Prestige Network has won a major new contract to provide language services to NHS Gloucestershire.
The one-year contract (with an optional one-year extension) is to provide interpreters and translators 24/7 from 1 July 2009. It was won following a three-way pitch and is an exclusive contract, meaning that all interpreting and translating for NHS Gloucestershire now goes through Prestige Network.
Shawn Khorassani, Business Development Director of language services provider Prestige Network, said: "Gloucestershire is a large county in terms of geographic spread and this contract means that we will be able to provide valuable support to the whole of NHS Gloucestershire and its local communities in a wide range of languages. We currently provide language services to NHS services throughout the country and are glad to be able to be of service in Gloucestershire.
"Before starting to use Prestige Network, NHS Gloucestershire used a variety of sources for its language service support. It was keen to consolidate its approach - using one provider gives the organisation better control and is more cost-effective. We are obviously very pleased to have been chosen for this over the other providers who entered the tender process."
About 12 companies originally bid for the contract, but this was slimmed down to a final three presentations.
A spokesperson for NHS Gloucestershire said: "Prestige Network was chosen for a number of reasons. The company was extremely technically competent, both in its tender submission and presentation. The company’s tender submission was also competitive in terms of cost. We felt that Prestige Network’s approach showed that their staff best understood our requirements - we are confident that they will be a safe pair of hands. The evaluation panel was very impressed by all aspects of the tender submission and the final decision was arrived at quite quickly.
"NHS Gloucestershire is committed to equality of care for everyone who uses our services. Appropriate communication and accessible information are an essential part of ensuring that people receive the same quality of services, without discrimination."
All staff within NHS Gloucestershire are being supplied with ‘A short guide to accessing interpreting and translation services’ pamphlet and procedural document, outlining how to use the Prestige Network service. The pamphlet confirms that NHS Gloucestershire has contracts with three providers: Gloucestershire Deaf Association for face-to-face BSL interpreting; Gloucestershire Chinese Women’s Guild for face-to-face interpreting in Cantonese, Hakka and Mandarin; Prestige Network for all other interpreting or translation needs.
EUROPEAN LANGUAGES
Albanian, Armenian, Bosnian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Catalan
Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish
Flemish, French, Gaelic, Georgian, German, Greek, Icelandic
Kosovan, Hungarian, Italian, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian
Macedonian, Maltese,Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian
Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Ukrainian, Uzbek, Welsh.
ASIAN LANGUAGES
Bahasa, Burmese, Cantonese, Chinese, ChiuChou, Japanese, Fujianese,
Hakka, Hokkian, Ilocano, Indonesian, Khmer, Korean, Malaysian
Mandarin, Mongolian, Tagalog, Taiwanese, Tibetan, Teowchew, Thai,
Vietnamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Gurani, Hindi, Kannada, Kutchi,
Malayalam, Marathi, Mauritian, Mirpuri, Nepali, Pahari, Pothowari
Punjabi, Seriaki, Sylheti, Tamil, Urdu. Middle
EASTERN LANGUAGES
Arabic, Azari, Farsi, Dari, Hebrew, Kashmiri, Kurdish (Badini, Kurmanji, Sorani)
Pashto, Turkish, Yiddish African Languages Acholi, Afrikaans, Amharic
Baga, Bambara, Bandi, Banyangi, Bassa, Berber, Blin, Bravanese, ChiChewa
Chiluba, Dioula, Djoula, Edo, Eritrean, Fulla, Fanti, Ghanaian, Gullah
Harari, Hausa, Ibo, Kibajuni, Kikongo, Kikuyu, Kimbundu, Kinyarwanda
Kirundi, Kiswahili, Krio, Koniankaka, Lango, Limba, Lingala, Ln, Luganda
Luhya, Luo, Malinke, Mandingo, Mandinka, Mende, Moroccan, Ndebele
Oromo, Othjiherero, Papiamento, Patois, Pidgin, Pulaar, Shona, Somali
Sosso, Swahili, Swati, Telugu, Temne, Tigrian, Tomamanian, Tshiluba
Tsonga, Tswana, Twi, Urhobo, Xhosa, Yoruba, Zulu.
SOUTH AMERICAN LANGUAGES
Aymara, Guaraní, Portuguese, Quechua, Spanish.
