Torbay Hospital’s maternity department is embracing its Polish community with custom-made subtitled guidance films to provide maternity patients with a greater understanding of their care journey.
South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Torbay Hospital, recognises that although pregnancy is an exciting time for new parents, it can also be very daunting for first-time mums, especially where there is the added hurdle of a language barrier.
In recent months the maternity department, in partnership with Health and Care Videos, produced a series of guidance films for all pregnant women to help them understand the steps involved in their pregnancy care. The films can be viewed at http://www.sdhct.nhs.uk/services/maternity-services/maternity-antenatal/ (click CC on the play bar to choose subtitles option).
As part of the Trust’s wish to better support the care needs of the large Polish community within the South Devon area, and as a test of the appetite for such support, Polish subtitles have now been added to the first film in the maternity series. This film is entitled ‘Your Schedule of Care’ and provides an overview of the relationship between the mum, her midwife and the care process during maternity.
Heather Parker, Associate Director of Nursing and Midwifery at the Trust, said: “Language barriers can be a problem in most daily circumstances, but in healthcare it is important that patients are fully able to understand what is involved in their care, so they are not only better informed, but also better able to make important decisions for themselves.”
“Having subtitles on the film will give our Polish mums-to-be and their families the extra reassurance that their care needs are being met. The feedback we’ve had so far is that our patients really appreciate our commitment to their care and feel comforted by these subtitles. We are now able to get the information across much more clearly, giving them a greater understanding of their care, and subsequently a better standard of care.”
South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is working with Health and Care Videos (www.healthandcarevideso.com) to produce this subtitled version along with other films on a range of clinical topics. The Trust also plans to include subtitles on more of their films, so that their Polish patients can feel more at home in South Devon.
