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48. The CPT has welcomed the steps taken in both establishments to provide
residents and patients with individualised treatment programmes, including
occupational therapy and psychotherapy, and has encouraged the Romanian
authorities to pursue their efforts to increase the number of residents/patients who
benefit from such programmes. Further, in both establishments, additional staff had
been recruited, in particular “educators” at Nucet and psychologists and nurses at
Oradea. However, due to recent budget cuts, numerous posts of health-care staff,
including psychiatrists’ posts at Oradea, had remained vacant. The Committee also
expresses concern that at Oradea Psychiatric Hospital, electroconvulsive therapy
(ECT) was still occasionally administered in its unmodified form (i.e. without
anaesthetic and muscle relaxants).
In their response, the Romanian authorities acknowledge that staffing levels
are not adequate, but comment that the limited budgetary resources do not allow the
recruitment of more staff. They also state that ECT is no longer applied at all at
Oradea Psychiatric Hospital and only rarely in other psychiatric establishments in
Romania, and then always in its modified form.
49. The CPT’s delegation found that the frequency of resort to means of
mechanical restraint of violent and/or agitated residents at Nucet Medico-Social
Centre had significantly decreased since 2006, and that decisions on the use of such
restraints were now always taken by a doctor. Nevertheless, the CPT has reiterated
that a written policy on this subject should be drawn up in all psychiatric and social
welfare establishments in Romania, taking into account the criteria set out by the
Committee.
In their response, the Romanian authorities state that a protocol on the use of
means of restraint exists at Oradea as well as in other psychiatric hospitals. It
stipulates, inter alia, that patients under restraint must be directly and permanently
monitored by a member of staff and that every instance of restraint should be
recorded in a special register. Further, special training for staff is organised on a
regular basis. A protocol on the use of restraints will also be elaborated for Nucet
Medico-Social Centre.
Report and response published in August 2010, CPT/Inf (2010) 25 and CPT/Inf (2010) 26
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