A 42-year-old woman has become the 18th person arrested in connection with allegations of patient abuse at Muckamore Abbey Hospital.
The woman was arrested this morning in the Antrim area.
An investigation has been taking place into claims of patient abuse at the facility on the outskirts of Antrim town, which is operated by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. It is the biggest criminal investigation of its kind in Northern Ireland with 1,500 suspected crimes discovered in one ward between April and September 2017.
Last month it was confirmed that seven people are to be prosecuted for alleged mistreatment of patients. They face a range of offences, including ill-treatment and wilful neglect.
It is understood the the seven people facing charges are staff members at the hospital's psychiatric intensive care unit.
