Muckamore Abbey analysis: RQIA action is not before time

The RQIA has finally acted and not before time.

It has been over a year since the spotlight fell on Muckamore Abbey Hospital.

Parents of vulnerable adults broke their silence and their worst fears were realised when CCTV footage confirmed patients had been abused.

Anne Blake, the mother of a man with learning disabilities, told the BBC that Muckamore Abbey did not "deserve to be called a hospital".

His medical notes confirmed he had been put in the seclusion room for 75 minutes. The notes also confirm that her son, who has severe learning and physical disabilities, had cried throughout.

His family had never been told.

Horror

A BBC investigation revealed that the controversial seclusion room was used 745 times in 2015. Figures also revealed that, in that year, 21 patients were placed in the room at least once.

Families told of their horror on finding their children had been placed in the room and had also been subjected to mental and physical abuse.

While staff were suspended and a police investigation launched, the hospital continued to operate but under-staffed and, according to charities and families, under-resourced.

Despite the mounting evidence, albeit against the backdrop of an ongoing police investigation, families expected the RQIA to act a lot sooner.

Inspections were carried out in February and April - time was given for the trust to up their game. It did not happen and now enforcement action has been taken.

Challenging environment

Committed staff have carried on but in an even more pressurised environment. Short staffed and in the shadow of an ongoing police investigation, staff have been left holding the fort. Hardly satisfactory.

While it is a challenging environment, with a shortage of specialist nurses available, clearly some of the most vulnerable people in our community have been let down by the system.

More than 12 months on and it seems the authorities are still playing catch-up.

The RQIA would argue they are acting within the law. There have been calls for that law to change - surely the system can't wait around much longer.