Culture, language and health supports and services

Services provided by the Department of Health 

All Tasmanians, including those with migrant and refugee backgrounds, as well as those visiting from other countries such as tourists or seasonal workers, have access to services provided by the Department of Health. Support services are also available for anyone who requires them.

Launceston General Hospital (LGH)

Refugee Health Service

Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH)

Multicultural Health Social Worker

North West Regional Hospital (NWRH)

Multicultural Liaison Officer

Interpreter Booking Service (IBS)

The Interpreter Booking Service (IBS) provides professional interpreters to assist non-English speaking and deaf or hard of hearing patients. We can facilitate on-site, pre-booked telephone or telehealth interpreters, depending on the clinical need and patient's preference. Interpreters are provided free of charge to the patient and are not charged back to the requesting unit.

Our policy is to provide professional interpreters to patients who do not have an adequate level of English proficiency.

Please note the IBS service does not currently apply to Oral Health Services Tasmania or Child Health and Parenting Service. They engage with the contracted language service providers directly.

Find out more about working with interpreters within the Tasmanian Health Service (access to DoH staff only) via the intranet page. 

Working with Interpreters video resources available:

• Assessing the Need for an Interpreter
• Risks Around Using Family and Friends to Interpret
• Working with On-site Interpreters
• Working with Telephone Interpreters
• Working with Interpreters for Family Meetings
• Resistance to Interpreter by Patient or Family
• Briefing Interpreter and Cultural Awareness

Multicultural Access Point (MAP)

The Multicultural Access Point (MAP) site is a quick and easy way to find information and services for migrants and former humanitarian entrants in Tasmania, including information on interpreting services, housing and accommodation, health, community, education, managing money, transport, and settlement support.

Community services

• Australian Red Cross - Tasmania Migration Support Program
   Promoting human rights, supporting migrants, and working towards a welcoming community that values diversity.
• Australian Red Cross - Bi-cultural Health Service 
  Health workers provide information and support to the communities through one-on-one conversations, group information sessions and community forums. Red Cross work in collaboration with local communities and services to provide health information and support.
• Australian Red Cross in partnership with Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health – Health in my Language program 
  Aims to improve vaccine literacy and decrease barriers to navigate the vaccination system for migrant and refugee communities.  
• Catholic Care Tasmania’s Multicultural Programs 
  Supporting people from multicultural backgrounds through a range of programs that assist in developing a sense of belonging and help new arrivals to participate confidently in society.
• Migrant Resource Centre – North 
  Assisting arrivals under Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Program. MRC also assists migrants seeking advice for eligible services including the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and other disability support.
• Migrant Resource Centre – Tasmania (MRC Tas) 
  Supporting the needs of migrants, humanitarian entrants, and refugees through effective, targeted, and meaningful services, including the Phoenix Centre, a specialist mental health service, and MRC Tas Aged Care Services and Multicultural Youth Tasmania. MYT has services and projects to support young people aged up to 25 years from multicultural backgrounds to reach their full potential and thrive as active members of the Tasmanian community.
• Multicultural Council of Tasmania  
  Advocating for and supporting a diverse multicultural community in Tasmania.
• Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) 
   An interpreting service provided by the Department of Home Affairs for people who do not speak English and for agencies and businesses that need to communicate with their non-English speaking clients. The site has information for interpreters, agencies, and community members.
• Water Well Project 
  Improving the health of communities from migrant, refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds in Australia with free, interactive and inclusive health education sessions facilitated by volunteer healthcare professionals.