18 July 2014 by Catherine Baksi
Hundreds of cases
left without interpreter
Hundreds
of court cases requiring an interpreter were disrupted in the first quarter as
outsourcer Capita continued to fall short of its required performance target.
The
statistics for the first three months of 2014 show a rise in the number of
requests fulfilled, although the figure remains well below its contractual
commitment of 98%.
The
number of requests for an interpreter rose to 45,100 – the highest since the
contract began in January 2012.
The
percentage of requests completed rose by 4% from the last quarter of 2013 - to
94.5% - equal to the previous peak in the third quarter of 2012.
But
this means there were still 2,480 cases disrupted due to the lack of an
interpreter. At no point since the contract began has Capita reached the 98%
performance target.
The
data shows the overall number of complaints about the service have fallen to
the lowest number since the contract began.
There
were 1,000 (2.2% of cases) complaints, down by 21% from the 1,200 in the last
three months of 2013 and a 54% fall compared to the 2,100 complaints made in
the first quarter of 2013.
There
were 400 (45% of complaints) complaints due to no interpreter being available –
down from 1,200 in the same period of 2013.
But
the figures show a marked rise in the number of cases where an interpreter
arrived late – 300 complaints, compared to 200 in the first quarter of 2013.
Off-contract
bookings, where courts did not use Capita interpreters but contacted them
privately, dropped to 700, compared to 900 in the last three months of 2013.
A
Capita spokesperson said: ‘The number of completed requests continues to
increase quarter on quarter with fulfilment rates continuing to track to the
target level of service required. A continuous programme of improvements are
being implemented as we work together with stakeholders and is showing a
positive outcome in terms of quality and service levels, notably, the rate of
complaints for this quarter is lower than the same period in 2013.
‘We
expect future figures to demonstrate an improvement to fulfilment rates and a
continued reduction in complaints as well as continually delivering significant
savings to the Ministry of Justice.
‘Capita
Translation & Interpreting requires interpreters to sign up to a code of
conduct policy which stipulates arrival on time. Failure to adhere to the code
of conduct could result in interpreters being removed from our register.’
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