Hospitals and psychiatric institutions XX  The requirement to wear both institutional clothing and a chip band constitutes a disproportionate infringement of the rights of the patients. XX  The NPM recommends examining technical possibilities of personalising the chip bands in future. 2.2.6 Source of danger: heat Heat protection measures in Vienna hospitals and psychiatric wards High temperatures during the summer and longer hot periods can impair people’s health and their ability to perform. Small children, chronically ill and older persons have more difficulty in adapting to high temperatures and are thus considered to be vulnerable. According to the guideline published by the Vienna regional public health authority (municipal department MA 15) in May 2018 on “Heat protection measures for medical and care institutions to create customised heat protection plans”, certain underlying diseases such as cardiovascular illnesses can affect the individual ability to regulate heat. Furthermore, neurological and psychiatric illnesses can have a negative effect on heat regulation. Degenerative illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease or muscular dystrophy can cause coordination problems, myasthenia, paralysis and confusion. Medication such as antidepressants and antipsychotics can also increase the risk of heat-related illnesses. Regardless of existing conditions, psychiatric patients whose freedom is restricted by the use of mechanical means, suffer under the heat in particular because they are unable to cool down without help. It is thus even more important in the opinion of the NPM that medical facilities take suitable measures to protect patients from the negative effects of high temperatures and heat waves as much as possible. Lack of air conditioning in Hietzing Hospital In July 2019 Commission 4 conducted a monitoring visit in the 1st and 2nd Psychiatric Department of Hietzing Hospital – Neurological Rehabilitation Centre Rosenhügel. The reason for the visit was that on previous visits, most recently in June 2018, there was no adequate cooling. At the end of June 2019, the commission again received the information that the situation in Hietzing Hospital was highly objectionable due to the lack of air conditioning. The situation was particularly bad for patients’ confined to their beds and restrained patients in the rooms on the south side of the building. At the time of the visit by the commission, there had been outdoor temperatures of up to 35 degrees Celsius for several days. Only the two acute rooms and a recreational room were air-conditioned. Only some of the patients’ rooms and other recreational rooms as well as the staff break room had interior blinds. 55