74 ANNUAL REPORT 2013 for Human Rights has a comprehensive knowledge about human rights issues. Consequently, both organisations are able to provide valuable input – both on general issues and during individual monitoring visits. Our co-operation with DIGNITY and the Danish Institute for Human Rights began in 2009 when the Ombudsman was appointed ‘National Preventive Mechanism’ in Denmark pursuant to the UN Convention against Torture. As mentioned above, our co-operation with DIGNITY and the Danish Institute for Human Rights is not limited to specific monitoring visits. For instance, the decision regarding the focus points listed above was made in consultation with DIGNITY and the Danish Institute for Human Rights. Our annual themes are also selected in consultation with our two cooperative partners. Verbal recommendations A monitoring visit always begins with a meeting with the management of the institution where we discuss focus points and annual themes in relation to the institution. After the meeting – which often takes several hours – the monitoring team will walk around the institution in order to take a closer look and talk to residents. Afterwards, we will have individual conversations with staff members in order to hear their opinion about the functioning of the institution. If possible (and if relevant), we will also have conversations with residents’ relatives. Furthermore, the monitoring team will of course have conversations with residents who have expressed a wish to speak to the monitoring team. The monitoring visit ends with another meeting with the management of the institution. During this meeting, we will discuss the considerable amount of information we have obtained in the course of the day, and in many cases, the monitoring team will recommend implementation of specific changes, or that the management consider whether there is a need for certain changes. As will appear from the above, the Ombudsman’s monitoring visits are based on verbal discussions. This provides a better opportunity of establishing a genuine dialogue between the monitoring team and the management of the institution, and in addition, it requires fewer resources than a written dialogue. Verbal discussions are also more effective because the issues are discussed at a time when they are still fresh in our memory. It is not infrequent for the management to initiate changes immediately based on the monitoring team’s comments, including comments about information we have obtained from residents. Recommendations by the Ombudsman’s monitoring team may refer to a wide variety of issues. Sometimes recommendations concern general issues, while at