The mother of a severely-disabled man who is a patient at Muckamore Abbey Hospital describes a seclusion room her son was placed in as a “dark dungeon”.
The mother said she was horrified that the room, in 2017, was used for people who have learning disabilities. Families want a public inquiry to investigate the allegations of physical and mental abuse at the hospital.
The Belfast trust say they apologise for the behaviour it said fell below professional standards that are set.
In July it was told that 13 members of staff at the hospital had been suspended by the Belfast health and social care trust following the allegations.
At the time it said: “This regrettable and unacceptable situation in no way reflects the work of our 500 dedicated and professional staff who provide excellent care every day to the 80 patients in Muckamore.”
CCTV footage showed that the son had been punched in the stomach by a nurse, the footage had been taken over a three-month period. The CCTV also showed other patients being pulled, hit, punched, flicked and verbally assaulted by the nurse staff.
A father described what he had been told about his son’s treatment, he said: “They swung him round by the arm for over a minute and then let him go and he fell. He has epilepsy, he’s on medication,”
“They tipped him out of his chair. Knuckles were rubbed against his head and various other incidents that I still don’t know about but that is on the CCTV footage.
“I only know a short resumé of the allegations. I have been advised they are horrendous.
“I feel so guilty for putting him in, but as a parent you thought you were doing the best thing for him.
“He was let down so badly by the system and so were others.
“It is deeply distressing for a parent to be aware that you have entrusted your son into care and it went so miserably wrong.”
The Belfast trust said that the seclusion room was still being used in emergencies, but its use is now being reviewed all the time. Following the allegations an adult safeguarding investigation started.
The PSNI confirmed last week it was investigating 132 potential criminal cases, but that figure is expected to rise. A specially commissioned panel is reviewing more than 90,000 hours of CCTV footage, which may trigger more investigative actions.
