https://www.expressandstar.com/news/health/2017/06/22/patient-waits-20-hours-in-ae-due-to-lack-of-interpreter/
22/06/17
Patient
waits 20 hours in A&E due to lack of interpreter
A hospital boss has apologised after a vulnerable patient
was kept waiting 20 hours because there was no access to an interpreter.
The patient, who
spoke Portuguese, had to wait almost a full day at City Hospital in Birmingham,
as the normal interpreter service couldn't be provided.
Toby Lewis, chief executive of the Sandwell and
West Birmingham NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, has vowed to never let a
similar incident happen again.
The patient went into A&E at the weekend. Mr
Lewis said interpreters would normally contacted over the phone but that wasn't
possible in this case as the patient required a mental health assessment.
The patient, who spoke Portuguese, had to wait
almost a full day at City Hospital in Birmingham, as the normal interpreter
service couldn't be provided.
Toby Lewis, chief executive of the Sandwell and
West Birmingham NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, has vowed to never let a
similar incident happen again.
The patient went into A&E at the weekend. Mr
Lewis said interpreters would normally contacted over the phone but that wasn't
possible in this case as the patient required a mental health assessment.
But the top boss made it clear the length of time
the patient was made to wait was unacceptable.
He said on Twitter: "I apologise to our ED
staff. A patient spent 20 hours in our care awaiting an interpreter. The
patient is unharmed. Will NEVER happen again.
Mr Lewis added in a statement: “We are very sorry
that one of our patients waited 20 hours for a Portuguese interpreter over the
weekend.
“Our patient was unharmed and was kept in a place
of safety until we were able to provide a translator.
"The delay was caused because neither
ourselves nor the mental health team could provide our normal telephone
interpreter service, as the patient needed a mental health assessment and this
demands a face-to-face interpreter to safeguard the patient’s interest.
“We are urgently looking into this matter to agree
measures to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
