NHS spends £130k a day on translations for non-English speaking patients.

No Allira (that’s clever of you) but I knew without looking They are very predictable!

Visgir1

The Trust I just retired from had a list of Staff they could call on to act as Interpreter as first point of call. Someone in Admin arranges a mutual time. If they can't they have to pay, but always ask if the patient can bring someone to do it.

What trust is this? ....all interpreters are free at the point of delivery ( free as in 'no cost' to the parient) ....I'm not sure your trust was acting legally by charging patients...in fact I'm sure they are not

BlueBelle

How did I know this was your thread FGT !!!

It doesn't matter though.
There's some interesting true life experiences being written about here.

One family had small children who readily learnt French at the local school and were used to phoning the bank on behalf of their parents.
Yes, it's common for adults who don't speak the language to rely on their children to interpret. However, in a medical setting this is not allowed. It might be very traumatising.

I would be willing to bet the court system spends even more on translators.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

When we lived in France we knew a number of Brits who never learnt anything beyond the most basic French and some who had no interest in learning the language beyond ordering a beer. One family had small children who readily learnt French at the local school and were used to phoning the bank on behalf of their parents.

Because her name was on the OP perhaps?

It doesn't take Miss Marple.

How did I know this was your thread FGT !!!

lixy

Ilovecheese

So you would like ill and frightened people to be treated a little bit worse. I am actually glad our country is better than that.

This exactly, thank you ilovecheese

Medical consultations can be full of technical language that needs careful translation, or personal information that a patient may not want a ‘family member or friend’ to share.

Many translators will not have extensive knowledge of technical medical language.

If a doctor cannot explain to a patient in simple terms then perhaps he or she needs to have some retraining, as many patients with English as a first language may not understand technical medical terms either.

escaped

My worry with translation online sites for medical issues is that they don't pick up on nuances. They're a bit like a glorified dictionary and you can end up with incorrect usage of words and misunderstanding.
Also I don't think they cover every rare language there is.

There are approximately 7,100 different languages in the world.

The Trust I just retired from had a list of Staff they could call on to act as Interpreter as first point of call. Someone in Admin arranges a mutual time. If they can't they have to pay, but always ask if the patient can bring someone to do it.

Ilovecheese

So you would like ill and frightened people to be treated a little bit worse. I am actually glad our country is better than that.

This exactly, thank you ilovecheese

Medical consultations can be full of technical language that needs careful translation, or personal information that a patient may not want a ‘family member or friend’ to share.

90% of the cases I accompanied to hospital were to A & E (or Urgences as it's called here). There wouldn't necessarily be time to access an interpreter in an unusual language in this region. So yes, muddling along was what had to happen, although I am fluent.

FGT where are you getting these figures from please?

I asked ChatGPT who could find no such figures for translators.

Nearest figures for NHS translation services were:

Gloucestershire Health & Care NHS Foundation Trust
£130k for the year 2018-2019
(foi.ghc.nhs.uk)

Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
£126k in 2020-2021)
(questions-statements.parliament.uk)

As these figures are for whole years, they are nothing like the daily figures you have quoted.

ChatGPT concluded that there is no credible evidence that the NHS spends £130k per day on translating and interpreting services across England or the UK, but that the figure seems to be a misinterpretation of annual or trust-level data.

£130k per day is meaningless without knowing how many patients or hours were involved. Professional medical translation as opposed to muddling along could save lives and certainly a good deal of time.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

£44 million David. Per year. On translators. Just so unnecessary. Other European countries manage fine without them.

Bring a friend or relative.
Pay for your own translation.

People would soon get used to it.

We ask questions about domestic abuse and mental health....we couldn't ask these questions via a friend or relative

LOUISA1523

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Hmm. That they bring a friend Casdon who can interpret for them? A novel idea I know.

Or as most people have a smartphone, Google Translate.

I wonder what Wes Streeting makes of it all?

You can't be sure a relative or friend will translate correctly .....so ibterpreters are needed ...we use a telephone interpreter service where I work in the community......its not a new thing ...I've been with this team 17 years ...been using interpreters that long...likely much longer

Yes I appreciate that. I’ve been retired from the NHS for just over 10 years now & I recall translators being used in clinic sessions occasionally.

However, the numbers using this service have grown exponentially. Hence the increased financial cost!

You can't be sure a relative or friend will translate correctly .....so ibterpreters are needed ...we use a telephone interpreter service where I work in the community......its not a new thing ...I've been with this team 17 years ...been using interpreters that long...likely much longer

Yes, technically, interpreters are used when speech needs to be translated. As opposed to translators who work with written documents.
But as said earlier, unless face to face medical staff cannot pick up on nuances, often bodily, especially with a foreign patient.

Thankyou Casdon- I was just about to say that of course they have translators in other health services overseas.

Accessing them though, would be just as patchy as it is here depending on many different factors.

No one wants nuance though- it doesn't make for good arguments.

Sago

Our son went to university.in the Czech Republic, he managed a serious injury, dental appointments and GP appointments without a translator.

Marvellous

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Hmm. That they bring a friend Casdon who can interpret for them? A novel idea I know.

Or as most people have a smartphone, Google Translate.

I wonder what Wes Streeting makes of it all?

You can't be sure a relative or friend will translate correctly .....so ibterpreters are needed ...we use a telephone interpreter service where I work in the community......its not a new thing ...I've been with this team 17 years ...been using interpreters that long...likely much longer

Ah facts Casdon … those old chestnuts 🙈

FriedGreenTomatoes2

£44 million David. Per year. On translators. Just so unnecessary. Other European countries manage fine without them.

Bring a friend or relative.
Pay for your own translation.

People would soon get used to it.

For the second time, what you are saying is untrue. Other countries in Europe do have translation services.

AI Overview

Many European countries have national or regional initiatives to provide healthcare translation services, but the provision and quality vary significantly. Sweden has a centralized system, and Norway grants patients a legal right to translated health information. Ireland provides guidelines for doctors to find interpreters, while the United Kingdom has a legal mandate for language services under the Equality Act 2010. Other countries, like Germany, may rely more on charities and volunteers, though some national efforts and centralized systems are also in place.
Countries with Established Systems or Rights:
Sweden: Has a centralized system allowing doctors to book interpreter calls.
Norway: Patients have a legal right to receive health information and treatment in a language they understand.
United Kingdom: The Equality Act 2010 mandates language services in healthcare.
Ireland: The Health Service has issued guidelines for doctors on finding interpreters.
Countries with Varying or Developing Provision:
Germany:
While the system is inconsistent, some organizations like Communication in Medical Settings provide interpretation, particularly for refugees.
France:
Has specific services, with a mention of professional interpreting for doctors.
Switzerland:
Has a need for qualified interpreters, moving away from using volunteers due to the complex health needs of influxes of refugees.

All the detail, by country, is available via Google if you care to look for the actual facts.

Our son went to university.in the Czech Republic, he managed a serious injury, dental appointments and GP appointments without a translator.