General Chat

read in the paper today that the N.H.S are spending millions on translators.
with the state the N.H.S is in at the moment,do you think this is money well spent?x

Nope...and it hacks me off when it comes out of the schools budgets too. x

This has been going on for years and is not just a recent thing. What about all the extra printing costs for translations on the back of documents, etc.?

i think it would be better if the patients that didnt speak english or welsh(im in wales) came to the hos with a member of the family that at least spoke english, maybe that family member could stay in with them for a while..im sure something could be done to cut the bill down a bit.x

They should do what they do in Spain,in the hospitals, if you don't speak Spanish they bring in an interpreter and charge you.

yes nanny we have that in wales,usually just welsh and english,but recently its been several languages...im not against other nationalites using our services if they pay their taxes(and i lot do) but why this massive bill for a health service thats on its knees.

good idea foggy,but could you see our pushover goverment doing that? :-D

My friend was head of children's medical services in a large London borough. She had interpreters on call for the 34 most used languages and access to others at 48 hours notice.

When she made home visits to assess a difficult health case she had to take the interpreter. Once the assessment had been made and she recommended a medical treatment, referral to a specialist, a visit schedule by Social Services all her reports had to be translated and sent to the patient's parent/guardian.

She had to ensure that the appropriate interpreter was with the family at treatment clinics and all further appointments.

The costs were HUGE.....she had one little boy who was waiting for a wheelchair and when she rang to check on delivery they told her 18 months because of lack of funds, the fund for all child services was allocated to her team. She told them, in tears, that the child would be dead within 12 months.

If the massive percentage of her budget had not been spent on interpreters and duplicated paperwork perhaps that little boy (he was 9) would have got his mobility back for the remainder of his time.

Sue

Again in the paper there was a letter from a hospital worker who some time ago began to draw up a list of workers in her hospital and the languages they spoke thinking that it would of benefit to all. She was ordered to stop it.

yes chris thats right.
SUE i work for special childrens services,and the difficulty your friend is facing is across the board.xx :-( :-(

no i dont if they have a problem bring their own translator

No it's not well spent when schools, hospitals and care homes are closing for people who have worked hard all their days and paid tax.

Marion

A form came round the hospital where I worked ,at least 12 years ago, asking if members of staff had a second language. The idea being that interpreters could be used from available staff.
Reading the excuse for independent interpreters nowadays according to the news this week was that some relatives:-
1. May not give correct information in order to protect the patient.
2.Might not fully understand the information being given to the patient. 3.Also patient rights.
This is why the cost has rocketed in the past few of years, together with more nationalities taking advantage of our NHS.

Another problem, I don't know how much nowadays but some ethnic groups couldn't read even when information was translated into their own language.-jl

It's PC gone too far again!

As a regular at an outpatients clinic which has a rotation of specialists I sometimes find myself apologising because I have difficulty in understanding what the doctor is saying (I don't mean medically) and I am English! I'm sure if I asked for a translator I'd be accused of racism :-|

As you know, I spend quite abit of time in hospital, and have to agree with Island. Some doctors are such poor speakers of the English language, usually the F1's and F2's (learners).. By the time they get to Consultancy stage, they have been here alot longer, so have learned the language.
I find myself making out that I am a little deaf, so that they have to speak up, and directly at me, for me to understand what they are saying, even using hand signals. Is anyone coming to my aid. In a word, NO.

Julia in Derbyshire

Thank you all for your comments.
so on the whole you agree that its a massive waste of money,money that could be spent on more important things.
What really gets me is when they start saying things like,obese people will not be treated on the n.h.s because they have caused their own medical problems by overeating,or smokers because they hae given thenselves cancer by smoking(these are people who have worked for yrs and paid tax)how dare they say that,and then spend 65million on translators for people who probably have never paid a penny towards their care.
why do we all wonder why the n.h.s is on its knees?x

I would stop, or attempt to stop, medical tourism.

OK I know this is contentious BUT if you need a kidney transplant and the only way to get one in your home country is via the body parts market at a cost that is way over your means - fly into the UK on a tourist visa and immediately present yourself at A & E.

I know we would all do whatever we could to save our life or a loved one's life but hell's bells why are they allowed to travel?

There has to be a universal benefit in other countries for life and death situations, it's a wicked world we live in when I feel it's unjust for NHS services to be abused. I'm not proud of it but we are a soft touch.

NB I have NO objection to children being treated in specialist hospitals in the UK when they have had their limbs blown off or suffered terrible burns during a conflict which their country deems their injuries a price worth paying for the governments goals.

Sue

Totaly agree suzanne, my local hospital is one of the worst in the country for a number of things, and rumour has it that they are employing staff from abroad such as consultans that arnt as qualified, ive always known about the nurses, to the point, our hospital now gives you booklets and pages of what procedures your going to have and some you may have, so that alone is a drain and now the translated lot, i walked out with piles of paper work.

I really struggle with the language barrier or did, now if i dont understand i sit there till i dam well do.

i wish they would spend more carefully, i would have prefered website addresses and keep the leaflets for those who havent a computer.

what happens if your ill abroad do you always have to pay for a interpreter, havent been for a long time.

yes,our genaral hos is the same.its ery hard to understand some consultants,but i have to say they are as good as our medical staff,and some times better...but this thread is about translators for patients not doctors,and yes in other country"s you do have to pay for medical care and translators,but this is england and everything is free unless your actually british.

I worked in our local psychiatric hospital for nigh on thirty years and although we had an interpreters list, generally we used our own staff - we had plenty of Mauritians who speak patois French and lots of staff from African countries so I don't recall us ever having big expenses for interpreters - nowadays all hospitals seem to rely on foreign staff and they should be the interpreters