1. Introduction
This policy is intended to ensure that measures are in place to support communication with non-English speakers , people for whom English is a second language, sign language users, people with hearing or visual impairment, people with learning disabilities and people who require Deaf or Deaf Blind Communications. It describes arrangements for telephone based and face to face interpreting and for translation of written materials.
Providing access to interpreters using BrisDoc services ensures people receive good information about their health care and enables health care staff to understand a patient’s needs. It supports the promotion of equality and challenges discrimination.
Adherence to this Policy ensures that BrisDoc does not indirectly discriminate against someone who does not speak English or who requires communication support.
Whilst not always clearly articulated in legislation, the legal frameworks that advocate for equality to health care are:
- Equality Act 2010(replacing all previous legislation).
- European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms(1950)
- The United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989)
- Human Rights Act(1998)
- Health and Social Care Act 2012
Best practice advises avoiding the use of family and friends whenever possible as they may not understand medical terminology, may screen certain information or may learn medical information which may otherwise not have been agreed by the patient.
2. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance on our responsibilities to service users/patients, Carers, staff and volunteers who require support from interpreting or translation services. It will help to ensure that service users have equal access to excellent patient care by helping staff to understand patients and service user’s health care needs. It enables compliance with equality legislation and Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulations and other standards.
In addition this policy and associated aims to improve access to, and information about services to people for whom English is a second language or who require communication support, and to ensure equality in employment for staff who have English as a second language or who require communication support.
3. Information Gathering
Practice Services only
In order that BrisDoc are aware of who needs interpreting services, Receptionists / Hosts must gather the information on the first contact with the patient.
Unregistered patients must be asked:
What is the patients preferred language?
Can the patient speak English? and
What is the patient’s written language?
Does the patient need an interpreter?
This information needs to be entered onto the patient’s record.
Gathering information of this sort, enables BrisDoc to audit the service it provides to patients with language difficulties and monitor use of the interpreting service and the needs of its local population.
Integrated Urgent Care
Patients are usually identified as requiring interpreting services in the notes passed from NHS111. If patients are referred via the Professional Line, the referrer should advise the call handler if an interpreter is required and this will be added to the notes.
4. Services Available
Interpreting services for face to face appointments and telephone call backs.
For maximum cost-efficiency and accessibility BrisDoc has access to a telephone interpreting service for use when patients with limited English attend for a face to face appointment or require a telephone call back. This allows rapid accessing of interpreting services when patients attend without prior booking such as in the BrisDoc Urgent Care Services.
Should it be identified that a patient requires use of the interpreting service the Receptionist / Call Handler/Shift Manager should make this known on the patient’s record
The telephone numbers and account codes are shown below.
URGENT CARE SERVICES
LANGUAGE LINE PHONE NUMBER 0845 310 9900
ORGANISATION NAME
BrisDoc Healthcare Services
CODE
L52612
PRACTICE SERVICES –
Language Empire PHONE NUMBER 0330 2020 345
ORGANISATION NAME
CODE
87800057
Broadmead Medical Centre, Access code 22345669
Charlotte Keel Medical Practice Access code 22345665
Charlotte Keel Medical Practice Organisation code: L81015
If you want to pre-book an interpreter via EMPIRE:
EMPIRE log in details for CKMP: Account number:BNS10288
User name: CharlotteK.Practice
Password : BNSSG!14
Dedicated Customer Service Team via email to :bookings@empire-groupuk.com or by phone:
0330 20 20 7398
Interpreting services for patients using British Sign Language
BrisDoc have an account with “Sign Solutions”, to access interpreters for British Sign Language, should our patients require this support.
To book an interpreter, telephone Sign Solutions on 0843 178 0773 and say that you are ringing from BrisDoc – we have an account. Ideally the interpreter should have been booked in advance by NHS 111, but if you notice that the patient requires this support, it is best to check and make our own arrangements if necessary.
The longer in advance you can book this, the better, and you may need to liaise between the patient and Sign Solutions to optimise the appointment time so that an interpreter can attend.
Charlotte Keel Medical Practice has an account with the CCG for face to face BSL interpreters. You need to book these in advance Tel: 0845 0685 8003
If you need a video call for non-face to face the patient needs to be set up to use a different service: BSL 0333 3444 921. To gain access to this service CKMP staff need to contact the patient via text to advise them they are ringing Tel: 0333 3444 921 so that the patient can log into the system they have already set up to see via their phone or computer the BSL person signing what CKMP are saying via the phone.
Language options
| Ewe | Kazakh | Navajo | Tibetan |
| Farsi (Persian) | Khmer (Cambodian) | Neapolitan | Tigre |
| Fijian Hindi | Kinyarwanda | Nepali | Tigrinya |
| Finnish | Kirghiz | Nigerian Pidgin | Toishanese |
| Flemish | Kirundi | English | Tongan |
| French | Korean | Norwegian | Tshiluba |
| French Canadian | Kosovan | Nuer | Turkish |
| Fukienese | Krahn | Ojibway | Twi |
| Fula | Krio | Oromo | Ukrainian |
| Fulani | Kurdish | Pahari | Urdu |
| Fuzhou | Kurmanji | Pampangan | Uzbek |
| Ga | Lakota | Pangasinan | Vietnamese |
| Gaddang | Laotian | Pashto | Visayan |
| Georgian | Latvian | Patois | Welsh |
| German | Lingala | Polish | Wolof |
| Gorani | Lithuanian | Portuguese | Yiddish |
| Greek | Luganda | Portuguese Creole | Yoruba |
| Gujarati | Lusoga | Punjabi | Yupik |
| Haitian Creole | Luxembourgeois | Quichua | |
| Hakka | Maay | Romanian | |
| Hakka – China | Macedonian | Russian | |
| Hausa | Malagasy | Samoan | |
| Hebrew | Malay | Serbian | |
| Hindi | Malayalam | Shanghainese | |
| Hmong | Maltese | Shona | |
| Hunanese | Mandarin | Sicilian | |
| Hungarian | Mandingo | Sinhalese | |
| Ibanag | Mandinka | Sindhi | |
| Ibo | Maninka | Slovak | |
| Icelandic | Marathi | Slovenian | |
| Igbo | Marshallese | Somali | |
| Ilocano | Mien | Sorani | |
| Indonesian | Mina | Spanish | |
| Italian | Mirpuri | Sudanese Arabic | |
| Jakartanese | Mixteco | Taiwanese | |
| Japanese | Moldavan | Tajik | |
| Javanese | Mongolian | Tamil | |
| Karen | Montenegrin | Telugu | |
| Kashmiri | Moroccan Arabic | Thai |
Options
Receiving a Call From a Limited English Speaker
- Place the Limited English Speaker on conference hold.
