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Celebrating Welsh Language Rights Day

Published  07/12/23

 

Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) is proud to celebrate Welsh Language Rights Day.

Welsh Language Rights Day is held annually in December and marks the date on which the Welsh Language Measure was passed by Parliament. The measure confirms that the use of Welsh language should be treated equally and not less favourably than the English language in Wales.

As the healthcare training provider for staff and health boards across NHS Wales, we fulfil this commitment by offering all courses, information, training and services in both Welsh and English. The importance of the Welsh language carries through to our staff too, with over 60 employees learning to speak Welsh via virtual lessons on a weekly basis.

Huw Owen, Welsh Language Manager at HEIW says:

“Although it is a fundamental right for Welsh speakers to receive services through the medium of Welsh, our provision of Welsh services at HEIW is driven by a far more specific goal – we know that receiving a service in the patients’ language of choice does lead to better clinical outcomes. Some people can only interact with healthcare givers in the Welsh language – and so to receive the most effective healthcare, we have to be able to provide services in Welsh. This is the fundamental reason for doing things bilingually – and a person’s right to receive this service follows naturally out of that basic need.”

To help promote the use of Welsh language, we are participating in the 'Defnyddia dy Gymraeg' (Use your Welsh) campaign which takes place between 27 November and 11 December. The purpose of this campaign is to highlight the importance of the Welsh language and to boost confidence in people to use it.

Here are some conversational starters for you to try:

  • Bore da – Good morning
  • Prynhawn da - Good afternoon
  • Siwmae - Hi
  • Hwyl - Bye

And there's more to come in 2024...

In health and social care, Welsh language service provision is not only a right or a choice, but it’s an essential need for many Welsh speaking patients and service users.

In partnership with Social Care Wales, HEIW is looking forward to continuing our support for Welsh Government’s ‘More than just words’ campaign, which aims to ensure that Welsh speakers can access the health and social care services they need.