Doctors criticise lack of patient translation services

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15 June 2023

Doctors criticise lack of patient translation services

Leading doctors have called for all hospitals to start providing appointment letters in other languages to prevent patients whose first language is not English getting a delayed diagnosis.

It comes after a report found that NHS trusts often send letters about radiology appointments only in English and expect a patient’s relative or neighbour to translate for them.

The study by The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch warned that for people whose first language is not English “there is a risk that they may not attend the appointment” or if they do not understand some information this could “prevent the procedure taking place and it being cancelled on the day.” The report also cautioned that a patient can be “lost to follow-up” as they are not tracked and appointments are not re-scheduled and this can lead to a delay in diagnosis and care. NHS England standards do not require written appointment information to be given in any non-English language other than for people with a disability.

Dr Nikita Ved MBE, a visiting academic at the University of Oxford, believes this rule should change and hospital and other healthcare related information should be easily accessible to people across diverse communities. She told Eastern Eye: “By restricting it one language, not only are we assuming that patients have someone that will translate for them, we also assume that they want to share this sensitive and private information.“ Nor is it fair to rely on GPs to translate on top of their existing workload. This type of gatekeeping will only widen the disparities in healthcare faced by minority communities.” […]