ENGLAND
1. Bedfordshire (Bedford, Luton, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Biggleswade, Sandy)
2. Berkshire (Reading, Bracknell, Maidenhead, Newbury, Windsor, Wokingham, Abingdon)
3. Buckinghamshire (Aylesbury, Milton Keynes, Slough, Buckingham, High Wycombe)
4. Cambridgeshire (Cambridge, Wisbech, Ely, March, Whittlesey, Chatteris, Linton)
5. Cheshire (Chester, Stockport, Birkenhead, Wallasey, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Crewe)
6. Cornwall (Bodmin, Truro, Camborne, Redruth, St. Austell, Falmouth, Penzance, Newquay)
7. Cumberland (Carlisle, Whitehaven, Workington, Penrith, Keswick, Brampton)
8. Derbyshire (Derby, Chesterfield, Ilkeston, Swadlincote, Buxton, Matlock, Ashbourne)
9. Devon (Exeter, Plymouth, Torquay, Paignton, Barnstaple, Tiverton, Newton Abbot, Tavistock)
10. Dorset (Dorchester, Poole, Weymouth, Sherborne, Wimborne Minster, Shaftesbury)
11. Durham (Durham, Sunderland, Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington, Hartlepool, Gateshead, Washington)
12. Essex (Chelmsford, Basildon, Romford, Southend, Colcheter, Harlow, Brentwood, West Ham)
13. Gloucestershire (Gloucester, Bristol, Cheltenham, Stroud, Cirencester, Tewkesbury)
14. Hampshire (Winchester, Southampton, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Basingstoke, Newport)
15. Herefordshire (Hereford, Ross-on-Wye, Leominster, Ledbury, Bromyard, Kington)
16. Hertfordshire (Hertford, Watford, St. Albans, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Hatfield)
17. Huntingdonshire (Huntingdon, St. Ives, St. Neots, Ramsey, Yaxley)
18. Kent (Maidstone, Canterbury, Bromley, Rochester, Margate, Folkestone, Dover, Greenwich)
19. Lancashire (Lancaster, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Bolton, Warrington, Barrow-in-Furness)
20. Leicestershire (Leicester, Loughborough, Hinckley, Melton Mowbray, Coalville, Lutterworth)
21. Lincolnshire (Lincoln, Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Boston, Grantham, Stamford, Skegness, Louth)
22. Middlesex (City of London, Harrow, Enfield, Staines, Ealing, Potters Bar, Westminster )
23. Norfolk (Norwich, Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn, Dereham, Cromer, Hunstanton)
24. Northamptonshire (Northampton, Peterborough, Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough)
25. Northumberland (Alnwick, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Morpeth, Hexham, Berwick-upon-Tweed)
26. Nottinghamshire (Nottingham, Mansfield, Worksop, Newark, Retford, Southwell)
27. Oxfordshire (Oxford, Banbury, Witney, Bicester, Henley-on-Thames, Carterton, Thame)
28. Rutland (Oakham, Uppingham. Cottesmore)
29. Shropshire (Shrewsbury, Telford, Oswestry, Bridgnorth, Whitchurch, Market Drayton, Ludlow)
30. Somerset (Taunton, Bath, Weston-super-Mare, Yeovil, Bridgwater, Wells, Glastonbury)
31. Staffordshire (Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Cannock, Lichfield)
32. Suffolk (Ipswich, Bury St. Edmunds, Lowestoft, Felixstowe, Sudbury, Haverhill, Bungay)
33. Surrey (Guildford, Croydon, Woking, Sutton, Kingston-on-Thames, Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Brixton)
34. Sussex (Chichester, Brighton, Worthing, Crawley, Hastings, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Horsham)
35. Warwickshire (Warwick, Birmingham, Coventry, Nuneaton, Rugby, Solihull, Stratford-upon-Avon)
36. Westmorland (Appleby, Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside, Kirkby Lonsdale)
37. Wiltshire (Trowbridge, Salisbury, Swindon, Chippenham, Devizes, Marlborough, Warminster)
38. Worcestershire (Worcester, Dudley, Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Halesowen, Malvern, Evesham)
39. Yorkshire
North Riding (Northallerton, Middlesbrough, Scarborough, Whitby)
East Riding (Beverley, Hull, Bridlington, Driffield, Hornsea, Filey)
West Riding (Wakefield, Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, Halifax, Harrogate)
