Authorities supervising hospital operations

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Several authorities supervise the operations of the hospital; their operations are presented in further detail on their respective websites. The following is a brief description:

The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health

  • steers and monitors the hospital and health care professionals
  • processes complaints

Regional State Administrative Agencies 

  • steers and monitors the health services provided by the hospital
  • monitors and evaluates service development and implementation and issues statements
  • carries out inspections, processes complaints and notifications

Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)

  • decides on the hospital for patients ordered to undergo mental examination
  • orders persons assessed to be in need of involuntary treatment on the basis of mental examination to be placed into treatment
  • decides on the place where the hospital treatment of a patient ordered for treatment is to be initiated
  • decides on the discharge from the hospital under the supervision of a psychiatric unit and the discontinuation of hospital treatment regarding so-called criminal patients
  • under the auspices of Special government services in social welfare and healthcare steers and monitors hospital operations under a performance agreement; the performance agreement regulates, for example, the number of treatment and examination days produced annually and the number of person-years available to the hospital

Administrative Court of Eastern Finland

  • confirms decisions regarding treatment orders
  • processes complaints concerning treatment orders and the limitation of fundamental rights at the hospital

Parliamentary Ombudsman

  • ensures the hospital and its officials comply with the law and fulfil their obligations
  • monitors the realisation of fundamental and human rights
  • processes complaints, carries out checks, carries out investigations proactively

European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

  • supervises the conditions and treatment of institutionalised persons by conducting inspection visits
  • issues recommendatory statements to Finnish Government

The European Court of Human Rights

  • monitors the realisation of the European Convention on Human Rights in the member states
  • appellants may turn to the European Court of Human Rights after exhausting all national legal remedies