The Australian Government acknowledges the traditional owners of Country throughout Australia on which we gather, live and work. We acknowledge all traditional custodians, their Elders past, present and emerging, and pay our respects to their continuing connection to their culture, community, land, sea and water.
This video provides a summary of the Final Report from the Review of Auslan interpreting service use in primary care.
The report discusses disability policy and services as key mechanisms through which Auslan interpreting services are accessed in primary care. We recognise that deafness is not widely accepted as a disability by the Deaf community, and we respect their identity as a culturally and linguistically diverse group.
Findings
Auslan is a visual, signed language that was developed by and for the Australian Deaf community.
People who use Auslan as their primary or preferred language are not necessarily fluent in English.
A professional interpreter is often required to ensure that Auslan users and English speakers understand each other.
This is especially important when misunderstandings have potentially serious consequences, such as in primary care settings which are the front line of Australia’s healthcare system.
In January 2023, the Department of Health and Aged Care commissioned an independent review of the current use of – and barriers and enablers to accessing – Auslan interpreters in primary care settings.
In summary, the review found that while Auslan users have the right to an interpreter, the use of Auslan interpreters in practice is suboptimal. This is despite the moral and ethical obligation that health professionals have in supporting access to interpreters.
This is due to a range of complex and multi-layered factors within three domains: the primary care setting, the interpreting industry and the broader policy and system landscape.
In the primary care setting, challenges include lack of Deaf awareness, inconsistent procedures in place to identify and meet patient communication needs, and lack of capability in working effectively with Auslan interpreters.
In the interpreting industry, challenges include insufficient workforce supply to meet demand from both pipeline and retention issues, and the complexity of interpreting in a healthcare setting. There are also limited protections in place, as the interpreting industry is self-regulated.
In the policy and system landscape, challenges include complex funding arrangements resulting in inequities in access, and unique barriers Auslan users face in understanding their rights and healthcare needs when it is often not provided in Auslan.
Recommendations
The report makes 12 recommendations to improve each of these domains, detailed in FIGURE 1
There are 5 recommendations about the primary care setting. These are:
- That governments and health sector stakeholders ensure that primary care providers have access to the resources they need to work with Deaf patients and Auslan interpreters.
- That governments and health sector stakeholders improve awareness of Deaf people’s cultural, healthcare and communication needs among primary care staff.
- That governments and health sector stakeholders support primary care providers to establish inclusive communication policies and procedures.
- That governments and health sector stakeholders support primary care providers to develop skills in working with Auslan interpreters.
- That governments enhance the capability of primary care providers to engage with interpreters remotely when required.
There are 4 recommendations about the interpreting industry. These are:
- That governments, interpreting industry bodies and Auslan training providers increase the overall supply of Auslan interpreters.
- That interpreting industry bodies, Auslan interpreting services and Auslan training providers support Auslan interpreters to develop competencies to work effectively in healthcare settings.
- That interpreting industry bodies and Auslan interpreting services facilitate alignment between Auslan interpreter competencies and the type of interpreting required.
- That governments establish a mechanism for independent, government-funded oversight of the interpreting industry.
There are 3 recommendations about the broader policy and system landscape. These are:
- That governments provide Auslan users with free, uncapped interpreting in the primary care setting.
- That governments and Deaf sector stakeholders build health literacy in the Deaf community.
- That governments and Deaf sector stakeholders support Auslan users to understand and exercise their right to an interpreter.
These recommendations were informed by:
- a scan of available Auslan interpreting service websites;
- a review of peer-reviewed and grey literature;
- consultation with representatives of the Deaf and health sectors and interpreting industry; and
- consultation with individual primary care providers, Auslan interpreters, and Auslan users.
We would like to acknowledge the Auslan users, interpreters, primary care providers, and representatives of the interpreting industry and Deaf and health sectors who informed this review.
A copy of the full report is available on the Department of Health and Aged Care’s website.