compulsory psychiatric care 72 that there are sufficient staffing levels in the emergency psychiatric unit so that the staff are, inter alia, able to perform the monitoring in a manner which maintains patient safety. Furthermore, the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman stated that there is reason to continue to follow how the emergency psychiatric units are organised in the regions and what risks may entail for patients in the framework of future OPCAT inspections.7 A female patient should not be placed in units with only male patients The Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman also commented on the care environment following the inspection of Växjö Regional Forensic Psychiatric Clinic. During the inspection, it was noted that the premises in one of the buildings were worn and not completely fit for purpose as, inter alia, the common areas were small and the environment lacked stimuli. During the inspection, attention was also highlighted to the fact that lone women were placed in units with only male patients. In conversations with the Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s employees, female patients stated that they lacked having other women to talk to and that they felt insecure in a unit with only male patients. During the inspection, it was also noted that two patients were placed in rooms that lacked basic equipment, which meant that they had to eat their meals in bed. One of these rooms was an ordinary patient room reminiscent of the environment in a police custody facility. With reference to the statements made after, inter alia, the OPCAT inspection of Unit 130/PIVA at Danderyd Hospital the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman found reason to recommend additionally that Kronoberg Region, together with the management of Växjö Regional Forensic Psychiatric Clinic, review the possibilities that exist for making the care environments less lacking in stimuli. Furthermore, the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman recommended that the clinic’s management take measures in order to prevent female patients from being placed in a unit with only men, and to satisfy the female patients’ needs for association with others and security. The Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman reiterated that it is undignified to have to sit in bed and eat and the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman urged the clinic to review immediately the furnishings in the relevant rooms and, as far as one room is concerned, to consider whether it is appropriate to use as an ordinary patient room.8 Use of mechanical restraints and segregation If there is an immediate risk of a patient seriously injuring themselves or others, they may be briefly restrained with a belt or similar device. Furthermore, a patient may be segregated from other patients if necessary due to the patient seriously impeding the care of the other patients through aggressive or disruptive behaviour. A decision on segregation is valid for a maximum of eight hours. The segregation period may be extended with a new decision by 7 See the Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s report p. 12 and 13, ref. no. O 6-2019. 8 See the Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s report p. 17, ref. no. O 18-2019.