PQ: 6 November 2024

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2024-10-24.11106.h

NHS Trusts: Translation Services

Department of Health and Social Care written question – answered at on 6 November 2024.

Rupert Lowe Reform UK, Great Yarmouth

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation by (i) all NHS Trusts, (ii) James Paget University Hospitals Trust and (iii) the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust in each of the last five years.

Karin Smyth Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is important for translation services to be provided so that all patients can access safe healthcare. The Department does not hold this information for all provider trusts; rather it is held by the relevant integrated care boards.

The following table shows how much has been spent on translation and interpretation services by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT):

Financial year	NSFT total
2020/21	£126,000
2021/22	£211,000
2022/23	£266,000
2023/24	£321,000

The following table shows how much has been spent on translation and interpretation services by James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (JPUH):

Financial year	JPUH total
2019/20	£68,095
2020/21	£37,352
2021/22	£46,680
2022/23	£71,501
2023/24	£85,671

Notes:

1.  The figures provided above are for both translation and interpretation, as they are coded the same on their financial systems.

2.  NSFT is unable to provide figures for 2019/2020 due to a change in their financial system meaning they cannot access the records.

 

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2024-10-25.11203.h

NHS: Translation Services

Department of Health and Social Care written question – answered at on 6 November 2024.

Rupert Lowe Reform UK, Great Yarmouth

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent on (a) external tenders and (b) contracts for (i) translation and (ii) interpretation services in the NHS in each of the last five years.

Karin Smyth Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The following table shows the Department’s expenditure against current and expired contracts with external suppliers of translation or interpretation services, in each of the last five financial years:

Year	2019/20	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24
Expenditure	£9,857	£72,898	£898,354	£133,148	£28,830

The majority of this work has been for supporting different initiatives and functions within the National Health Service.

*The significant increase in expenditure was due to additional services required to support the response to Covid-19 in the NHS e.g. at vaccination and testing sites.