NOTE: The original version of this press release said that Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provided translation services for the “Entean” language. The trust has contacted us to explain that they made an error in the original FOI response, which was supposed to read "Eritrean". We have amended the press release accordingly.
Embargoed: 00:01 Saturday 4 February 2023
The TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) has revealed that NHS trusts spent at least £113,974,561 on interpreters and translation services between 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The NHS has an obligation to provide translation services to users, free at the point of delivery. The NHS trust which spent the most on interpreters and translation services in the UK was NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde with costs totalling £8,853,676 during 2019-20 to 2021-22.
The most commonly provided languages were Polish (116), Romanian (116), Chinese (113) and Arabic (112).
If all NHS trusts had responded, the total spending on interpreters and translation services by the NHS in 2019-20 to 2021-22 is estimated to be £174,228,629. This is over £60.3 million higher than the total of the responses we have reported on.
The NHS has a legal responsibility to make sure their services are accessible to all. Given the enormous sums involved, Trusts should look to cut costs by making more use of ready-translated resources and pooling resources.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE RESEARCH
Key findings:
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NHS trusts spent at least £113,974,561 on interpreters and translation services during 2019-20 to 2021-22, an average of £725,953 per NHS trust that replied.
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£43,095,493 was spent in 2019-20, the single largest year. This fell by 28 per cent to £31,050,708 in 2020-21 before rising by 28 per cent to £39,828,361 in 2021-22.
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The NHS trust which spent the most in the UK was NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde with costs totalling £8,853,676 during 2019-20 to 2021-22.
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Barts Health NHS Trust was the English trust with the highest spend at £5,533,389. More than £1.9 million of this was spent in 2021-22 alone.
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Cardiff and Vale University Health Board had the highest spend among Welsh NHS trusts at £2,036,179.
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The most commonly provided translation services by NHS trusts were into Polish (116), Romanian (116), Chinese (113) and Arabic (112).
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If all NHS trusts had responded, the total spending on interpreters and translation services by the NHS in 2019-20 to 2021-22 is estimated to be £174,228,629. This is over £60.3 million higher than the total of the responses we have reported on.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE RESEARCH
Table 1: 10 NHS trusts with the highest spending on interpreters and translation services, 2019-20 to 2021-22
|
NHS trust |
2019-20 spending (£) |
2020-21 spending (£) |
2021-22 spending (£) |
Total spending (£) |
|
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde |
3,696,199 |
2,396,896 |
2,760,581 |
8,853,676 |
|
Barts Health |
1,811,048 |
1,794,861 |
1,927,480 |
5,533,389 |
|
NHS Lothian |
1,468,704 |
1,120,369 |
1,703,790 |
4,292,863 |
|
Homerton Healthcare |
1,122,678 |
954,009 |
1,190,000 |
3,266,687 |
|
Bradford Teaching Hospitals |
840,000 |
810,426 |
889,216 |
2,539,642 |
|
Central and North West London |
770,000 |
753,000 |
938,000 |
2,461,000 |
|
Leeds Teaching Hospitals |
1,234,612 |
557,711 |
562,512 |
2,354,835 |
|
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board |
752,677 |
502,640 |
780,862 |
2,036,179 |
|
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health |
583,306 |
677,174 |
725,396 |
1,985,876 |
|
Derby and Burton Hospitals |
653,808 |
433,872 |
690,882 |
1,778,562 |
Table 2: 10 most frequently offered languages, 2019-20 to 2021-22
|
Language and dialect |
Number of trusts |
|
Polish |
116 |
|
Romanian |
116 |
|
Chinese (Cantonese) |
113 |
|
Arabic (all dialects) |
112 |
|
Bengali |
110 |
|
Farsi |
110 |
|
Portuguese |
109 |
|
Dari |
108 |
|
Russian |
107 |
CLICK HERE TO READ THE RESEARCH
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:
“Taxpayers will be lost for words at how much is being spent on translation.
“With record waiting times for ambulances and A&E, it's vital that as much money as possible is freed up to help tackle the backlogs.
“Trusts should look to cut costs by making more use of ready-translated material and pooling resources.”
TPA spokespeople are available for live and pre-recorded broadcast interviews via 07795 084 113 (no texts)
Media contact:
Conor Holohan
Media Campaign Manager, TaxPayers' Alliance
[email protected]
24-hour media hotline: 07795 084 113 (no texts)
Notes to editors:
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Founded in 2004 by Matthew Elliott and Andrew Allum, the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) campaigns to reform taxes and public services, cut waste and speak up for British taxpayers. Find out more at www.taxpayersalliance.com.
- TaxPayers' Alliance's advisory council.