Stamford Hospital provides translation service for patients through ‘interpreter on wheels’

An ‘interpreter on wheels’ is providing a new translation service for patients at a town hospital.

The aim of having an electronic tablet mounted on a trolley is to help bridge any language barriers between patients and medical staff at Stamford Hospital.

The system – which provides a live dial-up service to access human interpreters with more than 270 languages - was tried out last year at Peterborough City Hospital.

Real people are also available to translate for patients within North West Anglia Healthcare Trust, which runs Stamford Hospital and Peterborough City Hospital.

Maria Finch from the trust said: “Good communication is important to providing optimal patient care. All our patients have the right to be heard and make decisions on their care. Their ability to speak good English should not be a barrier.”