Hospitals and psychiatric institutions
reaction to an interim report written by this expert commission in December
2018, the Styrian Hospital Cooperation and the regional government of
Styria promised extensive improvements. The NPM was promised that an
additional building would, amongst others, improve the space situation from
summer 2020 onward, thus eliminating the need for six-bed rooms. The final
report was presented in November 2019; an evaluation of the efficacy of the
recommended measures is planned for autumn 2020.
In November 2019, the NPM received information about potential new
violations in this department. A patient had to spend three nights in the
ward bathroom, some of the time restrained, during her in-patient stay in the
Department of Geriatric Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychotherapy at Graz II
Standort Süd Regional Hospital.
Restraint in ward
bathroom
The patient was pushed out of the room in her bed, moved to the ward
bathroom and positioned there between the bathtub and the wall in such a
way that it was impossible for her free herself from the situation. She was not
given a call bell. She was terrified because the door was closed and she was left
there alone until the following morning.
The daughter of the patient first contacted the Styrian Patients and Nursing
Care Ombudsman. In a meeting with representatives of Graz II Standort Süd
Regional Hospital, it was argued that not enough rooms are available to
prevent the patients from becoming overexcited and for placing a restraint
under observation of their personal rights.
Both the Patients and Nursing Care Ombudsman and the NPM are of the
view that placing patients in a ward bathroom to sleep or restraining them
there constitutes inhumane treatment and shall be considered an additional
restriction pursuant to the Hospitalisation Act. Furthermore, the fact that the
patient was not given a call bell to draw attention to herself if required should
be vehemently criticised.
Inhumane treatment
Measures for the prevention of such incidents were presented at a meeting with
the Management Board of the Styrian Hospital Cooperation at the beginning
of December 2019. The placement of patients in rooms that are not dedicated
patient rooms was prohibited. Patients are now cared for in patient rooms
only. If intensive monitoring is necessary, the patient shall be monitored in
the hallway next to the care station. An interdisciplinary medical history will
be set up from 2020.
Additional measures
announced
Commission 2 noted insufficient awareness on the part of the (medical) staff
with regard to measures that restrict freedom during a visit to Kepler University
Clinic Linz.
Lack of awareness for
measures that restrict
freedom
The NPM repeatedly pointed out that the potential applicability of the
Nursing and Residential Homes Residence Act (Heimaufenthaltsgesetz) must
be carefully examined in every individual case (see NPM Report 201, p. 52
et seq.). In addition to a continuous need for care that exists at the time of
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