12 July 2025
Business Services Organisation (BSO) colleagues from the Leadership Centre and Family Practitioner Services (FPS) attended the launch of the ‘Make My Voice Heard’ Report at Parliament Buildings, Stormont on 21 May 2025. The Report commissioned by the Department of Health (DoH), outlines experiences of women seeking international protection accessing Health & Social Care (HSC) in Northern Ireland.
The Personal and Public Involvement (PPI) project was led by a Steering group, chaired by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, with representation from four Health and Social Care Trusts, the Public Health Agency (PHA). The office for the Mental Health Champion NI. Nineteen sessions were conducted regionally with input from 167 women representing fifteen nationalities.
Bronagh Mahon CPsych (LC Consultant), Sandra McCarry (LC Principal Consultant) and Emily Docherty (LC Organisational Development Advisor) were responsible for facilitating engagement and collation of the report, supporting an independent approach that encouraged contributors to share openly. The Leadership Centre and BSO Interpreting Services, worked together throughout the project to ensure that interpreters were available for contributors, with language support in Arabic, Farsi, Ukrainian and Somali. BSO registered Interpreters were also present at the event. Interpreters were discussed within the sessions, with many sharing positive stories of when they have been supported:
“The interpreter was always there. They always brought one for me because I always had something new to say and they provided this.” ~ Woman in reference to requiring a Sudanese interpreter)
An extract from the report stated, “We also extend our appreciation to Business Services Organisation (BSO) Interpreting Services and the female interpreters who joined us across Northern Ireland and whose professionalism ensured that our contributors voices were conveyed” ~ Make My Voice Heard – DoH Report.
A number of recommendations are made in the report, for both the wider HSCNI and our own BSO Interpreting Service, which were agreed upon within the Steering group and accepted by the commissioner in the Department of Health (DoH).
In the launch of the report, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt commented~ “This report is a much-welcomed addition to the conversation on how we can collectively support integration in Northern Ireland. It will provide a significant evidence base as we move forward to commission support services and tackle health inequalities for those who have chosen to make Northern Ireland their home.”
The full report can be accessed here: Make My Voice Heard – Department of Health
