LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND PSYCHIATRIC-SERVICES - A SURVEY OF VICTORIAN CLINICAL STAFF

In planning psychiatric services for non-English speaking immigrant co mmunities it is essential to know what resources are available for the implementation of service plans. A survey of 991 professionals from a variety of disciplines working in Victorian state operated inpatient and community psychiatric services demonstrates that, although there i s a substantial number of bilingual clinicians working in the system, there is a poor match between languages spoken by patient groups and c linicians, infrequent contact between bilingual clinicians and patient s speaking the same language, and inadequate availability of interpret ing services. Clinicians' knowledge of cultural issues relevant to ass essment and treatment is inadequate, and there is some enthusiasm amon g clinical staff for remedying this deficiency. Clinicians express the opinions that services to non-English speaking patients are inferior, and clinical outcome is worse than for the Australian-born. There app ears to be general support for changes which would seek to more adequa tely meet the psychiatric service needs of immigrants.