{
  "abstract": "Background Language barriers disproportionately affect access to cardiovascular services among ethnic minorities in the UK. Non-English-speaking patients frequently experience delayed diagnoses, have lower treatment adherence, and worse CVD outcomes. These inequalities are compounded by underuse of interpreter services, institutional bias, and communication gaps in routine care.Aim To identify structural and communication barriers in cardiovascular service access among minority patients, and to co-design an intervention that promotes culturally appropriate, linguistically accessible care.Methods This service development project will employ a mixed-methods approach across 2 NHS Trusts.Retrospective audit of interpreter bookings and missed appointments (2023–2024) to quantify service access gaps. Preliminary data collection is underway.Semi-structured interviews with 10 minority patients and 5 cardiovascular clinicians to explore the use of interpreters, unmet needs, and perceived service quality.Participatory co-design workshops with community members and NHS staff to develop a visual and language-accessible communication toolkit.Pilot implementation of the toolkit across two NHS sites, with frontline staff training and integration into routine care.Evaluation of the pilot’s impact on appointment attendance, interpreter uptake, patient understanding, and staff-reported communication confidence.Results Expected findings include structural underutilisation of interpreting services, over-reliance on family members, and culturally unsafe communication practices. The toolkit aims to increase interpreter service uptake across pilot sites, reduce missed appointments by 25% to support patient-informed decision-making. Findings will inform toolkit refinement and local service policy. Figure 1 illustrates the pathway and impact domains.Abstract MP2 Figure 1Phases and timeline of a service development project to improve cardiovascular access for non-English speaking patientsConclusion Language-based exclusion remains a significant driver of cardiovascular health inequality. This project will produce a community-informed, scalable intervention to improve service equity across the NHS cardiovascular care pathway. Anticipated beneficiaries include minority patients, frontline staff, and healthcare systems aiming to reduce missed appointments and improve care outcomes.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Araya Gautam"
    }
  ],
  "title": "MP2 Co-designing language-accessible cardiovascular care: addressing inequalities in NHS services for minority patients",
  "uid": "9bce59e5-8613-56dc-affd-bec0119872bd"
}