general observations in connection with inspections 40 During a later inspection of another clinic, it was established that patients who were voluntarily cared for, only had the opportunity to spend time outdoors together with staff members or relatives. For this reason, the Parliamentary Ombudsmen emphasised that the Health and Medical Care Act does not provide any legal basis for preventing a patient from leaving the clinic. In this respect, the options are limited as to what is provided in the general provisions in the Penal Code’s regulations on patient need and so-called safety guarantee, that health and medical care staff may hold, taking into account the patient’s maturity and state of health.61 Environment lacking stimuli During a number of inspections, it was noted that patients, in some cases, receive care in something described as “environment lacking stimuli”. As a general rule, this involves stripped down environments with a minimum of equipment and personal effects. The hospital management, at one regional hospital, stated that such an environment works well and leads to improving motivational work. According to the hospital management, the environment had also contributed to a lower number of incidents.62 In connection with another inspection of a forensic psychiatry clinic, it emerged that one patient had an isolated room as his residential room for a period of two weeks. The patient did not have any personal belongings in the room. The person was acting out and, according to the hospital staff, the placement led to a more peaceful salutation for the patient, and other patients. The Parliamentary Ombudsmen stated that it cannot be generally regarded as appropriate to allow a patient to stay for a long time in the kind of minimalist environment an isolation room consists of.63 Follow-up inspection A follow-up inspection was also carried out of the National Board of Forensic Medicine’s forensic psychiatry examination unit in Stockholm. At the inspection, it was noted that the National Board of Forensic Medicine had equipped the exercise yard with a precipitation shelter. It was also possible for patients to lock themselves into their residential rooms. According to the Parliamentary Ombudsmen, these measures had improved the inmates’ situation. It was stated that the National Board of Forensic Medicine had not yet taken any measures to prevent inmates in another care section from being exposed to inmates in one of the sections.64 61 Ref. no. 3816-2017. 62 Ref. no. 6308-2015. 63 Ref. no. 5556-2016. 64 Ref. no. 3416-2017.