150+ LANGUAGES · ISO 17100 CERTIFIED
Does the NHS Provide Translation Services?
Yes, the NHS provides free interpreting and translation services in 150+ languages, including BSL, for all patients accessing NHS-funded care across the UK.
- 150+ Languages
- ISO 17100 Certified
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What we do
Does the NHS provide translation services for patients?
Yes, the NHS provides free interpreting and translation services for patients whose first language is not English, including spoken-language interpreters, British Sign Language interpreters, and written translation of essential health information, across all NHS-funded care in the United Kingdom.
How it works
How do you access an NHS interpreter or translator?
Patients access an NHS interpreter by informing their GP receptionist, hospital booking team, or 111 operator of their preferred language when booking; the NHS service arranges the interpreter directly, at no cost to the patient, for the appointment.
What’s included
NHS free translation vs private certified translation — how do they compare?
NHS translation is free, clinical, and internal; private certified translation is paid, legally certified, and accepted by UKVI, courts, and overseas institutions.
Complete guide
Everything you need to know
Language access in the National Health Service determines whether a patient in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland receives safe, equitable care. This page explains what the NHS provides free of charge, how to book an interpreter, the legal basis, and when a private ISO 17100 certified translation is required instead.
What language support does the NHS actually cover?
The NHS covers three language services free of charge: spoken-language interpreting (face-to-face, telephone, video), British Sign Language interpreting for Deaf patients, and written translation of essential clinical information such as appointment letters, consent forms, and patient leaflets. NHS England’s Improvement Framework treats written translation and spoken interpreting as distinct services with separate quality standards, and it requires providers to identify and record each patient’s individual communication needs so the right format is arranged every time.
| Service | Modality | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Spoken interpreting | Face-to-face, telephone, video | GP consultation, A&E triage, outpatient clinic |
| British Sign Language | Face-to-face or video relay | Deaf patients across all NHS services |
| Written translation | Documents, leaflets, letters | Appointment letters, consent forms, medication instructions |
| Alternative formats | Braille, large print, easy-read, audio | Sensory impairment or learning disability |
Which spoken languages does the NHS interpret?
NHS primary care commissioners contract interpreting providers covering more than 100 spoken languages on demand, including Polish, Urdu, Punjabi, Romanian, Arabic, Bengali, Mandarin, Cantonese, Somali, and Portuguese, with rarer languages typically available within 24 hours. Integrated Care Boards commission this service through procurement framework agreements — most notably the NHS Shared Business Services SBS10519 framework — which allows NHS bodies and approved public-sector organisations to contract qualified language service suppliers efficiently and consistently. Because the framework is nationally procured, even smaller GP practices and community pharmacies gain access to the same breadth of language coverage as large acute trusts.
Does the NHS provide British Sign Language interpreters?
Yes, the NHS provides registered British Sign Language interpreters free of charge to Deaf and hard-of-hearing patients under the Accessible Information Standard (DCB1605), which legally requires NHS and adult social care providers to identify and meet each patient’s communication needs. BSL interpreting is available across GP appointments, hospital outpatients, A&E, and mental health services, delivered either face-to-face or through video relay interpreting. NHS policy requires BSL interpreting to be available for all outpatient appointments and at least once daily for inpatient stays, ensuring Deaf patients have continuous access to clinical information throughout their care.
What written NHS documents get translated?
The NHS translates essential written material into a patient’s preferred language, including appointment letters, consent forms, discharge summaries where clinically necessary, screening invitations, medication instructions, and patient information leaflets covering conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and maternity care. Written translation is particularly important for informed consent, because patients cannot lawfully consent to clinical procedures they have not been able to understand in their own language. NHS providers are expected to proactively arrange translation rather than waiting for a patient to request it.
Does the NHS provide braille, large print, and audio formats?
Yes, NHS trusts must provide patient information in braille, large print, easy-read, and audio format under the Accessible Information Standard (DCB1605), alongside translated versions in the patient’s preferred spoken or signed language. The standard treats language access and format adaptation as linked components of a single communication-needs duty, meaning a Deaf patient who also has a visual impairment, for example, is entitled to have both needs met simultaneously.
Is NHS translation free, and who pays for it?
NHS interpreting and translation is entirely free at the point of use for patients — no charges are applied, no means testing is required, and patients are never asked to contribute to the cost. The full cost is funded by NHS England, integrated care boards, and individual trusts through commissioned language service framework agreements. The primary procurement route is the NHS Shared Business Services SBS10519 framework, which NHS bodies and approved public-sector organisations use to contract qualified interpreting and translation suppliers, covering all modalities — face-to-face, telephone, video, and written translation — across more than 100 spoken languages and British Sign Language.
Integrated Care Boards hold the commissioning budget for primary care language services, while acute trusts and mental health providers fund interpreting from their own operational budgets. Framework agreements are structured to control unit costs through mechanisms such as translation memory — where previously translated segments are reused — and machine translation with post-editing for high-volume written content, reducing the overall cost to the NHS without reducing quality for the patient. The key point for patients is simple: the financial and administrative burden rests entirely with the NHS, not with the individual seeking care.
What is the legal basis for NHS translation services?
NHS translation services rest on four interlocking legal instruments: the Equality Act 2010, the Accessible Information Standard (DCB1605), the NHS Constitution for England, and the General Medical Council’s Good Medical Practice guidance requiring clinicians to communicate in a language the patient understands. Together they convert language support from a goodwill gesture into a legally enforceable duty, creating accountability at the level of individual providers, integrated care boards, and NHS England as a whole.
| Instrument | What it requires |
|---|---|
| Equality Act 2010 | Reasonable adjustments for language, disability, and sensory impairment so no patient is disadvantaged in accessing healthcare |
| Accessible Information Standard (DCB1605) | Identify, record, flag, share, and meet each patient’s communication needs — including language, BSL, braille, easy-read, and audio |
| NHS Act 2006 & Health and Care Act 2022 | Statutory duty to reduce health inequalities across NHS-funded services |
| GMC Good Medical Practice | Clinicians must communicate in a language and format the patient can understand, making interpreting a professional obligation |
How does the Equality Act 2010 apply to NHS language access?
The Equality Act 2010 requires NHS providers to make reasonable adjustments so that language, disability, or sensory impairment does not prevent equal access to healthcare, which includes providing interpreters, translated materials, and alternative formats at no cost to the patient. Language is treated as linked to race and national origin — two protected characteristics under the Act — meaning that refusing or inadequately providing language support can constitute unlawful discrimination. NHS providers that allow language barriers to create demonstrably worse clinical outcomes face enforcement risk from the Care Quality Commission and, in some circumstances, civil liability.
What does the Accessible Information Standard (DCB1605) require?
The Accessible Information Standard legally requires every NHS and adult social care provider to identify, record, flag, share, and meet the communication needs of patients with disabilities, sensory loss, or other communication differences — including the need for a BSL interpreter, a translated document, a braille letter, or an easy-read leaflet. The standard is mandatory for all NHS trusts, foundation trusts, GP and dental practices, and community pharmacies operating under NHS contracts. It treats language access and format adaptation as a single, unified duty: a Deaf patient who also has a visual impairment is entitled to have both needs identified and met, not traded off against each other. Providers that fail to meet the standard are in breach of their NHS contract as well as their obligations under the Equality Act.
Why does the NHS discourage Google Translate and family interpreting in primary care settings?
NHS England guidance discourages Google Translate and family-member interpreting because machine translation frequently misrenders clinical terminology, and ad hoc interpreters — whether automated or human — introduce errors of omission, addition, and substitution that directly threaten patient safety. Neither route protects informed consent, safeguarding disclosures, or patient confidentiality under GMC and CQC standards, and both expose the clinical provider to professional and legal risk. A professional interpreter must always be offered to a patient before friends or family are asked to attend and translate, and any patient refusal of that offer must be documented alongside the interpreter’s own record of informing the patient of their rights.
- Clinical accuracy: ad hoc interpreters — including family members — produce significantly more errors of omission, addition, and substitution than trained professional interpreters, any of which can result in misdiagnosis or inappropriate treatment.
- Safeguarding risk: a child interpreting for a parent is likely to suppress or distort disclosures of domestic abuse, mental health symptoms, or child protection concerns, often without intending to do so.
- Informed consent: patients cannot lawfully consent to clinical procedures they do not fully understand; a flawed ad hoc interpretation renders consent legally defective.
- Patient confidentiality: Google Translate and similar tools transmit patient-entered text to external servers, placing sensitive clinical data outside the controlled clinical record and potentially breaching UK GDPR.
- Power dynamics: family members and friends may have their own emotional, financial, or cultural stake in the outcome of a consultation, consciously or unconsciously shaping what the patient hears or says.
- Patient right to refuse: where a patient declines a formally arranged interpreter, the clinical record must document the refusal, the language and identity of the interpreter who explained the patient’s rights, and the alternative communication method used.
The NHS commissions professional interpreters precisely to eliminate these risks. Because interpreting services are free at the point of use and available across more than 100 languages by telephone within minutes, there is no justification for defaulting to Google Translate or an untrained family member in a clinical setting.
When does the NHS not cover translation, and what do you do?
The NHS does not cover certified translations of medical records for immigration, insurance claims, overseas treatment, private legal proceedings, or personal use — its interpreting and translation services exist solely to facilitate the delivery of NHS-funded care, not to produce legally admissible document translations for use outside that care setting. Patients needing a certified translation must commission a private provider working to ISO 17100, the international standard that governs translator qualifications, the translate-edit-proofread (TEP) workflow, and revision requirements. Translations produced to this standard are accepted by UKVI, courts, overseas hospitals, and insurers.
How do you get a certified translation of NHS medical records?
Begin by requesting a copy of your medical records from your GP or hospital under a Subject Access Request, which NHS providers are legally required to fulfil within one calendar month. Once you have the records, send the file to an ISO 17100 certified translation agency specialising in medical content. A single page is typically returned within 24 hours from £30, and a 5,000-word discharge summary takes around three working days — a turnaround consistent with the ISO 17100 benchmark of 1,500–2,000 translated words per qualified linguist per day. The certified translation will include a signed translator statement, the translator’s credentials, and a date, making it suitable for submission to UKVI, a foreign hospital, or an insurance provider. See our Medical Translation Services for full scope and pricing.
Do UKVI and the Home Office accept NHS-issued translations?
No — UKVI and the Home Office require translations to be produced by a professional translator with a signed certification statement, verifiable translator credentials, and the date of translation; NHS-provided patient-facing translations do not carry this certification and are rejected for visa and settlement applications. The requirement applies to all supporting medical documentation submitted as part of an immigration application, including GP letters, hospital discharge summaries, blood test results, and radiology reports. To translate medical records for UKVI, use an ISO 17100 certified translation provider whose certification statement explicitly confirms the translator’s qualifications and the accuracy of the translation. Attempting to submit uncertified NHS documents risks application delays or outright refusal.