York (within the Walls)
WALES
40. Anglesey/Sir Fon (Beaumaris, Holyhead, Llangefni, Amlwch, Menai Bridge)
41. Brecknockshire/Sir Frycheiniog (Brecon, Builth Wells, Hay-on-Wye, Talgarth, Llanwrtwd Wells)
42. Caernarfonshire/Sir Gaernarfon (Caernarfon, Bangor, Llandudno, Conwy, Pwllheli, Porthmadog)
43. Carmarthenshire/Sir Gaerfyrddin (Carmarthen, Llanelli, Ammanford, Llandovery, Kidwelly, St. Clears)
44. Cardiganshire/Ceredigion (Cardigan, Aberystwyth, Lampeter, New Quay, Tregaron)
45. Denbighshire/Sir Ddinbych (Denbigh, Wrexham, Ruthin, Abergele, Llangollen)
46. Flintshire/Sir Fflint (Mold, Flint, Rhyl, Prestatyn, Connah's Quay, Holywell, Buckley, St. Asaph)
47. Glamorgan/Morgannwg (Cardiff, Swansea, Merthyr Tydfil, Barry, Caerphilly, Bridgend, Neath, Pontypridd)
48. Merioneth/Meirionnydd (Dolgellau, Bala, Tywyn, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Barmouth, Harlech)
49. Monmouthshire/Sir Fynwy (Monmouth, Newport, Blackwood, Cwmbran, Abergavenny, Chepstow, Tredegar)
50. Montgomeryshire/Sir Drefaldwyn (Montgomery, Newtown, Welshpool, Machynlleth, Llanidloes)
51. Pembrokeshire/Sir Benfro (Pembroke, Milford Haven, Haverfordwest, Fishguard, Tenby, St. David's)
52. Radnorshire/Sir Faesyfed (Presteigne, Llandrindod Wells, Knighton, Rhayader, New Radnor)
SCOTLAND
53. Aberdeenshire (Aberdeen, Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Inverurie, Huntley, Ellon, Turriff)
54. Angus/Forfarshire (Forfar, Dundee, Arbroath, Brechin, Montrose, Carnoustie, Kirriemuir)
55. Argyllshire (Inveraray, Oban, Dunoon, Campbeltown, Lochgilphead, Tobermory)
56. Ayrshire (Ayr, Kilmarnock, Irvine, Saltcoats, Kilwinning, Largs, Troon, Cumnock)
57. Banffshire (Banff, Buckie, Keith, Macduff, Portsoy, Dufftown)
58. Berwickshire (Greenlaw, Duns, Eyemouth, Lauder, Coldstream)
59. Buteshire (Rothesay, Millport, Brodick, Lochranza)
60. Cromartyshire (Cromarty, Ullapool)
61. Caithness (Wick, Thurso, Halkirk, Castletown)
62. Clackmannanshire (Clackmannan, Alloa, Tillicoultry, Tullibody)
63. Dumfriesshire (Dumfries, Annan, Lockerbie, Moffat, Sanquhar, Langholm, Gretna)
64. Dunbartonshire/Dumbartonshire (Dumbarton, Clydebank, Cumbernauld, Helensburgh, Alexandria, Kirkintilloch)
65. East Lothian/Haddingtonshire (Haddington, North Berwick, Dunbar, Tranent, East Linton)
66. Fife (Cupar, Dunfermline, Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy, St. Andrews, Cowdenbeath, Burntisland)
67. Inverness-shire (Inverness, Fort William, Kingussie, Newtonmore, Portree)
68. Kincardineshire (Stonehaven, Banchory, Laurencekirk, Inverbervie)
69. Kinross-shire (Kinross, Milnathort)
70. Kirkcudbrightshire (Kircudbright, Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie, New Galloway)
71. Lanarkshire (Lanark, Glasgow, East Kilbride, Hamilton, Motherwell, Coatbridge, Carluke)
72. Midlothian/Edinburghshire (Edinburgh, Musselburgh, Penicuik, Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg)
73. Morayshire (Elgin, Forres, Rothes, Lossiemouth, Fochabers)
74. Nairnshire (Nairn, Auldearn, Cawdor, Ferness)
75. Orkney (Kirkwall, Sromness, Balfour)
76. Peeblesshire (Peebles, Innerleithen, West Linton)
77. Perthshire (Perth, Crieff, Pitlochry, Callander, Blairgowrie, Rattray, Coupar Angus, Kincardine)
78. Renfrewshire (Renfrew, Paisley, Greenock, Johnstone, Port Glasgow, Barrhead, Kilmalcolm)
79. Ross-shire (Dingwall, Stornaway, Tain, Alness, Invergorden)
80. Roxburghshire (Jedburgh, Hawick, Kelso, Melrose, Roxburgh)
81. Selkirkshire (Selkirk, Clovenfords, Galashiels)
82. Shetland (Lerwick, Scalloway, Baltasound)
83. Stirlingshire (Stirling, Falkirk, Grangemouth, Kilsyth, Bridge of Allan, Denny, Alva)
84. Sutherland (Dornoch, Helmsdale, Brora, Golspie, Lairg, Durness, Tongue)
85. West Lothian/Linlithgowshire (Linlithgow, Livingston, Bo'ness, Broxburn, Whitburn, Armadale, Bathgate)
86. Wigtownshire (Wigtown, Stranraer, Newton Stewart, Whithorn)
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