ANPThe psychiatric clinic CTP Veldzicht
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 22:21
Safety in the psychiatric clinic CTP Veldzicht in Balkbrug must be improved immediately. The Justice and Security Inspectorate decided this in one hard rapport following a fatal stabbing incident. A year ago, an asylum seeker stabbed three employees. One employee was killed and the other two were seriously injured. The man then committed suicide.
According to the inspectorate, specialized places must be quickly created for foreigners with psychiatric problems where they can receive the right care and guidance. Organizations involved in migration, healthcare and criminal justice must also improve cooperation and share information.
Transferred nineteen times
The report states that the asylum seeker had serious psychiatric problems before the stabbing incident and exhibited confused and disturbing behavior. The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA), which is responsible for the reception of asylum seekers, does not have suitable reception options for people with such problems.
During his three-year stay in the Netherlands, the man was transferred nineteen times between various asylum seeker centers and mental health institutions. Yet he always returned to regular asylum seeker shelter, because mandatory mental health care admission was not implemented.
Chief Inspector Hans Faber: “You can see that COA is faced with an impossible task here. This is a target group that COA has to do something with in practice, but cannot do anything with. The lack of suitable places for this target group is not only problematic for these foreigners, but also entails major risks for residents of an asylum seekers’ center, for employees and society.”
Ultimately, the man ended up in the CTP Veldzicht institution in Balkbrug for a second time.
Center for Transcultural Psychiatry
CTP Veldzicht is a center for transcultural psychiatry. The clinic treats people with complex psychiatric problems. This often concerns people with a non-Western background without Dutch nationality, such as asylum seekers and illegal immigrants. Patients can be treated voluntarily, but they can also be ordered to undergo (tbs) treatment by a judge.
The inspectorate finds that important information was not shared in a timely manner during the man’s transfers. “Unfortunately, we see these types of examples more often. When people move between chains, information does not automatically travel with them, while it is necessary. Information transfer between chain partners must be clearer and clearer. This must be managed,” says Chief Inspector Hans Faber.
According to the inspectorate, the ‘forensic acuity’ in CTP Veldzicht is not in order. “The emphasis is on care, over safety.”
Weatherwind response
Outgoing Minister Weerwind for Legal Protection has in a Letter to Parliament responded to the investigation and also refers to an investigation by the Labor Inspectorate. It states that CTP Veldzicht’s policy is inadequate when it comes to aggression and violence. For example, the aggression protocol is incomplete, house rules are not clear and employees are not sufficiently trained to deal with aggression.
According to Weerwind, this is a violation of the Working Conditions Act, and the inspectorate has therefore issued a warning. The clinic must have implemented the improvements by May 1, 2024.
Are you thinking about suicide or worried about someone? Talking about suicide helps and can be done anonymously via chat www.113.nl or by telephone on 113 or 0800-0113.
2023-10-19 20:21:59
#Inspectorate #expresses #harsh #criticism #fatal #stabbing #incident #Balkbrug #mental #health #clinic
