– We have been very patient in this matter, says Mette Yvonne Larsen. She is the legal representative for four women who have notified the State Administrator about a Norwegian psychiatrist. Even before Christmas, the State Administrator began investigating the claims in the notification. In January, the health department continued with four inspection cases. Through his lawyer Halvard Helle, the psychiatrist has opposed the debts. He will not comment on this case. Initially, the four parties were supposed to have finished dealing at the beginning of May. The state administrator has not yet concluded. – I would like a meeting to get more detailed information about the progress. The administration has given a time perspective that has long since been exceeded, says Larsen to news. The state administrator in Oslo and Viken is now handling eight supervision cases against the psychiatrist. Four of them have been established after January. – It is more important for us to handle supervisory matters thoroughly and properly than to do it quickly, says communications manager Liv Asta Ødegaard. The state administrator will not comment on the proceedings beyond this. – The administration is a black hole. Larsen is not reassured by the answer. – I can’t see that there is any contradiction between working hard on a big issue and at the same time keeping my clients informed, she says. Author and notifier Hilde Rød-Larsen’s case has been pending since the turn of the year. She says she has no doubt that a thorough job is being done, but that it is a great strain not to be kept up to date. – I understand that it is a complicated matter, which must take time. But by not being informed, I have sent my most vulnerable, most fearful self into the administration’s black hole, she says. Legal aid attorney Larsen, who represents four of the whistleblowers, asked in May for a meeting with the health department. It is this person who handles the supervisory matters. Last week, the State Administrator informed that a meeting will only take place when the case management enters a final phase. This shows email correspondence news has read. The health department at the State Administrator in Oslo and Viken carries out the supervision of the Norwegian psychiatrist. Photo: Øyvind Bye Skille / news – This answer is difficult to relate to! The whole point of a meeting is to get some information about the timetable, writes Mette Yvonne Larsen in her reply to the Statsforvaltaren. Considering withdrawing a notification The Danish Ombudsman believes that the combination of a long processing time and little information to the whistleblowers can have consequences. – Most of the whistleblowers are people with significant health problems, and the waiting time is very difficult for them. It is being considered to withdraw notice, says Larsen. She tells about clients who are about to lose heart. – Others who have recently contacted me state that they do not want to send a notice because they cannot bear such a waiting period, says Larsen. Hilde Rød-Larsen says that one of the aims of her own notice was to make it easier for others to report what they believe is a breach of medical ethics. – It is a completely insane mental strain to stand in this without hearing anything. The way the system is now, you can clearly get sicker from reporting, she says. Supervision of health and care services Both the State Administrator and the Norwegian Health Authority supervise health and care services in Norway. Supervision is also carried out with health personnel and other personnel who provide the services. Only the Norwegian Health Authority can issue administrative reactions. If the state administrator believes that an administrative response should be given to health personnel and/or businesses, the case will be forwarded to the Norwegian Health Authority. The state administrator has two possible roles, which depend on the assessment of whether an investigation should be opened: Decisive body where supervisory cases are concluded. The body presiding over the case for the Norwegian Health Authority, which must make a decision or close the case. An administrative reaction can be, for example, a warning, withdrawal of authorization, restriction of authorization or an order. About 90 per cent of supervisory cases are decided by the State Administrator. Only the most serious cases are investigated by the Norwegian Health Authority.
ttn-69
– Considering withdrawing notice – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
