Family, friends, carers and partners
You are welcome to bring your partner, relatives or friends for support at your appointments or during your stay at hospital but they should not be an interpreter for you. A trained interpreter must be engaged to ensure that you understand the information, procedures or surgery that is discussed with you.
With the assistance of a qualified interpreter the health professional will be able to understand the questions you have about your care.
Booking an interpreter
If you want to make sure that an interpreter will be at your first appointment, you can phone Mater using the Telephone Interpreter Service (TIS) on 13 14 50 a week before your appointment and we will check if an interpreter has been booked. If an interpreter has not been booked for you already, we can organise one for you.
If you are unable to attend your appointment at a clinic, or need to change the time, please contact the clinic as soon as possible (using TIS 13 14 50) so that another appointment can be made for you. Please tell the clinic that an interpreter had been booked for you and they will cancel the interpreter.