44 Annexes IV. Recommendations Tromsø prison • Inmates who receive medical assistance outside the prison should not be returned to the prison if their state of health is such that the conditions they face constitute a serious threat to their life or health. The prison, the specialist health service and the municipal health service should cooperate to find appropriate detention solutions that safeguard the health and security of vulnerable, sick inmates. • Full removal of an inmate’s clothing when placing him/her in a security cell should only take place after an individual risk assessment. Inmates should be given their clothes back after the body search, or be given suitable alternative clothing so that they do not have to remain naked in the security cell. • It is recommended that the prison implement its plans to systematise and quality-assure its admissions procedures in general, and the admission interview in particular. • The prison should provide all inmates with insufficient Norwegian or English skills with an interpreter during the admission interview, as well as when essential information is given subsequently. The question “Do you need an interpreter?” should be asked in several languages to ensure that it is understood. The offer and use of interpreters should be documented. • Emphasis should be given to ensuring that a contact officer is available during the initial period after admission. If the relevant contact officer is unavailable, responsibility should be assigned to another officer temporarily. • New inmates should be given a health assessment by a doctor, or a nurse under the supervision of a doctor, during the admission interview or within 24 hours of admission. It is suggested that all new inmates arriving at the prison outside of regular working hours should be given a health assessment by a doctor from the local accident and emergency unit. • Substitutes should be appointed for the dentist, psychologist and other healthcare workers who are away from work or otherwise inaccessible. • All health-related requests should be responded to within 24 hours during the week, and on Monday if submitted over the weekend. The prison should ensure Norway’s National Preventive Mechanism – Annual Report 2014 that all written requests to the health service, including to the dentist and psychologist, are kept confidential. Inmates should be informed that health-related requests can be submitted in a sealed envelope. • The health service should ensure that new inmates receive their medicines within 24 hours of admission. • The health service and the prison should cooperate on adapting activities for inmates in poor health or with disabilities. Inmates who are unable to participate in work or evening workouts should be offered adapted activities to prevent passivity, lack of physical activity and exclusion from communal activities. • The prison and the health service should collaborate to ensure control of the entire process of medicine distribution. To prevent injuries and safeguard patient safety, it is important that the prison and health service develop joint written procedures for reporting and following up on medicine distribution, including any deviations. The deviation statistics should be reviewed quarterly, and potential improvement measures discussed. • The prison and the health service should cooperate on implementing procedures to ensure that new inmates can hand over personal medicines without providing information about their health to the correctional services. • Procedures for the admission interview should include guidance for prison officers on how to request inmate consent when collecting health information. • The prison health service, the specialist health service and the prison should cooperate on establishing written procedures for the management of opioid maintenance treatment. The correctional services should have procedures in place for documenting and reporting on Subutex controls and any deviations. The deviation statistics should be reviewed quarterly, and potential improvement measures discussed. • The correctional services should provide training in opioid maintenance treatment to all prison officers, with regular repetition courses. Unskilled and inexperienced officers should only be involved in opioid maintenance treatment under the direct supervision of an inspector.

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