- Dial the Language Line Services designated toll-free number you have been provided at sign-up.
- Request the language your caller speaks through our easy-to-use interactive voice response (IVR) system.
- When the interpreter is connected, explain the situation.
- Conference in your limited English-speaking caller.
Making a Call to a Limited English Speaker
- Dial the Language Line Services designated toll-free number.
- Request the language your client speaks through our easy-to-use interactive voice response (IVR) system.
- When the interpreter is connected…
- Call your limited English-speaking client…
- Or the interpreter can place the call for you.
You Are Face-to-Face With a Limited English Speaker
- Dial the Language Line Services designated toll-free number.
- Request the language your client speaks through our easy-to-use interactive voice response (IVR) system.
- When the interpreter is connected, use the Language Line® Phone, or your speakerphone, or pass your handset back and forth.
LANGUAGE EMPIRE instructions for practice services
Dial 0330 2020345
Access code: 22345669 (BMC) – CKMP 22345665
State language required
Written Translations
Written translations can be obtained from language line. Language line will try to turn around document translation within a few working days. A short 2-3 page document will take roughly 2 days.
Should a patient request any of our information in another language, please complete the form at Appendix A and pass to the Practice Manager / Assistant Practice Manager for action.
Deaf Patients
Hearing Loop
A number of the BrisDoc IUC Treatment Centres and practices have a hearing loop available in reception for patients wearing hearing aids. The device needs to be switched on. The hearing loop covers a radius of 2m.
Braille
It is possible to have BrisDoc information translated into Braille. Should a patient request any of our information in Braille, please complete the form at Appendix A and pass to the Practice Manager / Assistant Practice Manager for action. Requests of this sort will take a minimum of 7 days to source.
Audio CD/MP3
It is possible to supply a patient with an audio CD or MP3 file of any of our documents. Should a patient request any of our information in Braille, please complete the form at Appendix A and pass to the Practice Manager / Assistant Practice Manager for action. Requests of this sort will take a minimum of 7 days to source.
Further information
Deaf
To book Action on Hearing Loss communication support services, please contact:
Action on Hearing Loss Communication Services
The Plaza, 100 Old Hall Street, Liverpool L3 9QJ Telephone 0845 685 8000 Textphone 0845 685 8001 Fax 0845 685 8002 https://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk You can also book communication support online by visiting https://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/how-we-help/support-and-care/communication-support
Interpreting Services for The Deaf
Deaf patients can also book interpreting services via Action on Hearing Loss by contacting 0845 685 8000 or text phone 0845 6858001.
Deafblind
Signature- Signature, Mersey House, Mandale Business Park, Belmont, Durham DH1 1TH
Telephone 0191 383 1155 Textphone 0191 383 7915 Fax 0191 383 7914
https://www.durhamlocate.org.uk www.signature.org.uk
(external link, opens new browser window)Search the National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People (which is administered by Signature) at http://www.nrcpd.org.uk/ (external link, opens new browser window)
Deafblind UK
Deafblind UK holds a list of interpreters who use hands-on signing.
Deafblind UK, National Centre for Deafblindness, John and Lucille van Geest Place, Cygnet Road, Hampton Peterborough PE7 8FD
Tel/textphone 01733 358100 Fax 01733 358356
http://www.deafblinduk.org.uk/ (external link, opens new browser window)
Sense
Sense gives help and advice on the communication needs of people who are deafblind.
Sense, 11-13 Clifton Terrace, London N4 3SR
Telephone 0845 127 0060 Textphone 0845 127 0062 Fax 0845 127 0061
http://www.sense.org.uk/ (external link, opens new browser window)
Appendix A
NAME OF PATIENT REQUESTING TRANSLATION MATERIAL
ADDRESS
CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER
INFORMATION REQUESTED?
WHAT FORMAT IS REQUIRED?
WHAT LANGUAGE IS REQUIRED?
STAFF MEMBER COMPLETING FORM
NAME
DATE ———-/————–/————– TIME:
ACTION
EXPECTED COMPLETION DATE ——–/———/————
Patient informed ———/————-/———-
Information sent to patient ———-/————/—————-
5. Change Register
| Date | Reviewed and amended by | Revision details | Issue number |
| May 2009 | DD | New Document | 1 |
| June 2010 | DD | Review and update | 2 |
| August 2016 | GW | Reviewed | 2 |
| November 2018 | TC | Policy reviewed and updated to include new services | 3 |
| November 2022 | LG | Policy reviewed and updated for IUC | 4 |
| October 2020 | TC | Updated CKMP contact details | 5 |
| May 2023 | LG | Policy reviewed for IUC | 6 |