29 May, 2015
Interpreters win NHS apology for pay
‘error’
National
Health Service chiefs have launched an investigation and apologised for a
“mistake” after a new privately-run booking service left interpreters struggling
without pay for weeks.
The
Central and North West London NHS Trust, which commissions the interpreting
service in the borough, admitted an “error” with unprocessed time-sheets
“should not have happened”.
Interpreters
have told the West End Extra that they have been left “desperate for
money” and unable to pay their rent and bills.
A
spokesman for the NHS trust said: “CNWL apologises for this, we will pay people
what they are owed. The mistake is being corrected and after our investigation
there will be greater clarity around all the issues involved.”
Interpreters
are hired by the NHS to go GP surgeries and mental health centres in
Westminster to explain complex diagnoses and clinical information to patients
who do not have English as their first language.
Dozens
have signed a petition against the new booking system, run by Hull-based
private company Language is Everything.
The
petition says interpreters have a “history” with the company over late payments
to them from back in 2013, and many have had to chase up their wages through
the courts.
The
petition to CNWL adds: “We find it morally wrong that you are asking us to work
for the same people that have humiliated our colleagues by not paying them.”
A
CNWL statement added: “We are aware of the difficulties Language is Everything
had in 2013. “They told us they were entering into a legal mechanism called a
Company Voluntary Agreement to deal with them. We were satisfied that the
company was financially viable.”
Language
is Everything was unavailable for comment.
