Muckamore staff abrupt but I saw no abuse - hospital worker

A former day care worker at Muckamore Abbey Hospital (MAH) has told an inquiry into abuse there that the attitude was "what happens at MAH, stays at MAH".

An inquiry into abuse at the facility in County Antrim has been hearing from staff and former staff from the hospital.

Philip Ward worked at the hospital between February 2008 and April 2010.

He was a staff member again for a six month period in 2022.

He worked mostly in the Moyola ward, helping patients with activities during the day.

He said he felt a general unease at the lack of oversight of the running of the facility.

Mr Ward told the inquiry he did not witness any abuse but some staff members were more "abrupt" with patients than he would have been.

He described the standard of care provided to patients as good on the Moyola ward.

He said most patients were non-verbal so he was used to reading their reactions in their body language and he did not see any negative change in behaviours when staff entered the room.

However he said he was not aware of oversight or inspections from representatives of the Belfast Health Trust.

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Mr Ward said he left MAH was because it was a very difficult and stressful job for which he did not receive adequate support.

After the allegations of abuse at Muckamore emerged, along with reports of the CCTV footage, the hospital experienced a shortage of staff.

He volunteered to return, against advice from family and friends.

"I was not concerned about the CCTV as I would never hurt my patients," he said.

"Although my time on Moyola was not great, I learned a lot from my time there."

His second period of employment was in the Cranfield ward, where he said the level of care was "brilliant".

The staff were mostly agency staff from other countries.

"Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and did as much as they could. Staff took no shortcuts," he said.

Mr Ward added that he felt the fact that so many staff at Muckamore were related to each other did have an impact on the culture there.

Tense atmosphere

The inquiry also heard on Wednesday from a senior social worker brought in to Muckamore Abbey Hospital to improve adult safeguarding.

The former member of staff, who gave evidence anonymously as A3, said they left the role after a year because she felt so unsupported by senior management.

A3 said the atmosphere was tense and while some staff did try and engage, others were unnecessarily defensive and unwilling to attend meetings on safeguarding.

"I did not see safeguarding taken as seriously as it should have been by all staff at Muckamore Abbey Hospital," they said.

"No patient or service user should experience harm or abuse and no family member should have to worry that this would happen to their loved one," she said.

The inquiry continues.