New BSL Interpreting Services for GP Practices in South West London

News - 15 April 2025

GP practices in South West London, which cover Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton, and Wandsworth boroughs, introduced a new BSL interpreter provider on 1st October 2024. DA Languages replaces the old provider, Language Line, and aims to make it easier for people to get the support they need. GP staff have been given training materials to help them use the new system.

DA Languages offers:

  • Qualified BSL interpreters via on-demand video BSL interpretation. This is a new feature in GP services.
  • British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation in person.
  • Translation for over 500 spoken languages.

Patient Challenges About Accessibility

Before these changes in October 2024, Healthwatch organisations in South West London carried out engagement work around the Accessible Information Standard. Some patients had problems with BSL interpretation services. They said it took too long to book interpreters, the service wasn’t reliable, and there were concerns about privacy. You can find our report here: https://www.healthwatchrichmond.co.uk/report/2025-03-04/delivery-access…

Share your experience with us

We want to know if the new BSL services are helping to address people’s concerns. 

Those who provide a response will be entered into a prize draw to win a £45 One4All gift voucher. To be eligible, please share your responses by 9 May 2025.

If you have used BSL interpreter service provided by your South West London GP practice since 1 October 2024, we want to hear your views. We will share anonymised experiences with the NHS commissioners of these services so that they can continue to improve them. We will also publish a short article with our findings on this website when it is ready.

Please share your views here: https://forms.gle/vXKcnsxtqmk8daKn8

If you would prefer to share your experiences with us in BSL rather than in the survey

Instead of completing the survey, you can send a video response to us.

In your video, please confirm that you go to a GP surgery in a South West London borough (Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton, or Wandsworth) and that you have used the GP’s BSL interpreter service since 1 October 2024. Please then let us know:

  • What worked well and what could be improved about the new BSL interpreter service.
  • Your e-mail address, if you would like for us to send you a copy of the findings from this research or to be entered into the prize draw.

Please upload your video here: https://www.dropbox.com/request/g4VRV9TgqBUriu7XlY2J

You do not have to provide your name. Involve Interpreter will translate the video to English. We will delete the videos after we have received them and will not share them with anyone else.

Who can I contact with questions?

Please contact Iyinoluwa Oshinowo, South West London Engagement Coordinator (iyinoluwa@swlhealthwatch.org.uk) and Alyssa Chase-Vilchez, South West London Executive Officer, at alyssa@swlhealthwatch.org.uk. 

You might also be interested in

The text in the middle of the picture reads: Accessible Information Standard. There is a thumb up on the top right corner, a pair of glasses, and two hands holding a phone on the bottom right corner. On the top left of the picture there is a hand holding a magnifying glass and on the bottom left a hand holding a magnifying lens to read a laptop screen.

The Delivery of the Accessible Information Standard in South West London GP Practices: What We Found

The Accessible Information Standard (AIS) helps health and care services meet the needs of patients and carers with communication needs. This includes individuals with sensory loss, neurological conditions, neurodiversity, and learning disabilities. AIS requires service providers to identify, record, flag, share, and meet patients' communication needs to ensure fair healthcare access. A short NHS England video describing AIS is available.
Report

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