states that the human dignity of persons with mental illnesses must be protected and maintained in all circumstances. The NPM calls for compliance with this obligation that is also an explicit standard in Austria. The CPT has recently emphasised that a central register to record measures that restrict freedom is a prerequisite to and an integral component of an effective and systematic prevention strategy to reduce measures that restrict freedom, the results of which can then be measured and compared better by the clinics. The entries in such registers should contain the following information: the beginning and the end of the measure, the circumstances of the case, why the measure was used, the name of the doctor who ordered or approved it, the staff members who were involved in implementing the measure and a description of any injuries that the patient or the staff incurred. Register for measures that restrict freedom The set-up of a central register with the information requested in the CPT report is not provided for in the Hospitalisation Act. During their visits, the commissions observed that such central registers have, for the most part, not been set up in hospitals despite the efforts made by the NPM and others. The reasons provided for this are privacy and data protection concerns but also additional IT costs. For the NPM it is of course beyond dispute that these data would be anonymised and recorded in a way that cannot be traced back to or identified with the actual persons involved. The Federal Ministry of Health has announced additional discussions with all hospital owners/operators. If the “deadlock” continues, it should be contemplated to compel the hospitals by way of a legislative amendment of the Hospitalisation Act to set up an appropriate register within a reasonable period of time. The NPM already critically addressed the unsatisfactory situation of child and adolescent psychiatry in Austria in the Annual Report 2014 (see NPM report 2014, p. 46 et seq.). The commissions determined furthermore that, due to the existing lack of medical specialists and insufficient capacity, children and adolescents are being treated and placed in adult psychiatric wards. This is a violation of preventive human rights and professional standards both with regard to case law and in the opinion of the CPT. Child and adolescent psychiatry Accordingly, the CPT has strongly demanded in its current report that alternative solutions are necessary in order to avoid housing juvenile psychiatric patients together with adult patients in psychiatric facilities across Austria. The already existing lack of medical specialists is being additionally aggravated by the necessity of implementing the new regulations on working hours for doctors in hospitals. This results in more and more bottlenecks in psychiatric care, which is well demonstrated for example in Vienna by the fact that sometimes no doctor is on call during night 48

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