Personal Health Management
Public Health England in partnership with Reed Momenta & Leeds City Council use a Specialist Interpreting Service to help deliver lifestyle change and wellbeing appointments
The Challenge
Public Health England launched the “One You” initiative in 2016 to support individuals to make positive lifestyle changes such as; getting more active, losing weight, stopping smoking, cooking and eating healthily. The country-wide campaign is supported by partners who deliver support and guidance to local people through their communities. Our challenge was set in the City of Leeds, with its diverse demographic of other 140 ethnic groups speaking an equally wide range of languages. “One You” Leeds focuses the core of engagement in some of the most deprived areas of the city where English is often not the main language spoken. Using the services of an interpreter to support clients during their appointments is frequently essential for the health coaches.
Committing to lifestyle changes can sometimes be challenging, and it is more so without a common spoken language between client and health coach. Health coaches need to encourage their client to speak freely about deeply personal situations. Without a sympathetic interpreters intervention, enabling the client to speak in their native language and communicate more effectively, this would be impossible.
The Interpreters Portal Solution
Careful interpreter management and frequent client reviews are the integral parts of our solution for the “One You” Leeds campaign.
We work closely with the client to really understand the topics of each appointment.
Following our briefing we select and tutor our professional interpreters, giving them briefing sheets on each issue, prior to the client meeting. We choose interpreters who have the skill to be empathetic to the client’s issues. We also ensure that we work with the same interpreter for each client as they go through the course of one to one counselling sessions. The client, health coach, and interpreter build up a relationship and trust.
As we’ve gone through the process we have build up a core group of interpreters in each language who have become experts on assisting both parties to realise the greatest benefits from the sessions.
Our booking facility within out platform easily provides the ability for the health coach to spefically request an interpreter to provide contuinity to the client at each appointment. Or to adapt appointment times at short notice if needed.
To combat the relatively high rate of cancellation with the programme and boost attendance at meetings, we translated reminder letters and texts into each language.
Our ethos of flexibility means we can be a truly supportive partner to the health coaches.
The response to each request has always been fast and very efficient, and the quality of work from the interpreters has been impressive as it has encouraged participants to attend their appointment with ease”.
The booking process via the portal has made things simple to request an interpreter and our coaches have been getting through their sessions with ease as the dial out process is handy whilst in clinic.