44 npm annual report 2016 /observations and recommendations • A check-up is not automatically conducted on all persons taken into custody as they arrive in Metsälä unit. Instead, the person fills in an initial health interview form, on the basis of which his or her health care needs are assessed. • However, the conclusions addressed to Finland by different international bodies have suggested that a routine medical screening should be carried out on persons deprived of their liberty within 24 hours of their arrival. This had also been the Ombudsman’s recommendation in connection with the actions taken as a result of the visit at Joutseno detention unit in 2015. At the same time, any experiences of torture and injuries of persons deprived of their liberty can be examined. The Ombudsman also stressed the necessity of routine check-ups in Metsälä unit. • On the visit to Metsälä detention unit, it also transpired that the health care services do not visit foreign nationals placed in isolation on a daily basis. The Ombudsman recommended that a person placed in isolation be visited as soon as possible after their isolation, and subsequently every day or even more frequently if necessary. • Persons held in custody who were interviewed during the visit praised the unit’s staff and felt that they acted properly. Not a single interviewee reported having experienced inappropriate behaviour or treatment at the detention centre. Observations made during the visit indicated that the staff treat the customers appropriately and respectfully and respond to their needs. • However, it turned out during the visit that many of those held in custody were uncertain about their legal position and lacked legal advice. The customers’ uncertainty about their position also emerged in interviews conducted with the staff.