Visit no. 29-2015 Date: 2015.11.23 Location: Estabelecimento Prisional de Beja [Beja’s Prison Facility] (Beja) Subject: Mental health support. Spaces of collective accommodation. Food quality. Procedures of contact with outside world (v.g., phone calls) On November 23rd, in the afternoon period, a visit was made to the Prison Facility of Beja. As previously determined, randomly selected dormitories in the detention area were visited. The living conditions were considered reasonable regarding lighting, ventilation, health and hygiene. Living conditions in double accommodation rooms were also assessed, with no remarkable differences concerning the above mentioned parameters measured. The directorate pointed out that the water heating solution capacity ensured one daily hot bath for each inmate. The leisure areas are adequately ventilated, with natural light and are equipped with table tennis, television, and a sufficient number of tables and chairs. At the time of the visitation, there were 224 inmates, of a maximum formal capacity of 164 vacancies. Questioned about the impact of mental health issues among the inmates and the appropriateness of the response offered by the prison facility, a small and number of situations were reported. It was explained that 2/3 of the occupants suffering from mental health illness receives appropriate care in the Prison Hospital of Caxias (Lisbon) with no record of waiting lists. Supplementing these external resources, which include whenever deemed necessary, the psychiatric urgency service from the National Health Service’s hospital facility in Beja, on site psychological support is available two days per week. Following up on an inmate interview, the visitors’ team asked to his access to the clinical record, which was accomplished in the presence of the nurse responsible for the clinical services. It was observed that the medication refusal by the inmates is not registered. Registering the patient’s medication refusal is considered an important quality and safety procedure, serving the purposes of error prevention and ensuring the inmates to be fully answerable for the adherence to the therapeutic prescribed. Throughout the visit to the kitchen one meal was tasted and found to be of sufficient quality. With regard to the nourishment of the prisoners, it was explained by the directorate that the implementation of a parallel system to the supply of goods (cantina), reduced the number of complains, since it allows the access of the inmates to a wide variety of food items. Finally, in what concerns the contacts with the outside, in particular by tele-phone, it was ascertain that there are no difficulties reported since the implementation of the new 48 |