Thursday 29 June 2017

Criminal court statistics quarterly: January to March 2017

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2017 

Criminal court statistics quarterly: January to March 2017

From: Ministry of Justice
Part of: Criminal court statistics
Published: 29 June 2017

The latest statistics on type and volume of cases received and processed through the criminal court system including statistics on the use of language interpreter and translation services in courts and tribunals, England and Wales, to March 2017.

Monday 26 June 2017

PQ - 26 June 2016

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2017-06-21.HL36.h

Home Office written question – answered on 26th June 2017.

Baroness Coussins Crossbench
Her Majesty's Government what is the procedure for freelance public service interpreters and translators to apply for clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service

Baroness Williams of Trafford The Minister of State, Home Department
An individual who is seeking to work with children or vulnerable adults may be eligible for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, eligibility for which is set out in Part V of the Police Act 1997. Eligibility takes into account the activities and circumstances under which the person is performing the role, and not necessarily the profession.
Interpreters and translators in certain public service positions may accordingly already be eligible for enhanced checks, for example those working within prisons or those working in certain roles with children or vulnerable adults. It is for an employer to satisfy themselves that the relevant position is eligible under the current legal provisions. Detailed guidance on eligibility is provided by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Thursday 22 June 2017

Patient waits 20 hours in A&E due to lack of interpreter

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.”