HEALTH trusts have been asked not to destroy any evidence or records linked to Muckamore Abbey Hospital ahead of a public inquiry into alleged abuse.
Letters were sent to all five trusts and the Department of Health urging them to "preserve" all relevant material - even if it precedes suspected offences currently under investigation.
Solicitor Claire McKeegan of Phoenix Law, who acts for families of Muckamore patients who allegedly suffered physical assaults and mental cruelty by staff, issued the correspondence on July 30.
The lawyer sought assurances about "steps taken" by each organisation to protect vital documents.
She said it was important to highlight the issue as the inquiry's Terms of Reference have not yet been established in relation to its timescale and that relevant records could be "inadvertently" removed in line with disposal guidelines.
While the Belfast trust is responsible for the Co Antrim hospital for adults with severe learning disabilities, it is a regional facility which accepts patient referrals from across Northern Ireland.
"Our clients consider it to be of the utmost importance that the Inquiry is able to obtain all necessary and relevant evidence, including witnesses, documents, video evidence, recordings, communications and reports," the letter states.
"This requires not only that the Inquiry has sufficient powers to compel provision of evidence, but also that the relevant evidence has been secured by those who have possession of it.
"That means it is essential to ensure that all relevant evidence is identified and preserved as soon as possible, and is not destroyed for any reason, whether inadvertently or pursuant to any policy of disposing of records after a set period of time.
"This is particularly significant given that the temporal scope of the Inquiry is not yet established..."
Health Minister Robin Swann ordered the inquiry last September into Muckamore following a high-profile campaign.
Last month Tom Kark QC was appointed as its chair.
Families have requested to meet Mr Kark ahead of the inquiry to discuss its scope, while a copy of the letter has also been issued to him.
The Muckamore case is the biggest criminal investigation of its kind in the north with 1,500 suspected crimes discovered in one ward alone between April and September 2017.
More than 300,000 hours of CCTV footage from hospital wards are central to the police probe - with staff suspects not realising the cameras were recording.
Seven people are facing prosecutions while there have been 22 arrests. More than 70 hospital employees - mainly nursing staff - have been suspended by the Belfast trust.
