The bilingual health advocacy/interpretation service is for patients who do not speak English or are deaf and need support when they have a health appointment. The service provides interpretation, bilingual health advocacy, information and support to help people access and use health services.

The service provides support for patients accessing GP appointments, Homerton Community Health Services and other community providers of health services, such as dentists and optometrists.

For key information click here

Telephone interpreting is also available at all GP practices to help non-English speaking patients and health care professionals communicate.

Telephone interpreting is available 24/7 in all GP practices. The telephone interpreting service is provided by an external provider ‘The Language Shop’. Every GP practice has an access code that they will need to use when they call to use the service.  Contact advocacy on the telephone number listed in the contact details section if you need to know your access code.  For key information click here

Link to Homerton Healthcare Website: https://www.homerton.nhs.uk/bi-lingual-health-advocacy-and-translations/

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusions

• Patients (children and adults) with a communication difficulty
• Patients who do not speak English and require an interpreter to aid communicatopm and/ or an advocate to speak on their behalf

Exclusions

• Support accessing NHS hospital services or community based-services outside of City and Hackney
• Non NHS services such as housing and immigration

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How to refer

The following clinicians can refer to this service: GPs, Nurses, All community and primary care clinicians requiring communication support for a patient can make a request.

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