Video interpreters bridge language barrier for pregnant women
Northwick Park has introduced a 24/7 interpreting service for pregnant women whose first language isn’t English.
The hospital has teamed up with interpreting service Silent Sounds to support hundreds of women who would otherwise struggle to communicate with midwives.
The hospital’s maternity team currently manages the largest number of non-English speaking women in the capital.
Abdi Yussuf, Head of Interpreting and Translation Services at LNWH Trust, said: “We want to offer a more inclusive service that reflects the reality of living in one of the most culturally diverse areas in the UK whose residents speak more than 100 different languages.”
Government inspectors recommended the changes which allow patients to contact an interpreter at the touch of a button via an ipad as well as physically bringing them into hospital.
Matron Susan Sagramsin said: “It has been a real gamechanger for us and such a simple effective tool to use.”
The maternity team, which supports the delivery of more than 4,000 babies a year, is the first department to use the video interpretation service with planned rollouts across the trust’s emergency departments and wards in the future.
Abdi added “This is one of the most important times in a woman’s life and we want to ensure all our mothers have the best possible experience regardless of their language barrier. We do serve a large and ethnically diverse community and want people to know we are here for everyone.”