- 30 The Ministry has further drawn up an action plan, already being implemented in cooperation
with Korydallos Prison Psychiatric Hospital, to:
-
-
establish a quiet room, on the Hospital’s ground floor, to address patients with self-harm
behaviour, including natural light and ventilation, a bed and toilet and CCTV monitoring;
ensure compliance with the protocol on the use of restrictive measures drawn up by the
Special Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Mental Health Disorders
(see paragraph 39) and draw up specific operating regulations for the use of the quiet room
in accordance with the protocol;
ensure comprehensive record-keeping of restrictive measures in a register;
supply proper clothing to patients with self-harm behaviour;
strengthen the staff by the addition of a psychologist and the intervention of other specialists
– including for staff training purposes – to assist with de-escalation efforts in respect of
patients with acute self-harm behaviour.
The CPT welcomes this very constructive response and requests confirmation that:
(1) the register in which the use of the quiet room is to be recorded is a specific one;
(2) any CCTV supervision, if introduced, does not encroach upon patients’ intimacy;
and
(3) the action plan includes express instructions never to use the quiet room (or any
other form of seclusion or restraint) as a punishment against patients who selfharm.
The Committee would like to receive an update on the implementation of the action
plan, including a copy of the specific operating instructions for the use of the quiet room.
67.
Staffing levels at the Hospital had improved somewhat since the previous visit in 2005, with
the addition of one psychologist and four social workers. That said, the health-care staff
complement remained insufficient for the size of the establishment, in particular as regards qualified
nursing staff, psychologists, occupational therapists and other staff who would be responsible for
engaging in activities with patients. One full-time psychiatrist attended morning shifts, whereas a
pool of six others attended afternoon shifts on weekdays. Seven out of the 11 nurses were so-called
"acting" nurses, i.e. custodial staff attributed certain nursing duties, but who lacked any formal
nursing training. Indeed they even lacked basic first aid training. As a result, at certain times not one
staff member with formal health-care training was present on the premises. Continuity of care and
prompt medical screening on arrival were also compromised, especially for patients arriving on
weekends, since after-hours duty doctors were only entrusted with emergency duties, did not screen
new arrivals and were not permitted to authorise continuation of medication prescribed elsewhere.
By letter of 7 June 2018, the Greek authorities informed the CPT that, following the transfer
of responsibility to the Ministry of Health, 40 new health-care staff positions, including
7 psychiatrists, 2 pathologists and 20 nurses, would be established at the Hospital by January 2019.
The CPT welcomes this development and would like to be informed of the timing of
employment of new staff members at Korydallos Prison Psychiatric Hospital.
The Committee further recommends that health-care staff be strengthened, in
particular in order to develop the capacity to deliver occupational therapy, but also to ensure
a properly trained health-care staff presence at the Hospital at all times.
Further, proper, timely medical screening of all new arrivals at the Hospital must be
ensured.
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