the national board of institutional care 54 It is important that staff takes measures to counteract isolation of individuals subject to separate care During the inspection of the special residential home for substance abusers Gudhemsgården, it emerged that several individuals had received separate care at their own request. Furthermore, an individual in conversation with the Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s employees stated that during the care he was alone during the daytime. He had reportedly not refused having the staff be with him. Another inmate compared the time in separate care to being held on remand. Following the examination, the Parliamentary Ombudsman highlighted that, when providing separate care, there is often reason to consider an individual’s wish to be alone. However, there is a risk that individuals will isolate themselves. For this reason, it is important that measures are taken to prevent inmates from becoming isolated while receiving separate care, and that the separate care should not be required to last longer than is strictly necessary.6 Segregation The National Board of Institutional Care has the possibility to segregate individuals. An individual may be segregated if there is a particular need because the individual behaves violently or is so influenced by intoxicants that they cannot be kept in under control. During the segregation, individuals must be continuously monitored by staff. Individuals must not be segregated for longer than is absolutely necessary. An individual in a special residential home for substance abusers must never be segregated for more than 24 consecutive hours. For an individual in a special residential home for young people, the longest segregation period is limited to four hours. A doctor or nurse should promptly be consulted when a young person is segregated, and if the healthcare staff so requests, the action should be stopped immediately.7 Using an individual’s living space for the purposes of separate care is completely inappropriate At all the institutions inspected in 2019, shortcomings were noted in the design and layout of the rooms that are used for segregating individuals. The special residential home for young people Vemyra did not have a room specifically for the purposes of segregation during the inspection. Instead, young persons were segregated in their living spaces or in the room designated for separate care. Several of the staff at the home stated that there is a risk that individuals could harm themselves with their belongings if the segregation occurs in living spaces. Following the inspection, the Parliamentary Ombudsman found that it is common for individuals at the home to be segregated. For this reason, the Parliamentary Ombudsman was positive that the home would establish special rooms for this purpose. The Parliamentary Ombudsman also emphasised that living spaces – with their furnishings in particular – are completely unsuitable for segregation purposes.8 6 See the Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s report p. 15 and 16, ref. no. O 58-2019. 7 See Section 34 b of the Care of Substance Abusers Act (1988:870), Section 15 c of the Care of Young Persons Act (1990:52) and Section 17 of the Secure Youth Care Act (1998:603). 8 See the Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s report p. 7 and 22, ref. no. O 44-2019.