health care • The conditions in the seclusion room were closer to a police jail than a seclusion room in a psychiatric hospital. The Ombudsman stated that while the seclusion room is rarely used, it must be safe and appropriately furnished. The Ombudsman found it humiliating for the patient to have to eat either standing up or sitting on the floor on a thin mattress. The Ombudsman noted that at mealtimes, the patient could be provided with a stand for their tray, if it is not possible to bring the patient out of the seclusion room to eat. The Ombudsman recommended that the mealtimes of a secluded patient be arranged on the basis of separate instructions. The Ombudsman also recommended that more attention should be paid to the quality of the fittings and furnishings in isolation facilities and that, when new facilities are designed, consideration is given to the safety and furnishings of the rooms, to ensure more dignified treatment of patients placed in isolation. • The seclusion room had no night light, so the room had lights on during the night for the purpose of security monitoring. The Ombudsman considered it unacceptable that the lighting in the room could not be adjusted for the night, and that the patient is compelled to sleep with the lights on for the purpose of supervision. • According to the hospital rules, secluded patients are escorted to the toilet when necessary and, if required, handheld urinals and bedpans are used. The Ombudsman stated that the dignified treatment of a secluded patient, as well as good health-care standards, requires that the patient has access to a toilet. The Ombudsman recommended that the code of conduct at the hospital be updated to include more specific instructions for the staff to proactively ensure that all secluded patients have the opportunity to use the toilet. 79