58 THE GREEK OMBUDSMAN human rights of patients, who suffer discrimination and exclusion due to their disability and the lack of a family background. It has been suggested that substantive and institutional changes should be made, in particular redesigning the care and services provided in order to establish multifaceted, appropriate and personalised care based on personal and age-related needs and the disability, based on statutory rights, and abandoning the current model of care by adopting institutional and substantive measures to de-institutionalise and prevent institutionalisation, in line with the recommendations of the Council of Europe, in order to promote the care of disabled children and adults, especially those with mental disabilities, in the family with support from community services such as specialised day care structures and regular short-term hospitality structures, as well as the establishment of specifications for alternative care in small hospitality structures, the environment and the circumstances of which will be similar to the family context. During a recent visit, within the framework of the NPM, changes were made regarding the care of minors and adults and significant improvement was noticed. In particular, mechanical strains (with straps) are not observed, and the use of cocoons and pharmaceutical suppression have been minimised. The changes are due in particular to the implementation of a pilot deinstitutionalisation intervention programme by the Mental Health and Welfare Directorate of the Institute of Child Health (ICH) in collaboration with technical support from the international non-profit British organisation Lumos, on the basis of a plan for the reform of the services, following the approval of a proposal for cooperation from the Board of Directors of the Social Welfare Centre of the Region of Western Greece, with the support of the Ministry of Labour since 2016. An ICH/Lumos treatment intervention team coordinator has been hired and is monitoring the programme and volunteers who provide activities. Following this innovative effort, and with the aim of reforming the services and the transition of care for disabled guests from the institutions to the community, Joint Ministerial Decision 60135/1579/27.12.2017 was issued for the "De-institutionalisation of people with disabilities" programme in order to help the organisation and operation of structures, actions and programmes for deinstitutionalisation of the persons hosted by the Department of People with Disabilities of the Social Welfare Centre of Western Greece, as well as in the affiliated departments of the Social Welfare Centre of Attica. More specifically, provision is made for housing persons with disabilities in safe and supportive family-style structures or returning them to their families and supporting them through the programme with specific funding and implementation by the two involved Social Welfare Centres. However, this innovative project has a limited duration, while implementation of deinstitutionalisation is pending on the basis of the ministerial decision,

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