Northern Ireland

Muckamore Abbey: Woman arrested in patient abuse investigation

Muckamore Abbey Hospital in Co Antrim is regional facility for adults with severe learning disabilities.
Muckamore Abbey Hospital in Co Antrim is regional facility for adults with severe learning disabilities. Muckamore Abbey Hospital in Co Antrim is regional facility for adults with severe learning disabilities.

A 36-year-old woman has been arrested in the Antrim area in connection with allegations of ill-treatment of patients at Muckamore Abbey Hospital.

It is the fourth arrest in the investigation. 

Some 40 staff members have been suspended from the scandal-hit hospital.

No charges have been made to date in what police say is the biggest adult safeguarding probe of its kind, with a specialist PSNI team viewing 300,000 hours of CCTV footage from wards.

Last month The Irish News revealed nursing resignations and retirements at the hospital have soared, with almost 40 staff departures since January.

Families of patients have expressed fears about the facility's future due to the "haemorrhaging" workforce and called on management to urgently address the crisis.

The Belfast trust has repeatedly apologised for th distress caused by the abuse investigation, with chief executive Martin Dillon insisting they had worked "tirelessly" " to ensure existing care is "safe and compassionate".