Community pharmacies invited to pilot sign language translation app

Scottish community pharmacies are among sites where a new video remote interpreting (VRI) app — which provides live British Sign Language (BSL) translation — will be piloted. The app, which can be downloaded by patients, is part of the Scottish government-funded Contact Scotland BSL service. It provides unlimited free video calls to registered BSL interpreters, helping BSL users to communicate with hearing people who do not know sign language. The Scottish government is piloting the use of the app across retail sites from 5 October 2026. In a letter sent to chief executives of NHS boards on 21 September 2026, Alison Strath, chief pharmaceutical officer for Scotland, said: “Community pharmacy has been identified as a suitable test environment for users to test the service in, allowing people who use BSL to access pharmacy services independently and effectively.” The pilot is part of Scottish government’s “commitment to improving accessibility and reducing health inequalities”, she added. App users access the translation service by scanning a QR code on their phone and then entering the name of the pharmacy. The letter outlining the service incudes a public-facing poster with the QR code and instructions for use, which can be downloaded and displayed in community pharmacies who wish to participate. There are no costs to any pharmacies participating in the pilot. Commenting on the scheme, Adam Osprey, head of policy and development at Community Pharmacy Scotland, said: “Community pharmacy teams support everyone in their community by providing access to vital healthcare services. “Communication is key to arriving at the best possible outcome in partnership with the people our teams look after, and each business has decades of experience of working with those who face communication challenges. “We are pleased to see that this initiative seeks to enhance the experience of people who use BSL and, in doing so, we expect that pharmacy teams will have even greater confidence that they are understanding and meeting the needs of the people in their surrounding areas.”