The chair of a public inquiry examining allegations of the abuse of vulnerable patients at Muckamore Hospital has said he hopes to deliver his report this year.
Concluding the public hearings of the inquiry, chair Tom Kark KC insisted he had always tried to “act fairly” following criticism from families of some patients over how the proceedings were conducted.
Mr Kark, who will present his final report to Health Minister Mike Nesbitt, said many people had believed the public inquiry would not get this far.
Muckamore Abbey, run by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, is a hospital for adults with severe learning disabilities and mental health needs.
Tom Kark KC is chair of the Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry (Presseye/PA)
The inquiry is examining allegations of abuse of patients at the facility in Co Antrim.
The hospital has also been at the centre of the UK’s largest ever police investigation into the alleged abuse of vulnerable adults and a number of prosecutions are continuing.
The public inquiry, which was established by former health minister Robin Swann, began hearing witness evidence in June 2022.
Delivering his closing remarks, Mr Kark said the inquiry had begun its work more than two years ago by hearing evidence from the sister of a man who had been a patient at the hospital for 25 years.
He said: “By giving evidence, the relatives of patients at Muckamore gave their loved ones a voice that they would not otherwise have had.
“We recognise that for many, probably all, the experience of giving evidence was itself very difficult.
“For others, just listening to the accounts of the patients’ experiences, the evidence that they heard must have been very harrowing for many of them.”
Referencing criticism of the inquiry, Mr Kark said: “I understand that some of the core participants in the patients groups didn’t agree with every decision I made about the manner in which statements were to be taken, the scope of the evidence or the documentation to be received by the inquiry.
“I can only say I gave careful consideration to every decision I made and I used my best judgment to do what I believed to be right to secure the evidence we needed upon which a proper foundation for our conclusions could be founded.
“I have tried to act fairly in relation to every decision I have made.”
The hearing room in Belfast of the Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry (Presseye/PA)
The chair said it was “highly unusual” for a public inquiry to take place simultaneously with a large police investigation and criminal trial proceedings.
He pointed out that the inquiry had “successfully rebutted” a number of legal challenges to its work.
He added: “It is testament to the careful approach the inquiry has taken in its collation of evidence and presentation of it.
“Some thought we would not get to its point.
“We have, and I hope the families will see that as a vindication of their persistence in advocating for this inquiry.”
The chair added: “I know everyone will now be waiting for the report and I can only say that I have written to the Minister for Health and indicated that I hope to have the report with him this year.”
Earlier, the inquiry had heard the closing statement from its senior counsel, Sean Doran KC.
He said 181 witnesses had given oral evidence and 333 statements had been considered.
Mr Doran said: “By any measure, that is a substantial volume of evidence relating to direct experience of life in the hospital, the health system in which it is based and more generally, the subject of caring for vulnerable persons with learning disabilities.”
The barrister said the inquiry had had to deal with the risk in its public hearings of prejudicing ongoing criminal proceedings.
He added: “This will not inhibit the panel in making the findings and recommendations that it regards as appropriate.
“The inquiry has operated and will continue to operate with sensitivity to the live nature of criminal proceedings that may conceivably extend for some time beyond the life of the inquiry.”
Mr Doran said an examination of abuse and its causes had been “rightly central” to the public hearings.
The Muckamore Abbey Hospital is operated by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (Liam McBurney/PA)
He said: “The panel has heard extensive evidence from the families of patients and from some patients at the hospital.
“It has also heard from staff who worked within the hospital at all levels.
“Through the evidence modules the panel has gained an understanding of the wider structures within which the hospital has operated.
“The later modules have enabled the panel to examine critically the broader organisational setting within which the events leading to this inquiry occurred.
“It should be added that the panel has had the opportunity to view CCTV footage which formed the basis of the ongoing criminal proceedings.”
He also paid tribute to patients and families who had assisted the work of the inquiry.
Mr Doran said: “The pain that they have endured on becoming aware of what endured at the hospital is quite frankly, beyond our comprehension.”