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Family Betrayed: Abuse Found Twice After Muckamore
21 May
Summary
- Daughter suffered neglect and abuse at two different care facilities.
- Previous investigation into Muckamore Abbey Hospital linked to staff abuse.
- Legal action led to unlawful review of River House being quashed.
A mother has voiced her deep loss of faith in the care system following two instances of neglect and abuse concerning her daughter, Alicia Fox. After her initial treatment at Muckamore Abbey Hospital in County Antrim, Alicia was moved to River House in Belfast, where similar issues of neglect and unsupervised care recurred. Muckamore Abbey Hospital is currently the subject of the UK's largest-ever criminal safeguarding and abuse investigation in NHS history, with a public inquiry ongoing since 2022.
At River House, Alicia's records show 42 separate adult safeguarding referrals, all related to neglect, including failure to provide assessed supervision, medication errors, and uninvestigated bruising. Following complaints, a serious adverse incident (SAI) review was triggered in 2021. This review, which concluded in May 2025 after nearly four years, found that Alicia and two others endured neglect and safety issues.
Families felt excluded from the SAI review process and lacked answers regarding repeated safeguarding referrals and accountability. This led to judicial review proceedings, which resulted in the Belfast Trust conceding the SAI review was unlawful due to unreasonable delay and failure to engage with the family. The High Court subsequently quashed the review. The Trust has now committed to an independent panel investigation, a process that should have been completed much faster, according to Phoenix Law, which represented the family.
