Inquiry Finds Northern Irish Hospital's 'Mistreatment Became Normality,' Which Is Somehow Worse Than It Sounds

An inquiry into the abuse of vulnerable adults at Muckamore Abbey hospital in Northern Ireland has concluded that 'mistreatment became a normality,' which is the sort of finding that makes you wonder what the non-normal version of black eyes, broken bones, and severe neglect looked like.

The hospital is currently the center of the UK's largest police investigation into the alleged abuse of vulnerable adults, with 124 people having been referred by police for prosecution. That's enough suspects to cast a small-town production of 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.'

The inquiry found that the escalation of violence between patients and the increased use of seclusion from 2011 onwards was a warning sign and precursor to the mistreatment by staff. Because apparently, when patients start hurting each other more, the logical next step is for the people paid to help them to join in.

There were chronic shortages of staff, meaning some essential care was not given and patients' ability to cope with daily living diminished. It turns out that not having enough people to provide care leads to less care being provided - a shocking revelation that will surely prompt a full review of the obvious.

A policy shift beginning in 2001 to move all patients with learning disabilities and autism from hospital into community-based care was beset with failure, leading to heightened distress and many readmissions. The road to hell, as they say, is paved with good intentions and underfunded government programs.

A lack of activities for patients often led to 'frustration, boredom and dysregulated behaviour,' and Muckamore became 'more functional and less homely' as time went on. Because nothing says 'therapeutic environment' like a place that's efficient but feels like a bus station.

There was a 'closed culture' among staff that discouraged reporting of bad behavior, and many families said they were frightened to complain in case it affected the care their relatives received. So the system was designed to protect itself, not the people it was supposed to protect. Novel concept, that.