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NORWEGIAN PARLIAMENTARY OMBUDSMAN
National Preventive Mechanism
ANNUAL REPORT 2017
Oslo University Hospital, psychosis treatment unit, Gaustad
The patients generally described the staff in positive
terms such as kind and caring. At the same time,
information emerged from both patients and staff
members about cases where less invasive means
could have been used rather than force. Staff members talked about cases where restraints had been
used for longer than strictly necessary and where
staff insecurity was a contributing factor. Fear and
insecurity among the staff constitutes a clear risk of
disproportionate use of force.
Oslo University Hospital,
psychosis treatment unit, Gaustad
17–19 October 2017
The unit comprised three inpatient units, two of which
were local high-risk psychiatric units and one was a
psychosis unit.
Main findings
The high-risk psychiatric units were located in old,
run-down premises. The segregation units in the
high-risk psychiatric units appeared to be in very poor
condition. The segregation unit at the psychosis unit
comprised one bare, prison-like room, and no other
common rooms. There were separate rooms with
restraint beds bolted to the floor in all of the segregation units, and there were several such rooms in each
segregation unit at the high-risk psychiatric units.
No errors were found in administrative decisions
concerning the use of mechanical restraints or other
use of force, as has been the case previously. The
written grounds for decisions concerning the use
of segregation and being placed in restraints were
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