Blog: How learning my national language has helped my Parkinson's service delivery

I was born and raised in North Wales and studied for and completed my physiotherapy training in England, where I spent around 15 years. I moved back to Wales while I was pregnant with my son, and after a couple of years I secured a job as a physiotherapist at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. I’m now based at Glan Clwyd Hospital in the neuro outpatient department, supporting people from Conwy and Denbighshire. I would say that over 60% of the caseload is made up of people with Parkinson's.

I've worked closely with a consultant here and we’ve agreed that she’ll refer newly diagnosed patients to me from diagnosis. It’s so much better to see someone at the beginning of their Parkinson’s journey and ensure they’re engaged when it comes to physical wellbeing. I also see people who have lived with Parkinson’s for a number of years, where we’re picking up issues and problem-solving as we go.

Becoming bilingual

A significant proportion of the North Wales population speak Welsh. I soon realised the importance of communicating in Welsh to patients once I started to learn Welsh myself.

My journey stemmed from a desire to support my son in his learning journey. He attends a Welsh language school and he's thriving. I can see how much he’s benefiting from speaking Welsh. It has opened so many doors for him. So I also started to learn the language to support him. I knew the Health Board delivered courses for its staff, so I went along and took the plunge.

More than just words

You tend to notice that many patients find attending hospital appointments a bit daunting. They may just see a big scary building, they may have struggled to find a place to park and they may not be sure where to go. And for Welsh speakers, when you speak a little bit of Welsh with them, you can visibly see their worries and stress evaporate.

It’s a way to build a relationship with Welsh-speaking patients. Once a Welsh speaker hears that I'm a Welsh learner, they often start to relax. This in turn means that I can provide a more person-centred service.

It’s more than just words. It’s understanding someone’s culture and background. You want to get the best out of them and offer them the best possible care. And more often than not for Welsh speakers, they want to be cared for through the medium of Welsh, if possible. They’re often able to express themselves much better in their native language, which means they can more accurately describe their symptoms and experiences.

I always try to offer a welcome in Welsh and English and allow patients to choose the language we use from there. I’m comfortable having an informal chat in Welsh and I’m now working hard to ensure I can do a full assessment in Welsh in future.

Welsh learner of the year finalist

I’ve received so much support from the Welsh language team at the Health Board. It’s so important and such a priority for the Health Board to promote and engage new learners. We have regular formal and informal sessions.

Sioned, one of the tutors here, nominated me for Welsh learner of the year at the 2025 National Eisteddfod, the largest cultural festival in Europe. I was also encouraged to nominate myself by my friend who runs a local community group in Prestatyn.

I was then invited for an interview with the 3 judges: the first time I took part in an interview in Welsh. It was absolutely mega! It was announced shortly afterwards that I was one of the 4 finalists. While I didn’t win, the day itself at the Eisteddfod in Wrexham was fantastic, enriching and amazing. I was giving interviews, taking part in panel sessions and social media activity, all in Welsh. It was such a lovely experience. I was really out of my comfort zone, especially speaking Welsh in front of an audience, but it was amazing for my learning journey. 

Find out more about the Eisteddfod.

Advice to other health professionals about learning Welsh

If you're a Wales-based NHS professional and don't already speak the language, learning Welsh is worth so much even if you’re just able to offer a couple of words to your patients such as "Bore da" (good morning) or "Croeso" (welcome).

It's really hard to learn a language and requires so much time and effort. But you can really see the value and how just a little effort can have such a positive impact on Welsh-speaking patients. It reaches out to patients and resonates deeply with them. Since starting my journey, I’ve completed online courses and been on residential events to improve my learning further. We’re lucky at the Health Board to have the support and can access amazing training resources to develop our skills. You can’t do it all on your own, you’ve got to have a team behind you.