Greater Huddersfield & North Kirklees CCG's Interpreting Services

The aim of the service is to ensure a safe, high quality interpreting and translation service in primary health care.

The objective is to reduce the risk of serious implications such as misdiagnosis and treatment, ineffective interventions, and, in extreme circumstances, preventable deaths.

Access: Patients must be able to access primary care services in a way that ensures their language and communication needs do not prevent them receiving the same quality of healthcare as others.

Booking of interpreters: Staff working in primary care should be aware of how and what type of interpreter services to book when needed Timeliness of Access: Patients requiring an interpreter should not be disadvantaged in terms of the timeliness of their access.

Personalised Approach: Patients can expect a personalised approach to their language and communication requirements recognising that 'one size does not fit all'.

Professionalism and Safeguarding: High ethical standards, a duty of confidentiality and safeguarding responsibilities are mandatory in primary care and this duty extends to interpreters.

Compliments, Comments, Concerns and Complaints: Patients and clinicians should be able to express their satisfaction with the interpreting service in their first or preferred language and formats (written, spoken, signed etc.) as appropriate.

Translation of documents: Patients and healthcare professionals should have timely access to appropriately and effectively communicated documentation that will enable and support their healthcare.

Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement: The interpreting service should be subject to systematic monitoring for quality assurance and to support continuous improvement to ensure it remains of a high quality and relevant to local needs.