Implementation of the Duties and Powers of the National Preventive Mechanism in 2012 Visits to psychiatric hospitals General After a prior announcement, a visit was paid to the Clinical Unit for Clinical Psychiatry of Ljubljana University Psychiatric Hospital on 29 March 2012. The aim of the visit was to inspect the units under the special supervision of Ljubljana University Psychiatric Hospital. Following a prior announcement, a visit was paid to Vojnik Psychiatric Hospital on 24 October 2012 where there are secure in-patient wards for men and women which are units under special supervision, in accordance with the Mental Health Act (“the ZDZdr”). The aim of the visit was to inspect the treatment by the staff of persons accommodated in the male and female secure wards of the Vojnik Psychiatric Hospital. Both hospitals pointed out that they were not informed about the report of the previous visit by the NPM. Proposals made by the NPM are intended to remedy deficiencies and point out cases of good practice with the aim of eliminating the possibility of having actions of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment happen in any of wards under special supervision (secure wards). The NPM’s proposals are pointless if those who are their main recipients are not informed about them. That is why this time it was explicitly proposed that the management of both hospitals should inform heads of wards and all employees in secure wards for men and women and wards under special supervision about the NPM report. Vojnik Psychiatric Hospital communicated that all employees were informed about the NPM report and a discussion was held in this regard. Living conditions There are six units under special supervision in Ljubljana University Psychiatric Hospital: an secure in-patient ward (“S”) with 32 beds (actually 36 at the time of the visit), of which two were empty; there are two wards at the Intensive Psychiatry Unit with a total of 31 beds of which one bed was empty at I1 and four at I3, respectively; there are two wards at the Gerontopsychiatric Unit (“G1” and “G2”) with a total of 32 beds of which two were empty in G2 whilst all were occupied in G1; a department under special supervision at the Prolonged Psychiatry Unit (“A1”) with 19 beds which was fully occupied at the time of the visit. Vojnik Psychiatric Hospital has a total of 195 beds. There were 136 hospital beds occupied at the time of the visit. There were 18 patients accommodated in the secure in-patient ward for women, the ward’s capacity was not exceeded. At the time of the visit, there were 19 patients accommodated in the male secure in-patient ward of Vojnik Psychiatric Hospital, five of those patients were committed there pursuant to court orders. There were no geriatric patients in this ward. It was recommended by the NPM that all rooms in Vojnik Psychiatric Hospital should have hand towels for the patients to wipe wet hands in a decent manner. It was communicated that paper hand towels were placed in all rooms with washbasins. Cloth towels were added for female patients. When inspecting individual wards in Ljubljana University Psychiatric Hospital, it was observed that staff did not wear badges or labels stating their name. This makes it harder to identify an employee and, as a result, harder to place an efficient complaint by an individual patient. It was proposed that badges or labels be introduced on work clothes in the above mentioned hospital. The implementation of this recommendation will be checked during the next visit. National Preventive Mechanism in the Republic of Slovenia under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 55