If you require an interpreter for your outpatient appointment please let the relevant clinic know and they will make the appropriate arrangements for you. The contact details for individual clinics can be found on your appointment letter.
If you require an interpreter while you are an inpatient please advise the ward staff who will assist with this. If your admission is planned then please give the Trust as much notice as possible of any interpreting needs.
Translation services
Kingston Hospital believes everyone should have equal access to health services, and that includes people with language needs. Kingston Hospital provides comprehensive and professional interpreting services, either over the telephone or in person, including British Sign Language. The Trust uses a number of providers to fulfil interpreting requests including Kingston Interpreting Services and The Big Word.
All of Kingston’s health providers, including hospital staff, can access interpreters for patients who do not speak or understand English very well. If you, or members of your family, or a friend need this service please let staff know and they will be able to make the necessary arrangements.
Information leaflets
Patients, families and carers are advised to visit the NHS England resource called Health information in other languages which contains links to patient leaflets and other resources translated into a wide range of languages. You can find it at this link Health information in other languages – NHS (www.nhs.uk) or copy the following address into your browser https://www.nhs.uk/about-us/health-information-in-other-languages/.
If you would like us to find a specific leaflet for you on the NHS library, please tell a member of staff what you are looking for and ask them to help you to find it.
We also have a Patient Leaflets resource on the Kingston Hospital website which you can access from the top menu bar. We will be adding many of the hospital’s information leaflets to this library over the next 12 months. If you wish to use an online translation tool to access our Patient Leaflets, please be aware that, although online translators can accurately translate individual words and phrases, they may not always be able to interpret the meaning of larger or more complex pieces of information.
