88 health care Information for patients and their families • A hospital had produced informative guides, but these guides failed to explain clearly that different patient groups had different status. The Ombudsman noted that guides are important for the patients’ legal protection and recommended that separate guides should be produced for patients remanded for a mental health examination and other patient groups, depending on their legal status. The Ombudsman also stated that the guide aimed at families should have updated information on the restrictions on patients’ basic rights. • The different wards of a hospital offered a varying amount of information about the rights and position of the patients, as well as the legal remedies at their disposal. The Ombudsman found that, to guarantee patients’ rights, it is essential that patients and their next of kin are aware of patients’ rights and the legal remedies available to them (objection, complaint, and notice of patient injury). The Ombudsman recommended that patients on all wards, and their families, should be provided on arrival with clear and simple information on the rights and obligations of the patients, both orally and in writing. The staff should also familiarise themselves with the material so that they can tell patients and their families of the patients’ rights in clear and understandable terms. Prioritising the best interests of a child • The paediatric psychiatric ward was open only on weekdays, and the children usually spent the weekends at home. If a child was unable to go home, they were transferred to the paediatric psychiatric ward of the university hospital. The Ombudsman referred to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, according to which the best interests of the child must be taken into consideration in all measures taken by the authorities. The Ombudsman pointed out that this arrangement meant that the child would have to travel more than 300 km to an unfamiliar environment, and that the parents would not necessarily be able to visit the child. Follow-up: The hospital responded that this arrangement was used only very rarely. Regardless of this, the hospital will no longer systematically refer children to the university hospital and, instead, will attempt to find a solution that is in the best interests of each individual child. One option could be the adolescent psychiatric ward of a more nearby hospital.