Interpreting Services - Policy No

This is a NHS Greater Glasgow Policy and should be read in conjunction with the NHS Greater Glasgow Interpreting Procedure.

Each Division shall have a nominated Director with responsibility for Interpreting Services.

1.Policy

It is the NHS Greater Glasgow's Interpreting Services Policy:

  • to encourage and enable all patients to receive information in a language that is understood, when the patient's first language is not English, by the use of appropriate interpreting services.
  • to use a trained interpreter based on the following levels of priority:

Level 1.Trained interpreter for face to face interpreting through Glasgow Translation and Interpreting Service (GTIS).

Thereafter, when a trained interpreter is not available from the above, progress through the following three levels.

Level 2.Interpreters through commercial organisations, see list (attached at Appendix 1 of the Interpreting Services Procedures). This can either be face to face or telephone interpreting.

Level 3.Bilingual member of staff

Level 4.Friend or family member, but not children under 16 years. However, there may be emergency situations that a young person may be asked for information to establish facts.

To ensure quality communication staff are expected to demonstrate when booking an interpreter that they sequentially move from Levels 1 to 4.

Through following this process staff will be able to demonstrate they have minimised clinical risk.

2.To implement this Policy NHS Greater Glasgow will:

  • ensure that there are procedures for staff to follow to access interpreting services.
  • ensure that there are Interpreting Service Procedures for the role of staff and the interpreter
  • ensure there is a code of conduct for interpreters
  • ensure that service users are aware that an interpreting service is available

Responsibility: / Last Update: September 2004 / Review Date: September 2006
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3.Information and Training

NHS Greater Glasgow will provide information and training for staff regarding interpreting services.

4.Funding

The totality of NHS Greater Glasgow will fund the associated costs of providing interpreting services.

5.Monitoring of Policy

NHS Greater Glasgow will implement an ongoing process of monitoring and evaluation of this policy in consultation with all relevant parties.

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APPENDIX 1

Guidelines (Background) to the Policy

“The Right to Understand”

The right to understand and receive appropriate communication support is a civil right and fundamental to an inclusive and democratic society that seeks to ensure that it provides for the needs of all its citizens.

The Commission for Racial Equality expressed a view that meeting the communications support and language needs of the community is the responsibility of the public authority in its capacity as a service provider. The failure to deal with this issue and other barriers to equalaccesscould amount to unlawful indirect discrimination.

Ref. Scottish Forum for Public Service Interpreting and Translating Guidelines

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) was established as a Special Health Board on January 2003 to improve the quality of healthcare in Scotland by setting standards and monitoring performance, and by providing NHSScotland with advice, guidance and support on effective clinical practice and service improvements. A part of this remit is to develop and run a national system of quality assurance of clinical services, by setting standards, assessing performance throughout NHSScotland against these standards, and publish the findings. The standards are based on the patients journey as he/she moves through different parts of the health service and address assisting patients with language challenges.

Performance Indicators have been developed to assess NHS Boards and Special Health Boards performance in as part of the accountability review process known as the Performance Assessment Framework (PAF). These indicators include the implementation of the ‘Fair for All’ (SEHD, 2002) principles.

A working group was formed to develop Interpreting Services Quality Standards, that included representatives from each Division and the Greater Glasgow NHS Board. As part of the development of these standards it was acknowledged that policy and procedures were required that were consistent throughout NHS Greater Glasgow and met the quality standards expressed by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland and the Performance Assessment Framework (PAF).

Members of the Working Group

Mr J CrawfordPrincipal Health Promotion Officer, Greater Glasgow NHS Board

Mrs L DavidsonQuality Co-ordinator, Greater Glasgow Primary Care NHS Trust

Miss K PrinceOutpatients Manager, Yorkhill NHS Trust

Mrs F MuirQuality Co-ordinator, South Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust

Ms K FeeHealth Records Manager, North Glasgow University Hospital NHS Trust

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