Muckamore Abbey Hospital closure delayed
Plans to close Muckamore Abbey Hospital this month have been postponed over failure to move all the remaining patients to alternative accommodation.
The Department of Health in Northern Ireland announced this week that it was delaying the closure of the hospital, which remains at the centre of a criminal investigation and public inquiry into the abuse of vulnerable patients.
“Setting a further target date at this point for the hospital’s closure is not helpful to patients or families”
Mike Nesbitt
Muckamore Abbey Hospital, run by Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, provides inpatient assessment and treatment facilities for adults with severe learning disabilities and mental health needs.
However, it has been the subject of a long-running investigation into allegations of abuse of patients by staff members, including registered nurses.
Last year the department had set a target to close the site by June 2024, on the condition that all remaining patients were appropriately resettled in community settings.
However, health minister Mike Nesbitt said this week that the deadline had not been met and announced that there would be an extension to the June date.
He said: “Much work has been done to find suitable community placements for the remaining inpatients since the announcement of closure.
“However, it is now clear that not all the remaining patients will be successfully resettled in advance of the proposed closure date in June.”
Mr Nesbitt noted that the lack of clarity about the immediate future of the hospital was “heightening levels of anxiety” among patients and families, as well as staff.
He added: “Planning will continue at pace in relation to establishing resettlement timelines for the remaining patients, and the work being progressed by the Belfast trust to close the hospital will continue.
“However, setting a further target date at this point for the hospital’s closure is not helpful to patients or families.
“Nonetheless, the direction of travel remains closure and this will happen when all those at Muckamore have been resettled.”
The department said the planned closure of the hospital would have no bearing on the ongoing criminal investigation in relation to the hospital, nor the work of the Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry.
