Boosting access to healthcare

For many people moving from overseas to live and work in the UK, language barriers are a significant challenge. When it comes to healthcare, a lack of familiarity with English can reduce access to services and put patients' health at risk.

It can also lead to inappropriate use of emergency services: anecdotal evidence suggests that UK residents with little or no English disproportionately attend A&E departments, whether or not this is the most appropriate place for them to be treated.

This can be for very simple reasons such as lack of confidence in making telephone appointments with GPs. A lack of English may also mean public health campaigns are not understood, undermining the work of community nurses and healthcare providers.