Clinical video service vCreate has launched a series of new features to improve access to healthcare for UK patients whose first language is not English.
It’s estimated 10 percent of NHS patients do not speak English as their first language, with the figure growing to around one in five in areas like London and other major cities.
The tech from vCreate is predominantly used to support family-integrated care, allowing secure sharing of videos and messages between clinical teams, patients and families and is predominantly offered to families in neonatal intensive care units and paediatric neurology centres.
As part of developing the tool, the company has included French, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish, Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali, Ukrainian and Urdu, and plan to continually include further languages.
“It’s crucial to our patients’ health and wellbeing that we can communicate with all of their families quickly and accurately,” said Dr. Neil Patel, Consultant Neonatologist, whose team have been using the new language features to support families at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow. “We understand that a stay in the NICU is a distressing experience, but it can be even more isolating and daunting for those who don’t speak English. The new auto-translated messaging function in vCreate Video Diaries is going to be very important to help us ensure that all parents can stay connected with their babies, and are properly supported to be involved in their care on and off the unit, regardless of their language.”
Ben Moore, Founder of vCreate, said: “We’re thrilled to be empowering more patients and families with the digital tools to take control of their healthcare journeys and communicate directly with their clinical teams. The new updates aim to further expedite the patient pathway, enhance clinical insights and improve patient outcomes, particularly for those who struggle with language barriers.”
