PAH is celebrating the invaluable contribution the Metro South Health Interpreter service provides daily to Queensland’s most culturally diverse region.
The Metro South Health Interpreter service works closely with the PAH community to deliver timely and culturally appropriate interpreting and translation services to patients in over 200 languages.
Tenured Interpreter Services Coordinator, Shamsi Abdi has been recognised with a PAH Staff Award nomination after going above and beyond to assist a vulnerable patient.
Administration Officer for Speech Pathology, Ellen White says Shamsi went beyond her role requirements to help the patient, who had been rebooked for an urgent Video Fluoroscopic Swallow Study (VFSS) at the Speech Pathology unit for the third time due to communication barriers.
After securing a last-minute appointment, Ellen urgently contacted the Interpreter service to make a booking and spoke to Shamsi.
When the day of the appointment arrived, Ellen called Shamsi again to confirm the booking. Unfortunately, there was a shortage of interpreters that day, but Shamsi couldn’t turn a blind eye.
“When I expressed my concern for the patient, Shamsi listened to me, expressed compassion and empathy for the situation and concern for the patient.”
“She could see the language on the booking was one she also spoke. Shamsi volunteered herself, going out of her way to accommodate a patient who really needed this assessment.”
Shamsi took the time to build rapport with the patient, helping her feel at ease and talking her through the entire procedure to make sure she understood exactly what was happening.
“She also provided our advice to the patient regarding strategies to optimise eating and drinking safely,” added Advanced Speech Pathologist Kellie McCarthy, who conducted the VFSS assessment.
“We need to be able to verbally communicate and have that person understand what we're doing to get the most out of the test. I could tell having Shamsi there made a huge difference for the patient. She appeared relaxed and comfortable.”
With Shamsi’s support, Kellie says the appointment ran smoothly and she was able to discuss the test results with the patient straightaway, mitigating the need for a further follow-up appointment.
Shamsi’s story is one of many examples of how our team of dedicated interpreters go out of their way to support linguistically diverse patients across Metro South Health and Hospital Services.