New Report Identifies Opportunities to Improve Health Care Access for Newcomers in Peterborough

Language barriers can create challenges for newcomers accessing health care, affecting their ability to communicate with providers, understand medical information, and navigate the health care system.

A new report, A Community-based Interpretation Strategy to Improve Newcomer Access to Health Care in Peterborough, Ontario, examines these challenges and identifies opportunities to improve access to interpretation services and strengthen communication between newcomer patients and health care providers.

The report is the result of a joint project involving the Peterborough Newcomer Health Clinic (PNHC), New Canadians Centre Peterborough (NCC), and Peterborough Family Health Team (PFHT), with funding from the Peterborough Ontario Health Team (POHT). Dr. Madura Sundareswaran co-led the project, and the report was prepared by Mary Anne Martin.

Between January and June 2026, the project conducted a community-based needs assessment that gathered perspectives from newcomer patients, health care providers, and community organizations. The assessment also examined existing interpretation services, translation tools, and practices to better understand local challenges and opportunities for improvement.

Key Findings and Recommendations

The report identifies challenges and opportunities related to accessing interpretation services in Peterborough and outlines recommendations to support more effective, accessible, and coordinated communication in health care settings.

Key recommendations include:

• Organizational commitments and interpretation policies: Encouraging health care organizations to establish clear commitments and policies that support equitable access to interpretation services.
• Continuity of interpretation: Making interpretation available throughout the patient journey, including when scheduling appointments, accessing services, receiving care, and understanding follow-up instructions.
• Patient-centred care: Recognizing that interpretation needs and preferences vary between individuals and adapting approaches to reflect each patient's circumstances.
• Training and education: Supporting health care professionals, staff, and volunteers in understanding interpretation practices and effectively working with interpreters.
• Lived experience engagement: Creating opportunities for newcomer patients to provide feedback and help inform improvements to interpretation services.

The report also emphasizes the importance of collaboration between local health care organizations, sharing resources and knowledge, and evaluating interpretation practices to support ongoing improvements.

These recommendations provide a foundation for future efforts to address language barriers and strengthen equitable access to health care for newcomers in Peterborough.

Read the full report here: