AQW 13289/22-27 Written question to the Minister of Health

To ask the Minister of Health, in light of the new Refugee Integration Strategy, whether his Department has made any changes to how it provides culturally-sensitive interpretation services for people accessing GP services for whom English is not their first language.

Asked by Paula Bradshaw MLA on 12 June 2024

  • Answered
  • Written
  • After due date
Tabled
12 June 2024
Answer due by
27 June 2024
Answered
6 August 2025420 days after tabling
Department
Department of Health
Priority question
No

Answer

The Department of Health commissions the Business Services Organisation (BSO) to provide an Interpreting service to Health and Social Care providers in Northern Ireland to improve access to HSC services and provide support those who do not speak English proficiently. BSO is committed to providing a culturally-sensitive service that is responsive to the needs of its service users and is proactively scoping ways of increasing awareness of the service to ensure greater accessibility.

I want to assure the member that the Department of Health has worked extensively with TEO in the development of the Refugee Integration Strategy and the associated delivery plan.

Official sources