Patient experience of interpreter services (INTERPRET-X)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding patient uptake and experience of interpreter services in primary care
IRAS ID
320086
Contact name
Georgia Black
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen Mary University London Joint Research Management Office
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
This study aims to investigate how interpreting services are currently delivered/implemented in primary care. The study will help to answer the following questions;
a. How do front-line staff experience the use and delivery of interpreting services in primary care?
b. What barriers and facilitators are encountered in the implementation of interpreting services in primary care, and how are these are shaped by the local context?
c. What aspects of the planning and delivery of interpreting services do policy makers/ commissioners think are working well?
In the UK we have a growing and ageing population of people for whom English is not their first language. Interpreter services are provided to ensure patients, carers and clinicians understand each other and to try to avoid worsening inequalities in healthcare access and outcomes. This is particularly important in primary care because it is the main source of healthcare in the UK National Health Service (NHS). As such, we will be carrying out interviews and observations with staff at four General Practitioner (GP) surgeries to investigate interpreter service uptake, experiences or implementation in primary care. Participants will have been involved in working with or commissioning interpreters in primary care and represent a range of professional backgrounds and will include including GPs, practice nurses and administrative staff, interpreters and representatives from providers of interpreting services. We will also interview commissioners and policy-makers at local and national levels. As far as we are aware, there have been no studies to explore interpreter services in primary care more broadly and their effectiveness on reducing inequalities to healthcare access. As such, the findings will be help understanding of potential impact of the service on reducing inequality in primary healthcare access.REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/NE/0066
Date of REC Opinion
29 Mar 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion