Interpreter services

Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service will provide an interpreter at no cost to Queensland Health consumers who are not proficient in English or are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.

Interpreters may be engaged in person, over the telephone or via video conferencing facilities depending on the availability of a suitably qualified interpreter and appointment type.

All Queensland Health consumers are eligible for an interpreter whether you have a Medicare card or not.

A professional interpreter will be engaged to ensure information that is communicated to you is through a trained, bilingual person, who is guided by the code of ethics, respects the confidentiality of the person, is impartial and accountable.

Family members may attend an appointment with you, however, can be used only in very limited instances where an interpreter is not available. Family or friends are usually not able to accurately translate complex medical information.

Queensland Health staff can book interpreters on behalf of consumers via the Interpreter Booking Management System. If you require an interpreter, please inform the staff when confirming your appointment. When you attend your appointment, you can notify the staff you require an interpreter by:

• Advising the staff member
• Point to your language on the “Language Identification Card”
• Show your “I need an interpreter card” to the health staff if you have one

Queensland Health implements the Queensland Government Language Services Policy to ensure staff act on the obligation to provide effective, efficient and inclusive services through appropriate use of interpreters for people that are not proficient in English. To ensure staff are confident they are effectively communicating with you, they may organise an interpreter if they identify a need for one to assist with your appointment.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired please contact us through the National Relay Service:

• TTY users call 133 677, then ask for 13 QGOV (13 74 68).
• SMS relay users, call 0423 677 767 and ask for 13 QGOV (13 74 68)
• Speak-and-listen (speech-to-speech relay) users call 1300 555 727, then ask for 13 QGOV (13 74 68).
• Internet relay users, connect to the National Relay Service External Link, then ask for 13 QGOV (13 74 68).
• Video relay users, choose the available video relay contact on Skype and ask for 13 QGOV (13 74 68).

• Accessing interpreting and translation services
• Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights (second edition) - All translations
• Public health and wellbeing information for specific groups
• Queensland Language Services Policy
• Working with Interpreters Guidelines
• Guidelines for working with people who are Deaf or hard of hearing