21 February 2015
Islington doctors slammed
after only one GP offers translation services across the borough
Doctors’
surgeries have been criticised after only one in the whole borough offered
translation services in an undercover sting.
In a
study by Healthwatch Islington, volunteers went to all 36 GP surgeries
pretending to be new patients who did not speak English.
Just one
- St Peter’s Street Medical Practice, in Islington - offered an interpreter.
The rest
had no help at all, and 19 told them to come back with a friend or relative who
could speak English.
The
watchdog said they have received reports from community groups saying support
isn’t provided once registered.
A
spokesman for the IMECE Women’s Centre, which works with Turkish, Kurdish and
Turkish Cypriot women who are often refugees, said: “This is a huge issue for
our community and for women in particular, especially in domestic violence
cases where the husband and the husband’s family can control the domestic
violence survivor through the interpreting.
“GPs are
a very important contact for women, so it is important to ensure that women are
able to speak directly to this health professional.”
Gill Tan
of the Islington Chinese Association said: “Our clients are told to bring a
friend or relative to interpret for them at the doctor’s.
“Their sons
and daughters find it difficult to take time off work to accompany and
interpret for them. Our clients feel like a burden, so they don’t ask their
children, they suffer in silence.”
Emma
Whitby of Healthwatch Islington said: “Interpreting services are available to
all GP practices in the borough, at no cost to individual practices. Face to
face interpreting needs to be booked in advance, but telephone interpreting is
available more or less immediately. We’d like to see all practices use these
services whenever there is a need.”
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