Hello. My name is Hanno Koppel, and for ten years, until 2020, I was a counsellor for the NHS in Brighton and Hove. I worked with asylum seekers and refugees (I was a trauma specialist) I needed interpreters in many of my sessions – I worked with over fifty different languages. At the beginning I…
Through its Bilingual Befriending project, SIS sets up Befriending matches between people with a shared culture and language to create friendships. Migrants, particularly the most recently arrived, are especially vulnerable to loneliness and isolation. A regular weekly phone call is a positive social experience that relieves isolation and other social stresses. It is distraction from…
Our team of Bilingual Community Navigators have been offering Social Prescribing casework support to residents of Brighton & Hove since 2018. Here is a recent example of the brilliant support offered by this service. Service User D self-referred to SIS. He had been suffering with a severe problem with his spine and his knee ligaments;…
A SIS Service User (SU) called our virtual switchboard and left a message in his language to ask for our support. A SIS bilingual Volunteer called him back to find out more about his needs. He explained that he wanted to be seen by a specialist about his spine and knee problems, as well as…
Our Volunteer Social Prescribers play an absolutely integral role in the success of our Social Prescribing provision in Brighton & Hove. Here is a recent story from the service which really highlights the importance of their role with SIS and the difference they make in the lives of our Service Users. We received a message…
Here is a recent story from our Social Prescribing + service which supports people with language support needs to access specialist advice and information in Brighton and Hove. Service User R self-referred to our service, having used it previously and been very pleased with the help provided. She said that she still had a lot…
We received some great feedback from a Social Worker about one of our Community Interpreters: “I wanted to mention how impressed I was by your interpreter X who supported myself and my client. As well as her language and interpreting skills, her sensitivity, empathy, diplomacy, and particularly her knowledge of x culture and history, was…
During an interpreting session, a SIS interpreter identified that a Service User (SU) may need some extra support from SIS. The interpreter referred the SU to the SIS Projects Team, and a Bilingual Volunteer Social Prescriber carried out an initial triage on the phone and offered some light support regarding form filling and benefits under…
We have been supporting a Service User with regular wellbeing appointments. They have had a SIS Community Interpreter for 10 hourly sessions spread over 3 months. The same interpreter has been involved. This helps to build trust and to improve outcomes. We received this unsolicited feedback from the practitioner: “I would like to give some…
The SIS Telephone Befriending project received a referral in April 2021 from Together Co, the lead partner for this project. The Service User (SU) who was referred to SIS wanted to be matched with a Volunteer Telephone Befriender who spoke the same language as she did. The SU was matched with a Volunteer later that…
At an event on 17th October 2023, The Volunteer Centre at Community Works brought together VCSE organisation to discuss volunteering in the city; how this has changed over years (particularly since the pandemic), what motivates people to volunteer and how organisation can support and retain volunteers. SIS was asked if one of our volunteers would…
Service User K was referred to us by his Brighton & Hove Wellbeing service therapist. He had previously received SIS Social Prescribing support which had ended 6 months ago. Although he was now receiving Universal Credit (UC) after the Social Prescriber had helped him with a UC application, he was not feeling fully supported by…
A Service User (SU) was recently receiving help from a SIS bilingual Social Prescriber to be referred into appropriate local services. Through that casework, it was identified that he is an unpaid carer for his wife and that he was neither aware of nor accessing any services in connection to this. The SU is a…
The SIS Telephone Befriending project received a referral in November 2021 from the person’s GP via Together Co. She was matched with a SIS Telephone Befriending Volunteer that same month. The Scheme Member is in her early 70s. She lives with her husband and has family living nearby. An interview with the Scheme Member was…
Our funded advocacy service helps people with issues relating to access to healthcare and access to Adult Social Care. Here is a recent story from the service. Service User L had asked for advocacy support with access to secondary healthcare for three different issues. She felt that the delay in accessing the appropriate services…
SIS Website Stories are filled with accounts of SIS linguists’ interpreting practice that show their dedication and commitment to supporting patients’ communication needs. There is of course another part of this picture – namely the dedicated NHS staff who book and work with our interpreters, and who are as equally committed to ensuring patients’ rights…
