This is the reply from Barts and the London NHS Trust in response to my request under the FoI Act for details of costs incurred in using interpreters and translation services in 2008.
The Trust is a major provider of healthcare in East London, an area characterised by its ethnic diversity.
There are over 140 languages spoken.
In addition, East London has the highest settlement of refugees and new arrivals in the country.
To assist patients and provide the highest standards of care the Trust offers a comprehensive interpreting and advocacy service which comprises in-house bilingual advocates, face to face interpreting including British Sign Language and telephone interpreting.
The figures below represent total expenditure on our in-house interpreting and advocacy Service and our external service provider (used out of hours).
We are providing the following information which we hope fulfils your request.
Please note that these total figures do not represent solely the cost of just interpreting but Freedom of Information Corporate Services but the full range of support and advocacy services offered by the inhouse service.
Financial Year 2007/08: £643,049
The information that we hold is in financial year rather than calendar year. Please contact us if you have any queries.
Updated figures: £ 6,053,142
GIUSEPPE DE SANTIS
£6million quid would send a lot of em back to wherever, OR it could be used to purchase an island where they could all be rehoused in the mud huts they are familiar with.
The problem is,saxonboy,that if they go back to their mud huts,where they should be, they don't get our benefits.Oh sorry I just remembered of course they will because we give aid and benefits to all and sundry from all over the world.Children in Poland.Romania and Bulgaria come to mind to name a few.It is evil that we help all of these scroungers and parasitical hangers on from all over the world to bleed our NHS dry but refuse to help our own elderly people with alzheimers desease,who have paid into the system all of their lives, to the tune of a couple of pounds a day .If I had my way I wouldn't even let the scumbag filth into a hospital never mind pay for an interpreter.They could die at the hospital door for all I care.
Good work Guiseppe.