“I’m Marta, I’m from Poland and at 18 years old I came to England to get a job to earn money for my family. Within two months of being here and enjoying my first time away from home with my new friends, I began to grow concerned when I missed a period. I was very frightened, because at the time I didn’t speak very much English. I was able to confide in one of my friends about my fears and she told me to go the local Sexual Health Clinic.

I was terrified: I wasn’t sure how I could get the staff at the clinic to understand me, but when I arrived I saw a screen that had options in various languages including Polish. By touching the screen, I could answer questions and complete details in my own language. The screen advised me to see a nurse at the clinic and asked if I required an interpreter to attend the appointment. I chose yes, because I was so worried about not understanding what was happening to me. The screen then told me that it was going to print a ticket that I needed to give to the receptionist, which would describe my symptoms and explain that I needed an interpreter. I took the ticket and headed to reception.

The receptionist took the ticket from me and booked me an appointment with a nurse and arranged for an interpreter to attend with me. I was extremely relieved. I was expecting my visit to the clinic to be difficult, not only was I scared about the prospect of being pregnant and alone, I was extremely concerned about how I would explain my symptoms to the clinic and get the help I needed from them. My fears and concerns went away very quickly during my first visit to the clinic."

The technology behind Marta's experience within the Sexual Health Clinic is known as Smart Clinic and it has been specifically designed and developed to work within Sexual Health Clinics. For more information please call 0116 232 4640 or email annie.taylor@voiceconnect.co.uk.