Medical and NHS interpreting

NHS appointments: what to expect

NHS trusts and GP practices have their own contracted interpreting services, and a patient who needs an interpreter is entitled to ask for one free of charge; the practice or clinic books it. Our service is for the situations that fall outside that: a patient or family who want their own interpreter present as well, a private consultation or second opinion, a private clinic or hospital, a medico-legal examination arranged by a solicitor, an occupational-health assessment arranged by an employer, or a Turkish-speaking clinician who needs to communicate with an English-speaking patient or colleague. Where the NHS has already booked an interpreter we do not duplicate the role; a second interpreter can be there to support the family, and we explain the difference at booking.

Settings

• Outpatient consultations, diagnostic results, treatment planning, pre-operative assessment and consent.
• Antenatal, maternity and paediatric appointments, health visitor and safeguarding meetings.
• Mental-health assessments, therapy sessions and capacity assessments, where the interpreter’s handling of tone and register matters as much as vocabulary.
• Medico-legal examinations for personal injury, clinical negligence and immigration cases, including expert psychiatric reports.
• Occupational health, fitness-to-work and insurance assessments.
• Private clinics and hospitals treating patients from Türkiye, and Turkish clinics following up UK patients after treatment abroad.

Consent and confidentiality

The interpreter interprets everything the clinician and patient say, in the first person, without adding advice or omitting what is uncomfortable; consent obtained through an interpreter is only valid if the patient heard the whole explanation. Interpreters we book for medical work hold the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (health option) or equivalent training and experience, follow a code of conduct on confidentiality and impartiality, and sign a confidentiality undertaking with us. They do not act as the patient’s advocate or family friend during the consultation, however well they know the family. Nothing from an appointment is shared beyond the people in the room.

Remote by default

Video interpreting suits most consultations, including from the patient’s home for telephone and video appointments, and can be arranged within a working day. Telephone interpreting is available when video is impractical. In-person interpreting in London is arranged subject to availability and needs more notice; for procedures, mental-health assessments and bad-news consultations we recommend in person where it can be arranged. We do not have a London office; the interpreter meets you at the clinic.

Preparation

Send us the type of appointment, the specialty and, with the patient’s consent, any letters or reports the interpreter should read beforehand. A translated discharge summary or medication list from Türkiye can be prepared by our medical translation service before the appointment so the clinician has it in writing; see translating Turkish medical records for the NHS.

What it costs

Remote interpreting from £45 per hour with a one-hour minimum, then 15-minute increments. In-person appointments are charged by the hour with a two-hour minimum plus travel time and expenses agreed at booking. Late-running clinics are charged as waiting time at the hourly rate. Cancellation with two working days’ notice is free for remote bookings; in-person bookings carry a longer notice period stated on the confirmation. No UK VAT is charged. Solicitors, clinics and employers are invoiced on account.

Kurdish and other needs

Kurmanji and Sorani medical interpreters are arranged on the same basis with more notice. For patients who prefer an interpreter of a particular gender, tell us at booking; we accommodate this wherever we can and say when we cannot.