5. Is healthcare interpreter policy left in the seventies?

This chapter explores healthcare interpreter policy in the wider context of broader healthcare agendas and changing multicultural policies. It questions whether the interpreter policy objective of universal access for limited English speakers is viable in the context of the rapidly changing modern healthcare environment. This chapter reviews some interesting new material derived from my research on modes of language facilitation in a pilot hospital and the experiences of patients with limited English proficiency. The chapter makes a series of challenging suggestions for future healthcare interpreter service policy.