New interpreter model trial
Diana Padilla, Team Leader and Li-Ying (Lynn) Geng, Interpreter – Metro North Language Services.
Metro North Health is trialling a new model of in-house interpreter services to improve care for culturally and linguistically diverse patients.
Metro North is Australia’s largest and most diverse public hospital and health service, with over 30% of people in Brisbane North not born in Australia and 20.5% of people speaking a language other than English at home. Metro North is the second largest state government user of interpreter services in Queensland, providing between 25-30,000 instances of interpretation every year.
To improve access to interpreter services, Metro North has recently employed eight interpreters as part of a six-month trial to provide in-house interpreter services to patients at the RBWH, STARS and the Oral Health Centre (Herston). Interpretations can be provided in Mandarin, Cantonese and Arabic, the most requested languages across Metro North. Previously, all interpreter services were provided by external agencies.
Diana Padilla, Team Leader Language Services at Metro North, is very excited about the trial and the benefits for those Metro North patients for whom English is not their first or preferred language.
“Having our own interpreters on staff means we can be assured our patients receive interpretations from highly qualified, compassionate and empathetic interpreters who have experience in a clinical setting and embrace Metro North values,” Diana said.
“When interpreters are part of the Metro North staff group it allows them to build a relationship with clinicians, individual clinics and the patients themselves, some of which require regular interpreter services for ongoing health issues.”
Metro North’s new interpreters are highly qualified with some even holding a Masters in Linguistics! One of the new recruits is Li-Ying (Lynn) Geng who is a Certified Specialist Health Interpreter (CSHI), having undergone extra training and expertise in health interpreting.
As a CSHI, Lynn has an extensive knowledge of the health domain and understands specialised medical terminology, a great benefit when interpreting a patient’s medical diagnosis, for example.
“Some interpretations are relatively simple such as interpreting instructions from a physiotherapist to a patient while others are very complex such as a family conference for a patient in intensive care which requires interpreting for multiple speakers,” said Lynn.
“Interpreting the spoken words accurately is just one part of the role. A good health interpreter also must be aware of cultural sensitivities and ethical requirements relevant to health care.”
For many patients who use the interpreter service, language is just one of the barriers they face. They are often unfamiliar with the healthcare system in Australia and do not know how to access the care they need. Lynn also assists patients to understand and navigate the health system.
“Patients are so appreciative when they recognise their interpreter is a Metro North staff member. It provides them with a sense of trust and confidence that their health needs and concerns will be properly understood,” she said.