Find out about the UK National Health Service (NHS) translated healthcare materials, why they are used and how it helps enhance healthcare accessibility in the UK.
There are around a million people in the UK who speak little to no English. In addition, many people speak English as an additional language, including both patients and healthcare providers. To enhance healthcare accessibility and effectiveness for everybody, the NHS provides translated healthcare materials.
High-quality translation materials are an integral part of both NHS and private healthcare across the UK. They enhance digital materials and tools, marketing materials, research, development, in-house healthcare services, remote healthcare services, information delivery and more.
Through various studies, we know that people who do not speak English well, or at all, are more likely to have less than optimum health, compared to those who have better English proficiency. This is especially highlighted in both the over 50’s category and in certain geographical areas, like Leicester, where the amount of people who struggle with English proficiency is as high as 9%.
Whilst there are currently various facilities available to help people with low English skills to access better healthcare, such as interpreters on the phone and in booked appointments, realistically, those facilities do not always provide the best communication. Information may be missed, the interpreter may not fully understand the information they are given, they may not speak the dialect of the patient and the appointment may be rushed due to a strain on services. The issue could also relate to the healthcare provider who may have English as a second language, or in some cases, both the patient and the healthcare provider speak a second language which can cause difficulties.
Lastly, there can be challenges with the first contact of the patient when it comes to healthcare, where they might not even know that interpretation services are available.
The NHS provides accurate foreign language translation materials to help bridge the communication gap in all of these instances. Foreign language materials help funnel patients into the right healthcare settings. They help alert them to further language services, and give them accurate healthcare information that may have been lost over a vocal exchange.
Translated healthcare materials can also clearly outline specific and essential guidelines that the patient must understand in their own language, to keep them safe and to ensure they have full control over their health and rights to the correct healthcare.
Can NHS Healthcare Be Improved With More Action To Overcome Language Barriers?
The NHS can be improved with accurate translation from professional foreign language services. Those services can be used not only with healthcare material translation, but across the board with signage, website translation, voiceovers on digital information videos and more. With better language barrier solutions, the NHS can better facilitate the increasing number of non-English speakers and EAL speakers expected in the UK moving forward.
