Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) for NHS, Crown Court and business in 225+ languages

Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) is real-time spoken-language interpreting delivered over secure video link — the interpreter joins remotely while you and the other party speak. VRI is widely used in NHS Trust appointments, Crown Court and Magistrates' hearings, Home Office immigration interviews and business meetings where same-day language access is needed. Sessions typically run on video platforms with end-to-end encryption (Zoom, Teams, Webex) for confidential sessions. VRI is distinct from Remote Simultaneous Interpreting (RSI), which is conference-scale booth-based simultaneous interpreting, and from Over-the-Phone Interpreting (OPI), which is audio-only.

NHS Trusts, CCGs/ICBs and Foundation Trusts have a statutory duty under the Equality Act 2010 and NHS Act 2006 to provide language access, and many procure VRI through the NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) framework agreement. Ecrivus aligns to NHS SBS interpreter standards: DBS-checked, safeguarding-trained, GDPR-UK and Data Protection Act 2018 compliant. We support clinic appointments, mental-health assessments, safeguarding interviews and care-home reviews. NHS Scotland's 30-second dial-up benchmark is the industry expectation we work towards — actual dispatch time is confirmed in your quote based on language and time of booking. Family, friends and children should never interpret in clinical settings.

Yes — interpreters working in NHS, child-protection, safeguarding or any setting where contact with children or vulnerable adults is likely are DBS-checked, including enhanced disclosure where required. DBS-check status is confirmed at booking. For child-protection, mental-health and safeguarding interviews we deploy interpreters with safeguarding-trained credentials in addition to language and sector match. NDA on every project is our default position on every assignment.

Yes — VRI is a recognised mode of language interpretation that supports public-sector duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the NHS Act 2006 obligation to provide accessible communication. Both statutes require organisations to remove communication barriers for people whose preferred language is not English. VRI provides scheduled or short-lead remote spoken-language interpreting that meets this duty in clinical, legal and public-service contexts. For specific procurement frameworks, NHS SBS lists pre-qualified suppliers; Ecrivus aligns to the same interpreter quality standards.

VRI sessions run on Zoom Healthcare, Microsoft Teams or Cisco Webex — all with vendor end-to-end encryption — and we are GDPR-UK and Data Protection Act 2018 compliant. Encryption is a capability of the video platform, not Ecrivus's own technology. We work to your IT and information-governance team's preferred platform; if your organisation has its own clinical-grade or legal-grade VRI portal we connect via that. NDA on every project is our default position and confidentiality protocols are confirmed before the session.

Dispatch time is confirmed in your quote — we work to NHS Scotland's 30-second dial-up benchmark for high-frequency languages and confirm specific availability in writing for rarer pairs. Common languages (Mandarin, Polish, Romanian, Arabic, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Spanish, French, Tigrinya) are typically available same-day. Rare language pairs — drawn from our 10,000+ linguists in our network — may require scheduling; we confirm availability and dispatch time in writing as part of the quote. We do not publish blanket dispatch SLAs.

No — Ecrivus provides spoken-language VRI only. For British Sign Language we refer you to specialist BSL providers such as SignSolutions InterpretersLive, SignVideo or Signalise Co-op. BSL is a separate language-service category requiring different qualifications and Deaf-led provision. Conflating BSL VRI with spoken-language VRI is a common procurement error; we are explicit about scope so you reach the right specialist. For mixed-need bookings (for example a meeting requiring both Mandarin and BSL) we coordinate alongside a BSL provider.

VRI works well for shorter hearings, video-link applications and immigration interviews; on-site interpreting is usually preferred for jury trials, vulnerable-witness testimony and settings needing full body-language reading. We work with HMCTS-aligned interpreters drawn from the NRPSI register where applicable, and align to MoJ interpretation guidance. For Crown Court trials and Magistrates' contested hearings we typically recommend on-site; for first appearances, sentencing video-link, tribunal hearings and police-interview link-up VRI is appropriate. NDA on every project is our default position.