We discovered, we did: language matters
- Healthwatch Reading
- Sep 25, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
When people can’t understand or be understood by health and social care professionals, their safety and well-being are put at risk. Back in 2022, the Lost for Words report (in collaboration with different Healthwatch, and the previous Healthwatch Reading team) highlighted how language barriers were affecting people in local health and social care services.
We have revisited this report, and what we found is deeply concerning; many of the same issues continue, with very little change.
In our 'We Discovered, We Did' report, we explore how ongoing gaps in translation and interpreting services continue to cause problems for both patients and staff; from missed appointments to serious misunderstandings about care.
We’ve listened to patients, families, and communities to better understand the barriers people still face when language gets in the way of accessing care. We have also brought people together; community members, service providers, and decision-makers for a community conversation event to openly talk about the issues and what needs to change.
Based on our findings, we have provided clear, actionable recommendations to key service providers and decision-makers, and have been actively monitoring how they are makin
g changes to improve care for people whose first language is not English.
Click below to see what we discovered, what we did, what needs to change and our impact of driving that change forward.
Read our recommendations that we sent to key service providers and decision makers:
Click on the name of the organisations below to read their responses to our recommendations:
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