Question: do you think some people can't access health care because their first language isn't english

Nadine Mirza answered on 15 Nov 2018:

Incredibly insightful and I’m so glad you’ve asked.
Yes- absolutely this is one of the key reasons that a significant number of people, mostly ethnic minorities, don’t access health care for a bunch of reasons. A lot of ethnic minorities who don’t have English as a first language aren’t fluent in English at all (they may only know the basics). They may rely primarily or entirely on their first or native languages.
Because of this, firstly, they may not even know where to go for help for different problems. Which trusts, which charities, which health organisations, where they’re located, who specifically to speak to- nearly all of this information is solely in English so they’re completely left in the dark.
Secondly, even if they do arrive at the right service to the right person there’s still the language barrier that prevents communication. Services try to bring interpreters in to help with this but stuff gets lost in translation and with health matters you can’t afford to miss even the slightest bit of information.
Thirdly, sometimes people won’t approach health care because the idea of encountering English speaking professionals, struggling to get their experiences understood and the general bias that people have about people who can’t speak English being dumber, makes them feel ashamed. They don’t want to endure the embarrassment and the negative reactions.
I hope this answers your question!