npm annual report 2016 / observations and recommendations A secure room at the Tampere University Hospital (Tays) First Aid Unit Acuta (unannounced visit on 19 April 2016). A visit to the First Aid Unit Acuta in Tampere University Hospital left the NPM unsure of whether or not patients placed in the secure room are monitored appropriately. For this reason, the unit was asked to submit patient documents concerning patients placed in the secure room to the Ombudsman after the visit. • Several monitoring entries had been made on each patient, the time intervals of which varied from 10 minutes to several hours, while the longest interval was over three hours. There is no general official policy on the time intervals of monitoring a secluded patient. In principle, the patient should be monitored as indicated by his or her situation. While camera surveillance may reduce the need to visit the patient, it does not eliminate the need for personal visits. In his previous comments, the Ombudsman has expressed the view that the patient’s monitoring is insufficient if his or her status is only checked every half an hour. Appropriate records must always be kept of the monitoring. Prisoners' health care Prisoners’ health care was transferred to the administrative branch of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health at the beginning of 2016. The Prisoners’ Health Care Unit operates in connection with the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). At the same time, the powers of Valvira and the Regional State Administrative Agencies were expanded to also cover the prisoners’ health care organisation. In practice, the supervision has been centralised to AVI Northern Finland, which conducts guidance and assessment visits to the outpatient clinics and hospitals of the Prisoners’ Health Care Unit on its own or together with Valvira. By the end of the year, 12 of these units had been visited. During the reporting year, the NPM made pre-announced visits to Turku and Kylmäkoski outpatient clinics of the Prisoners’ Health Care Unit. An external expert participated in the latter visit. In addition to these, an inspector from the Office of the 65