I am a GP who has worked for 15 years in inner-city London. I also work at the Helen Bamber Foundation for victims of cruelty. This is a non-NHS role and one of my duties is to liaise with our patients own GPs ensuring that they have access to good quality health care. Our patients are often extremely traumatised victims of torture and trafficking from all over the world and struggle to tell their own stories even in their own language.
I am finding it increasingly difficult to find practices that will agree to any form of translating service. More and more are insisting that patients bring their own translators with them. As Professor Kai states, relatives and friends translating is common, but not ideal, and adds many challenges.1 This is even more difficult for our patients who are often socially isolated, and, if not, would find it impossible to tell parts of their horrific stories via other family members or friends.
In my own practice I have always used a telephone translating service and, while recognising the fact that this is also not ideal and can be very frustrating, it is far preferable to no translating service at all.
While agreeing with Professor Kai’s editorial comments regarding empowering all involved to enhance translated conversations, I feel that there is first a more basic need in ensuring that all practices recognise that withholding the use of translating services is not an option no matter the financial constraints we all find ourselves under.
- © British Journal of General Practice 2013
