We are working as flexibly as possible to meet the urgent social and health care needs of NHS patients during this unprecedented emergency. Recently a Cantonese/Mandarin speaking interpreter arrived at Sussex Eye Hospital to interpret for an important post-surgery consultation. She had her temperature checked before entering and wore a face mask. The patient had…
When did you first come into contact with SIS? 1998 I arrived in the UK with my three children aged 14, 6 and 7 months. I was stopped by Immigration because the Portuguese ID card I was using was not genuine. Social Services were called because of the children, but I could not speak English,…
A call came through to the SIS Coordination Team from the Lewes Victoria Hospital. The Hospital can’t communicate with a patient and are concerned because he needs important treatment, and they don’t know if they have the correct home address for him. The GP Surgery he was registered at has returned their letter saying he…
The partner of a service user called on Friday afternoon, Valentine`s Day, to say that her husband was in A&E and needed an interpreter. She was anxious as there had been times recently when her husband was in A&E in the early hours of the morning when no interpreter was present as SIS had not…
We received the following feedback from a Clinical Psychologist: The Albanian Interpreter [Q] came in to do an afternoon interpreting session, even though she had only got home from holiday in the early hours of that morning (her late night did not negatively affect her interpreting, this was not a problem). Because she came in…
We recently responded to an emergency interpreting request from a local Maternity Department. The call came just before 21.00 on a Sunday evening. We provided an interpreter on site within an hour – our regular response time! 3 hours later were able to record another successful birth! We received this lovely feedback from the parents…
We provide Bilingual Advocacy in Brighton and Hove as part of the Sussex Advocacy Partnership (SAP). Here is a recent story from the Bilingual Advocacy service: The Service User (X) needed help to present as homeless to the council – she had been staying at her sister’s in Brighton which was causing friction and the…
An interpreter was booked by colleagues working in a local Dermatology Department. The Service User had a follow up appointment with a Consultant and had requested that the same interpreter be booked. That interpreter arrived 15 minutes before the consultation but could not locate the patient in the waiting area. The Receptionist suggested that maybe…
I conference called a service user with a SIS interpreter to find out more details about her appointment. The service user didn’t know how to get to her mental health appointment. I gave her the address, but she wanted to know how to get there. I knew that the interpreter, who was on the line…
A GP Surgery booked a SIS interpreter for a Portuguese speaking patient. On the day of the appointment the GP asked the patient to come in 20 minutes early. The interpreter arrived to pass the patient coming out of the Surgery in a confused and upset state. The patient had not understood anything in the…
