NHS: Translation Services
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent on (a) external tenders and (b) contracts for (i) translation and (ii) interpretation services in the NHS in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth
The following table shows the Department’s expenditure against current and expired contracts with external suppliers of translation or interpretation services, in each of the last five financial years:
Year | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
Expenditure | £9,857 | £72,898 | £898,354 | £133,148 | £28,830 |
The majority of this work has been for supporting different initiatives and functions within the National Health Service.
*The significant increase in expenditure was due to additional services required to support the response to Covid-19 in the NHS e.g. at vaccination and testing sites.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →