News

Health trusts spend almost £3 million a year on interpreters

Interpreters have cost the health service almost £9 million in three years
Interpreters have cost the health service almost £9 million in three years Interpreters have cost the health service almost £9 million in three years

THE Health Service is spending almost £3 million a year on interpreters, with bills rising in four out of five trust area over the past 12 months.

Figures from the five health trusts and the Ambulance Service showed that £8.75 million was paid out in the three years between 2012 and 2015.

Nearly half the amount, £4 million, was spent by the Southern health trust, while the Ambulance Service spend was just £2,000 in the three years.

Every single health trust saw an increase in expenditure on interpreters between 2012/13 and 2014/15, although three trusts did record reduced spending in 2013/14.

The total costs incurred by health trusts jumped by more than £300,000 in the same period and breached the £3 million barrier for the first time last year.

The Belfast health trust spent almost £1 million last year on interpreters, close to more than £200,000 than it did two years previously.

The figures were released by the Health Minister in response to an Assembly question by DUP Mid-Ulster MLA Ian McCrea.

Last year a separate Assembly question by North Antrim MLA David McIlveen revealed that the Southern Health Trust had employed interpreters five times as much as other trusts.

Lithuanian formed almost 60 per cent of all translations across the north, followed by Portuguese at 31 per cent.

At the time, the Southern Health Trust said it had access to interpreters for 36 languages.

A Trust spokeswoman said: "The Southern trust has one of the largest ethnic minority populations in Northern Ireland and our overall population is projected to grow by 13.5 per cent by 2020.

"Our ethnic minority population is also likely to increase significantly by 2020 as birth rates continue to keep growing."

The spokeswoman added: “Provision of language assistance is a legal requirement for public sector organisations and as an essential part of providing safe, high quality care to all patients and clients."