the centre take into account, in particular, freedom, intimacy, dignity and feeling of security of the residents of the centre, as well as their physical and mental fitness. Ordinance of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 19 October 2005 on social care centres (Dz.U. No 217, item 1837) 5(1) A social care centre, regardless of type, shall provide services: 1) as regards living needs, guaranteeing: a) accomodation, b) alimentation, c) clothes and footwear, d) cleanness. (…) and Article 6 (1) Living conditions in all visited social care centres were, for the most part, compliant with the provisions of the abovementioned Ordinance. Cleanness and order were maintained in rooms equipped with basic furniture. Equipment of rooms, their aesthetics and diversity, planned by Centre’s personnel, created a nearly-homely atmosphere. However, due to the fact that residents ate and spent most of the day in their rooms, the area of rooms raised objections in two visited establishments (“Leśny” SCC in Warsaw and SCC in Góra Kalwaria). Security locks installed in room windows, largely limiting their opening capacity, were also an onerous issue, especially in the case of a heat (“Leśny” SCC in Warsaw). In response, the Director of “Leśny" SCC in Warsaw agreed that window security locks make it impossible to open the windows wide, however, no alternative solution was found. Installation of window bars was forbidden by psychiatrists as illness-intensifying. In one of the visited establishments, the representatives of the National Preventive Mechanism viewed the conditions in a room where a coercive measure in the form of isolation was applied as inhuman and degrading treatment. A person staying in this room did not have access to the toilet, but instead, only to a bucket (“Leśny” SCC in Warsaw). In another establishment, due to the refurbishment of one of the wards, residents were temporarily (for ca. 8 months) placed in dormitory rooms (SCC in Góra Kalwaria).Conditions in this building were appaling, rooms were cramped and dirty. Therapeutic activities were limited. Visitors recommended immediate actions for the placement of residents in better residential conditions, respecting their right to dignity, intimacy and provision of basic living needs (SCC in Góra Kalwaria). In response, the Mazovian Voivode informed NPM representatives that SCC in Góra Kalwaria was undergoing remedial actions aimed at meeting standards resulting from the Act of 12 March 2004 on social assistance. In all visited centres, the administration satisfied the needs of residents who could not afford new clothes, footwear or medications. b) Right to medical care Social care centres are social assistance organisational units providing twentyfour-hour living, care and assistance services. Persons staying in social care centres and covered by general health insurance are entitled to health services financed from public funds on the same grounds as all beneficiaries who are in need of medical assistance within a family home. Health services are not provided within the centres, they only make it possible for their residents to make use of these services, since they