Der Thüringer Bürgerbeauftragte, Dr. Kurt Herzberg, hat in der Diskussion um mögliche extremistische Tendenzen in der Polizei einen unabhängigen Polizeibeauftragten für den Freistaat gefordert.

Er reagierte damit auf die Äußerung von Thüringens Innenminister Georg Maier, der die Öffnung der dem Innenministerium angegliederten Polizei-Vertrauensstelle auch für Anliegen von Polizisten ins Gespräch gebracht hatte. Bisher können sich an die Vertrauensstelle nur Bürgerinnen und Bürger wenden, die sich von der Polizei ungerecht behandelt fühlen.

„Weder für die Bürger, noch für die Polizistinnen und Polizisten im Land ist es glaubwürdig, dass eine Stelle, die dem Innenministerium zugeordnet ist, wirklich unabhängig auf die Arbeit der Thüringer Polizei schaut“, so Herzberg. Auch wenn die Thüringer Polizeivertrauensstelle direkt dem Innen-Staatssekretär unterstellt sei, hieße das nicht, dass diese von den Betroffenen als unabhängig wahrgenommen werde, so Herzberg. Insbesondere Polizistinnen und Polizisten könnten das Gefühl haben, sich mit ihren Problemen und Nöten an den obersten Dienstherren wenden zu müssen. Das sei für viele eine Hemmschwelle.

„Da sehe ich viel Potential für eine unabhängige Stelle“ so Herzberg. Er verweise auf die sehr guten Erfahrungen, die andere Länder mit einer Kombination aus parlamentarisch gewähltem Bürger- und Polizeibeauftragten gemacht haben, wie zum Beispiel Schleswig-Holstein, Baden-Württemberg oder Rheinland-Pfalz.

Derzeit berät das Hessische Parlament einen Gesetzentwurf zur Einrichtung eines unabhängigen Bürger- und Polizeibeauftragten. Außerdem planen Mecklenburg-Vorpommern und Berlin die Einführung von unabhängigen Polizeibeauftragten.

L’invito di Nobili è quello di adottare idonee misure, affinchè vengano ripensati i servizi in base a quanto previsto dalla legge del 1978 sull’istituzione del servizio sanitario nazionale. Una riflessione complessiva anche alla luce delle scelte legate all’emergenza Coronavirus

Il Garante dell’infanzia, Andrea Nobili, scrive all’Asur con l’intento di avviare una riflessione sulla medicina scolastica e sull’integrazione sociosanitaria per il benessere dei bambini e degli adolescenti.
Secondo Nobili “l’attivazione di servizi di medicina scolastica rappresenta la concretizzazione di importanti presidi sociosanitari, direttamente operanti nella quotidianità della stessa vita scolastica a stretto contatto con studenti, genitori, docenti e personale Ata. Una declinazione quanto mai opportuna della medicina territoriale”.
L’invito che il Garante rivolge all’Asur è quello di adottare idonee misure, affinchè vengano ripensati i servizi di medicina scolastica, adeguandosi a quanto previsto dalla legge del 1978, sull’istituzione del servizio sanitario nazionale, in materia di igiene e medicina scolastica.
“Le criticità esplose con la pandemia da Covid 19 – evidenzia Nobili – hanno reso necessario e sempre più urgente promuovere il coordinamento tra settore sociosanitario e settore scolastico, che purtroppo negli ultimi tempi ha manifestato uno sterile scollamento. Nelle scuole troverebbero così realizzazione servizi sociosanitari che permetterebbero non solo di affrontare più efficacemente l’attuale emergenza, ma di intervenire su aspetti di primaria importanza, quali quelli igienico sanitari, quelli nutrizionali legati alla refezione scolastica, quelli relativi al sostegno psicologico delle persone di minore età”.
L’ultima considerazione che il Garante inserisce nella sua lettera all’Asur è che “la medicina scolastica consente di creare figure di raccordo tra famiglie e medicina del territorio, in grado di dare risposte sempre più efficaci alle esigenze di benessere della comunità scolastica, garantendo interventi di screening per la prevenzione e la diagnosi precoce delle patologie dell’età evolutiva, interventi di assistenza e di monitoraggio delle condizioni di benessere degli studenti”.

A.Is.

A vulnerable young adult with learning disabilities lost sight in her right eye after staff at a specialist residential learning disability unit failed to monitor her injury properly.

Mrs X (anonymised) made a complaint about the care received by her 24-year-old daughter, Y, (anonymised) at a unit she lived in that was run by Swansea Bay University Health Board in 2018.

Y had diagnoses of Atypical Autism (presenting with some symptoms of autism), Learning Disability – mild to moderate and mental health difficulties. Her key behaviours include verbal and physical aggression, self-injurious behaviour, non-compliance, property destruction, ritualistic behaviours and socially inappropriate behaviours.

Mrs X made a complaint as she was concerned that inadequate eye care was provided to her daughter in light of her known self-injurious behaviour (which included hitting herself on the head and face which were known to cause bruising). As a result, Mrs X was concerned that Y’s eye injury was not diagnosed sooner.

Mrs X complained that no one realised the seriousness of Y’s condition and she believed that Y’s eye had been in a state of injury for some six weeks after Y had hit it.  Mrs X said she was young to lose her sight in the way she did and she found this heart-breaking and difficult to accept.

The Ombudsman found that while Y received good care in terms of planning and delivery to meet her specialised learning disability needs, there were serious shortcomings in the care Y received in June 2018 relating to her eye management as she was denied the opportunity of a timely referral and clinical review.

The Ombudsman also stated that he believed Y’s human rights under Article 8 were engaged as The Health Board has not sufficiently demonstrated that it ensured the needs of an adult with a learning disability, such as Y who was unable to effectively articulate her vision problems, were sufficiently respected

The Health Board agreed to implement the Ombudsman’s recommendations within one month.  These included providing Mrs X with a written apology for the failings identified and referring the report to the Board, and the Health Board’s Equalities and Human Rights team next Learning Disabilities Service monthly meeting.

Commenting on the report, Nick Bennett, Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, said:

“Individuals in institutional care settings are amongst the most vulnerable in society and public bodies need to be extra vigilant to ensure their needs are met.

“This is an extremely serious case where a young woman has been left with a permanent life-changing injury that may have been avoided.

“I am pleased that the Health Board has agreed to implement my recommendations which I hope will ensure the same mistakes are not repeated. I hope this brings some limited comfort to Mrs X and Y at a quite traumatic time.”

To read the report, click here.