To be annoyed by obvious waste by nhs

Some of the Nhs is excellent but much of Nhs is not fit for purpose and a money pit. There needs to be a big shake up but I doubt that it will happen.
Too many Managers, too much paperwork and box ticking and not enough patient care and no accountability at all.

Another example of obvious waste in the NHS is the number of people I have heard of lately who get called up for a pre-op assessment but then don't get a date for the op within the next few weeks (three, I think). This means they must have another pre-op before the op as the first pre-op is 'out of date'. This happened to my DH and when we asked about it we were told 'the pre-op people and the waiting list people don't really talk to each other'.

You are entitled to feel annoyed.

The patient is entitled to adequate care.

Well there is definitely evidence from that trial , available in the public domain - just not the papers, the guy was tried for defrauding the taxpayer as it happens- not made up! Could give details if you want. Not saying it is an every day occurrence, just that it has happened. And interpreters cost the nhs and public services such as the judicial system millions. You may think this is good use of public money , others may not.

So there is no real evidence just an apocryphal story!

Yes but it’s all taxpayers money and it was about interpreters. The story about the interpreter asking for an interpreter was from a barrister friend who was involved in the trial. Didn’t make the papers.

And weren't we discussing the NHS?

Does it? Have you evidence for that or is it merely Daily Fail propaganda?

So should the state provide interpreters for every possible language at no cost to the individual? It’s a bit of a joke in the court system in the U.K. that people who speak, for example, an obscure African tribal language can ask for an interpreter even if they have good English, knowing they won’t find one. Even when an interpreter was himself arrested he asked for an interpreter! Costs the taxpayer £millions

So crystaltipps non-English speaking rich people are more entitled than poor ones?
Family really can't becompletely relied on. In many cases it is the children who have most English, should they really be expected to understand and translate complicated medical diagnosis and treatment?

I believe that in France if you want an interpreter you have to pay for it. Seems fair.

We lived in Spain for 15 years and there were always interpreters available at the hospitals. These were mostly used by British people who couldn't be bothered to learn the language.

And yet other countries don't seem to worry about this. I have family living in Spain and they have to take a Spanish speaking friend or relative with them when they visit the hospital.

Yes, its inappropriate for family members to act as translators for exactly the reasons given by everyone above.

It's typically recommended not to have family members interpret. This is for a number of reasons - lack of familiarity with medical terminology, privacy issues, comfort issues, etc. How would you feel if you had to interpret for a parent of the opposite sex and you had to ask detailed questions about their sexual experiences or their bladder function? What about their mental health? Highly discomfiting. This is why we have professional interpreters.

That was exactly what was going through my mind Izabella. Awful, I know, that they have to operate on the assumption that nobody can be trusted, but when there are big lawsuits at stake, then you can't blame them being ultra careful.

and sadly (in my experience) the family can interpret giving the wrong information either unintentionally or maliciously. This has huge implications for both treatment and the rights of individuals.