An interpreter was booked by a Service Provider for a medical appointment. When the SIS interpreter arrived and spoke to the Service User, she told her that she had been in the UK for 3 years already and that this was her first medical appointment in that time. She hadn’t known that she was entitled…
At the SIS AGM in December 2022, a SIS Service User gave a moving account of their journey with SIS, the different services they had used and the difference it has made to their life. “I came to England to give myself sometime after my divorce. I didn’t speak English, but I do like…
We have been slowly increasing the number of interpreting sessions we provide to Worthing Hospital. We have provided interpreters in 12 languages, compared to 2 languages in the same period last year. At the moment most appointments are referred directly to us by patients. Our booking systems are straightforward, and we encourage our colleagues in…
It is heart-warming when we hear good news stories, especially those that speak to the indomitable spirit and resilience of asylum seeking families. One such family supported by our very own Chair, Aidan (who volunteers for Care4Calais) is that of Solafa. This is her story: Her family have been living in London since they arrived…
Here is a recent story from our Bilingual Advocacy service. Service User L was referred to SIS by an interpreter. L had been asking her GP for nearly a year to refer her to a specialist service for investigation of a sensitive personal issue. She had no confidence in the GP at all, she complained…
We have been working with a woman over several months. She has been supported by domestic violence charities. It is important to provide the same interpreter. Adopting this team work approach in sensitive cases makes a real difference. It is one of the ways SIS operates differently from other organisations. The Service User started by…
SIS Bilingual Telephone Befriending Service, received this referral in December 2021 from TDC via Together Co. The Arabic speaking Scheme Member was matched with a volunteer in January 2022. The scheme member is in her early 70s, she lives in a retirement complex. An interview with the Scheme Member was conducted through a SIS Community…
We are now in the 5th year of delivering our Social Prescribing Plus service to residents of Brighton and Hove. This service provides timely, valuable support to those who need it most. Here is a recent example of the support the service provides. Service User P is a single mum with 3 children. She had…
We recently received feedback about the work of two longstanding SIS Community Interpreters. Colleagues were impressed by their professionalism and sensitivity whilst working with two young men and challenging topics. Community Interpreting involves empathetic and accurate communication to improve outcomes. “I just wanted to say I had a very good experience with the SIS interpreter,…
We recently received feedback from several health practitioners about their positive experiences of working with SIS Interpreters. Colleagues were particularly impressed by the preparation for the sessions and the calm delivery. We encourage Interpreters to prepare and colleagues to book interpreting pre sessions wherever possible. “I would like to share some positive feedback about…
We recently launched a new Virtual Switchboard to make it easier for people to book interpreters. People call us on 01273 702005. They hear a brief message asking them to chose a voice mailbox. The message is in Arabic, Cantonese, Farsi, Hungarian, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese and Russian with an option to select other. Messages left…
We have been working with a woman in her 50`s over several months. Interpreting has been delivered by telephone and video. This is more challenging than face to face interpreting, particularly when it comes to ensuring appropriate empathy. The interpreter has overcome the challenges and delivered a great service. We received this feedback from the…
We were contacted recently to provide a Face to Face Community Interpreter for a 2 hour memory assessment. The session went very well and the practitioner kindly sent us some feedback: “Please can you pass on my praise for the interpreter. She is the best interpreter I have ever had the pleasure to work with.…
SIS Projects’ Team received a referral for our Bilingual Befriending Project from another organisation in Sussex. The referrer told us about a service user who they felt could benefit from having weekly phone calls with one of our befriending volunteers. One of our Volunteer Linguists contacted the service user to explain the project to him. …
Service User K came to us for help with accessing emergency accommodation as he was facing imminent eviction and was at risk of homelessness. This was causing him high levels of stress and anxiety. Our Community Navigator provided extensive support, liaising with the Homelessness Prevention Officer at the council and helping to fill in forms…
In the last 6 months, we have seen our mental health work grow by a quarter. Crisis, acute and inpatient support has increased 3-fold. We are playing a vital role in helping some of the most vulnerable people access mental health services. Behind each number is a story. Here is one that shows the importance…
