𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘹 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦: 5 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘴🕒
Under the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, NHS Wales bodies must provide services in both Welsh and English, ensuring that Welsh is not treated less favourably than English.
For health boards, trusts and primary care providers, this creates clear operational, compliance and procurement responsibilities.
However, Welsh translation is only one part of the picture. NHS organisations must also consider interpreting, accessible formats such as braille and Easy Read, multilingual communication for diverse communities, and secure handling of sensitive patient data.
This guide explores what NHS Wales organisations are required to provide, what this means in practice, and how to ensure compliance through structured language and accessibility support.
If you wanted some additional reading, explore our previous guide to medical translation for UK healthcare providers.
The legal foundation: Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011
The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 established Welsh as an official language in Wales and created enforceable Welsh Language Standards for public bodies, including NHS organisations.
Under these standards:
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Welsh must not be treated less favourably than English
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Public-facing documents must be available bilingually
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Services must be delivered in Welsh where required
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Compliance is overseen by the Welsh Language Commissioner
For NHS Wales bodies, this means bilingual communication is not discretionary, as is perhaps the case with other translation and interpreting services. It must be embedded into service delivery, digital publishing and patient engagement processes.
Failure to comply can result in formal compliance notices and reputational risk.
"The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 makes Welsh an official language in Wales. This means it must be treated no less favourably than English."
Welsh translation requirements in NHS Wales
Welsh Language Standards impose specific duties on health boards and NHS bodies across Wales.
Service delivery standards
NHS Wales organisations must ensure information is available in Welsh across key communication channels, including:
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Appointment letters and patient correspondence
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Public health information
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Forms and consent documentation
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Websites and digital portals
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Leaflets and printed materials
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Signage within healthcare settings
Welsh and English versions should be issued simultaneously, not sequentially. Essentially, this means that Welsh content should not be delayed or treated as secondary.
For procurement and communications teams, this requires bilingual workflows from the outset. Translation cannot be an afterthought.
Recording patient language preferences
Primary care providers, including GP surgeries operating as independent contractors, must record patients’ language preferences and provide services accordingly.
This has direct implications for:
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Patient record systems
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Appointment booking processes
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Written communication templates
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Clinical consultation planning
The Active Offer in practice
A central principle within Welsh Language Standards is the 'Active Offer.'
The Active Offer requires NHS organisations to proactively offer Welsh language services, rather than waiting for patients to request them.
In practice, this may include bilingual greetings at reception, Welsh-language signage, correspondence issues in Welsh, bilingual digital interfaces, and Welsh-language telephone options.
The Active Offer reinforces that Welsh language provision is a right. It shifts responsibility from the patient to the organisation.
"Delivering the ‘Active Offer’ can be achieved in many different ways and does not need to be costly. It may be challenging in some areas due to a possible shortage of Welsh speakers, but non-Welsh speakers also have a role to play in delivering the ‘Active Offer’."
Welsh interpreting in clinical settings
While translation addresses written materials, Welsh interpreting services are essential for verbal communication in clinical environments.
Health boards in Wales are required to develop long-term strategies to increase their capacity to deliver clinical consultations in Welsh. This can even include workforce planning and improving Welsh-speaking staff coverage.
Interpreting provision includes:
We'd like to highlight that although this guide focuses on the Welsh language, NHS Wales serves diverse communities, including patients whose first language may be Polish, Arabic, Romanian, Urdu and other languages. Therefore, interpreting support is important across the board for GP consultations, community health settings and more.
Accessible communication under the NHS Accessible Information Standard
Welsh translation and interpreting form a central part of bilingual healthcare in Wales. However, language access is only one aspect of inclusive communication.
Under the NHS Accessible Information Standard (AIS), NHS organisations must identify, record and meet the communication needs of patients with disabilities or sensory impairments. This includes providing information in alternative formats where required.
For NHS Wales bodies and Welsh healthcare providers, this means considering formats such as:
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Braille for patients who are blind or have sight loss, but only those who specifically use braille
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Large print for individuals with low vision
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Easy Read for people with learning disabilities
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Audio formats for those who prefer spoken content
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British Sign Language interpreting where appropriate, but again note that deaf and hard-of-hearing people don't necessarily use BSL
Translation alone does not guarantee accessibility. A Welsh-language leaflet that is visually inaccessible does not meet the needs of a blind patient. Equally, a multilingual discharge summary that is written in complex clinical language may not support informed decision-making for everyone.
Compliance therefore requires a layered approach:
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Language accessibility (Welsh and other languages)
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Format accessibility (braille, large print, Easy Read)
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Communication support (interpreting and BSL provision)
The importance of multilingual Desktop Publishing (DTP)
One of the most overlooked elements of Welsh communication is bilingual and multilingual Desktop Publishing (DTP).
Healthcare documentation is rarely plain text, as it may include diagrams, illustrations, tables, consent forms, etc.
When documents must be produced in both Welsh and English, layout integrity becomes particularly important. Common bilingual formats include side-by-side Welsh and English text and fully mirrored bilingual documents.
Since 2006, Wolfestone has supported UK public sector organisations with ISO-certified translation, interpreting and accessible communication services.
Every project is overseen by a dedicated project manager and supported by responsive account management.
Our workflows operate under ISO 17100, ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications, supporting quality assurance, operational consistency and information security.
𝘒𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 2021 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘨𝘰 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴.
