Pa r t i I . Each of the hospitals visited in 2014 offered a broad range of pharmacological treatment, including latest-generation psychotropic medications. The availability of medications to treat somatic illnesses raised no reservations as well. Medications prescribed by ward doctors or by other specialist doctors were available after being ordered at a hospital pharmacy. Unfortunately, having analysed psychiatric treatment records made available to the representatives of the NPM, it can be concluded that four visited establishments kept the records inappropriately216. The hospitals visited did not apply high-risk procedures (insulin coma, atropine coma and electroconvulsive therapy). All the establishments led various forms of therapy, besides pharmacological therapy, as well as cultural and educational activities. The visitors found no serious deficiencies in this respect with one exception, i.e. overlapping of patients’ walking time and group psychotherapy activities217. 6. Right to contact with the outside world During their stay in hospital, all patients should be allowed to contact the outside world by uncensored mail (also by electronic means, using their own devices with access to the mobile Internet), unsupervised talks by phone (also using their own mobile phones) and visits without the presence of hospital personnel. Pursuant to Article 33 of the Act of 6 November 2008 on patients’ rights and the Ombudsman for Patients’ Rights218, any patient of a health care institution running health care activity in the form of stationary and 24-hour health services, within the meaning of provisions on health care activity, has the right to contact others in person, by telephone or by mail219. Of course, one should understand that, in exceptional circumstances, contacts of patients with persons from outside the establishment must be limited temporarily due to health reasons. Under no circumstances, however, this limitation cannot be imposed freely and without considering an individual approach. Hospitals in: Katowice, Łódź, Jarosław, Choroszcz. Hospital in Jarosław. 218 Dz.U. of 2012, item 159, as amended. 219 Except for remand prisoners staying in a psychiatric hospital whose conditions of placement, pursuant to Article 213 § 1 of the Executive Penal Code, are determined by a body under whose jurisdiction they are and whose conditions of communication with other persons and institutions are laid down in the Code of Penal Procedure and the Executive Penal Code. 216 217 61