What is the NSW Health Policy on using interpreters in health?
NSW Health has issued updated Standard Procedures for Working with Health Care Interpreters (Policy Directive PD2006_053) on 11 July 2006. The Policy Directive applies to all NSW Area Health Services. The Policy Directive states: “It is NSW Government policy that professional health care interpreters be used to facilitate communication between people who are not fluent in English, including people who are Deaf, and the staff on the NSW public health system. The use of professional interpreters allows health professionals to fulfil their duty of care, including obtaining valid consent. The Policy Directive describes the roles and functions of the Health Care Interpreter Service, situations in which interpreters must be used, what to do if an interpreter is not available, and the responsibilities of health care providers when using interpreters.” For those patients whose language spoken at home is not English, professional interpreters must be used for admission, medical histories, asses