Meeting a telephone interpreting need is not always straight forward. NHS staff do not always have the facility or equipment necessary to conference call patients; There may be data protection and privacy considerations to work around, and complicated further where the Service User is suffering from a mental health crisis. In such instances clinicians may…
We recently interpreted for a family with 2 children with cystic fibrosis. This involved a 2 hour review with an interpreter attending at the Royal Alexander Children`s Hospital. The Consultant was fantastic. He was able to demonstrate very clearly to the family how to administer medication. He used chest x-rays of the children to explain…
Some refugees and asylum seekers may have less than conversational English. This can be distressing and disempowering. Supporting them to get their most pressing practical needs met can be critical to improving their mental and psychological wellbeing. This can also create the necessary space to help them focus on learning a new language. We were…
I am currently working as an Interpreter in Sussex with a migrant woman, who we will refer to as individual (A) to protect her anonymity. I have also not included all of the sensitive medical details which make this woman vulnerable. (A) contracted COVID-19 and as a result had to be admitted…
Everyone at SIS tries their best to help. We appreciate that we are working with some of the most vulnerable and isolated people. At this terrible time this is even more the case. In the last 9 months of the pandemic emergency interpreting has almost doubled as a proportion of our work. We can be…
“The parents had been feeling too anxious and overwhelmed to attend Child In Need Meetings (CIN) due to the language barrier, and the high number of professionals involved with supporting their children. We were pleased when this changed and the parents felt confident enough to begin attending. A large part of this is that parents…
“The services provided by the hospital were good and I received good care. I have not received a good service from the GP practice. I cannot make an appointment when I need. I did not feel safe at work. I suffer from asthma and have a heart condition and not all my colleagues wore a…
We were contacted recently by a Migrant Support Worker from the fantastic Voice in Exile organisation. For over a week she had been trying to set up a GP appointment for a Service User. We offered to help. We called the GP Surgery and after a long and complicated outgoing message and a 20 minute…
We were contacted recently by a Social Worker from one of the Local Authorities we work with. They were trying to support a teenager who had been trafficked into the UK. It was proving difficult to establish which language the person spoke – there were three possibilities. The Police and Social Services were trying hard…
Recently we received a referral from Pathways To Independence on behalf of a teenage refugee who needed to update important immunisations at their G.P. Surgery. We checked the appointment with staff at the Surgery over the Bank Holiday week. After several calls we were able to speak with a member of the Surgery staff who…
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…
A Specialist Diabetes Nurse booked a Bengali interpreter to help with relaying complex care information. The session also involved a Dietitian. There was a lot of information to explain and the session lasted longer than the booked 60 minutes. The woman and her husband were very happy with the outcome of the session. They described…
This person came to see us as she as she had been experiencing Housing and financial difficulties and needed urgent support. This had been causing her a lot of stress and anxiety and was having a real impact on her overall health and well-being. Through our Volunteer Linguists’ support, we helped her with the following:…
We are well known for responding to emergency situations, providing an interpreter on site within one hour of a call to our 24/365 emergency service. It may be less well known that we respond to urgent requests and are working a lot more at weekends and out of office hours. Recently we were called at…
Here is a Case Study from our previous Bilingual Advocacy Project which was funded for 3 years to the end of December 2017. We are hoping to reconfigure this service and to operate as part of a Pan Sussex Partnership in the near future – please watch our News page! Case 52 (14 hours) –…
Sunday 23rd September 2018 Emergency Face to Face Interpreting – Job Number 204539 16.35 – A doctor in the Accident and Emergency Department of the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton phoned the SIS emergency service. Arran Evans took the call. The doctor explained that he was dealing with a young Czech-speaking man called `Peter` (not…
Even the most solid blocks to progress can suddenly vanish, as John Pasture describes Redeen was a small, dark, wiry man from the mountains of Iraq. He was not – he had made this very clear – Iraqi. He was a Kurd (he pronounced this ‘koord’), and he spoke Sorani – and English, Arabic, some…
