Why Are Inquiries Important?
The largest criminal investigation into the abuse of vulnerable adults is still ongoing, seven years after allegations first came to light.
So far, 15 individuals have been prosecuted in relation to patient abuse at Muckamore Abbey Hospital in Northern Ireland over a period of several years.
When systemic failings like this occur, a police investigation is often not enough to satisfy the public interest. People not only want to see individuals punished, but they want to also understand why this was allowed to occur and how similar scandals can be prevented in the future.
This is where public inquiries step in.
They have the power to summon witnesses, gather evidence and ultimately provide the answers that the public seek.
Perhaps the most famous recent example is about the murders committed by former nurse Lucy Letby.
This inquiry, led by Lady Justice Thirlwall, is still ongoing and highlights some of the difficulties that they face.
The inquiry only began after Letby was successfully prosecuted but, as discussed in this newsletter, doubts remain about her guilt. The inquiry proceeds based on the assumption that her conviction is safe, but those outstanding questions cast a shadow over the whole process.
That interaction between the criminal justice system and public inquiries is investigated in more detail in the podcast this week as we examine the Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry.
A public inquiry was ordered by the health minister in 2020 but, since then, has faced a whole range of difficulties and criticisms.
Problems include a failure to call any health minister to give evidence, the decision to hear important testimony in private sessions away from public scrutiny, and closing statements being given before all the evidence has even been heard.
Perhaps worst of all, discussions with families about the resettlement of patients from Muckamore will now only take place in private, after the inquiry has concluded next year.
The effect on families and the impact that the abuse has had on them should be one of the central feature of the Inquiry, and yet they are being made to feel sidelined at every step of the process. Some have even described the whole thing as “a shambles”.
Now they are taking legal action to try and force the Inquiry to do its job.
If successful, the case could have a massive impact on how this, and future, inquiries are run.
These investigations often have a wide scope and are tasked with complex and emotive questions to answer. However, if they fail to put victims and their families at the front-and-centre, then they are doomed from the start.
Listen to more about the Muckamore Inquiry and the criminal side of the investigations this week on the podcast.
Episode link: https://uklawweekly.com/2024-uksc-35/
Make a difference today,
Marcus
P.S. The sound quality is still not where I want it to be, but should be back to normal next week.