Muckamore Abbey Hospital is a health facility on Abbey Road, Muckamore, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is managed by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.
History
[edit]The facility, which is located just south of a ruined Augustinian priory,[1] opened as a mental health facility in 1949.[2][3] A "special care colony" for people with an intellectual disability, with capacity of up to 1,000 patients, was added in 1958.[4]
The staff failed to realise in 2017 that the hospital's new CCTV system was recording all activities in the hospital. Some 300,000 hours of footage was discovered including "accounts of patients facing appalling cruelty and physical abuse, and being ignored while seriously unwell."[5]
Following a 2019 investigation into alleged abuses at the hospital, the Department of Health stated that it was considering a planned closure of the hospital.[6] This case has been called "the largest systemic abuse case uncovered in the UK".[5]
Statutory inquiry
[edit]A statutory inquiry was announced on 8 September 2020 and was established on 11 October 2021 to examine the issue of abuse of patients at the hospital. The purpose of the Inquiry was stated as: "to ensure that such abuse does not occur again at MAH or any other institution in Northern Ireland which provides similar services".[7]
The total expenditure known to 31 March 2025 was £13.56m, and final costs will be published later.[7]
According to the chair’s statement update at closing, issued on 10 March 2025: 90 witnesses gave evidence particularly regarding the experience of patients; evidence was also given by hospital staff regarding their experience, and by organisations that "had either had supervisory, commissioning or regulatory roles" and "from those responsible for the direct management of the hospital and for the running of the Trust"; and the Inquiry was also looking to hear from a wider range of people.[8]
The Inquiry has been criticised by families of patients, and by public health expert Dr Gabriel Scally.[5]
As of 15 July 2025, a report is being prepared.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Muckamore Abbey, County Antrim: geophysical report" (PDF). Queen's University, Belfast. p. 23. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ "Montgomery and Armstrong". Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- ^ "Muckamore Abbey Hospital". Historic Hospitals. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- ^ Prior, Pauline M. (2012). Asylums, Mental Health Care and the Irish: 1800-2010. Irish Academic Press. ISBN 978-0716531524.
- ^ a b c "'My disabled son was punched' - how a CCTV error exposed a major abuse scandal". BBC. 15 July 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ "Muckamore: Hospital 'should close', review author warns". BBC. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- ^ a b c "Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry". Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ "Chair's statement update at closing". Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
Further reading
[edit]- Montgomery, Ian; Armstrong, Joe (2012). From Special Care to Specialist Treatment: A History of Muckamore Abbey Hospital. Ulster Historical Foundation. ISBN 978-1908448484.