Patients forcibly admitted to psychiatric wards in Denmark are facing extended delays in the processing of their complaints regarding deprivation of liberty, with waiting times now reaching up to 246 days. According to a statement from Minister of Health Sophie Løhde to the Danish Parliament’s health committee, this significant increase in processing times for the Psychiatric Patient Complaints Board may violate both the Danish constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Previously, cases were resolved in under a week, but processing times began to rise in 2018 following a reorganization and centralization of the board, as well as a relocation from Viborg to Aarhus. Lawyer Tobias Stadarfeld Jensen argues that the current situation effectively denies patients their constitutionally guaranteed rights, potentially constituting a systematic violation of the European Convention on Human Rights. He notes that the European Court of Human Rights typically allows only a few weeks for a judge to review administrative deprivations of liberty.

The Danish Patient Complaints Authority attributes the delays to a shortage of medical capacity and insufficient funding. Minister of Health Sophie Løhde acknowledges the situation as unsatisfactory and states that resources have been allocated to free up doctors and reduce waiting times. The ministry, however, denies that Denmark is in violation of international obligations.