Ambulance crews in Bradford have been armed with a phrase book to help them communicate with patients who do not speak English The Multilingual Emergency Phrasebook contains 21 basic questions in 41 languages and will assist staff to communicate with patients and carers in any language.
The book, produced by the Department of Health and used widely within the NHS, has been adopted by Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
Paramedic Amanda Bottomley, based at the Ambulance Station in Northside Road, Bradford, said: “Being able to effectively communicate with someone who can’t speak English is vital.
“The phrasebook includes some really basic questions which we need to ask in order to properly assess a patient.
“For example, asking if they are in pain or did they lose consciousness.
“It’s also really useful for us to be able to ask if we can physically examine them or explain to them what actions we need to carry out.”
Karl Portz, equality and diversity lead at the Trust, said: “Yorkshire is a diverse region where different languages are spoken which means people requiring emergency assistance from us may not always be able to communicate in English.
“This phrasebook will help us to reduce health inequalities by ensuring people whose first language isn’t English, have the same options available as the next person.”
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