National Preventive Mechanism
developmental impairments who frequently display psychiatrically relevant
episodes. Overall, it is about creating flexible framework conditions that
enable those persons affected to live their lives as independently as possible.
This includes work and occupational opportunities that have a positive effect
on the disorder as well as on social integration and quality of life.
¾¾ Residential and rehabilitation possibilities for persons with chronic
mental disorders must be expanded as this would prevent some effects
requiring hospitalisation.
2.2.4 Insufficient psychiatric beds
The Kufstein District Hospital is responsible for acute psychiatric care of a
region with around 150,000 residents. Only four beds are available in the
closed ward of the hospital.
Patients must be
turned away
As a result of this small number of available beds, police bring patients
directly to the Hall Regional Hospital without a psychiatric examination.
Subsequently, it sometimes occurs that staff in Hall ultimately considers that
the patient does not display the requirements for compulsory hospitalisation.
Furthermore, especially on weekends and at night there are often very long
waiting times for a transfer to the Hall Regional Hospital due to police and
emergency services staff shortages. Transfers can be delayed by three to
four hours which extends the suffering considerably, especially for seriously
psychotic and agitated persons.
Forward-looking and
flexible planning
necessary
An expansion of the psychiatric ward and of its placement area at the Kufstein
District Hospital is planned in the medium term. However, this example
shows clearly that coordination of available capacity and the necessary care
of patients in psychiatric hospitals must be a priori carefully implemented,
taking the local conditions into consideration.
¾¾ Availability of psychiatric care must be planned in a forward-looking
way and flexibly adjusted to the regional conditions.
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