Why doc at English hospital has learned to speak in Welsh

‘I HOPE THIS WILL IMPROVE THE CARE FOR N.WALES FAMILIES’

ADOCTOR in Liverpool has decided to learn Welsh in order to communicate with patients and families from North Wales.

Alder Hey Hospital and the Women’s Hospital in Liverpool are the nearest women and baby specialist hospitals for many families that live in the north of Wales.

After realising that many spoke Welsh as their first language Dr Jonathan Hurst decided to learn the language in order to provide more support for families during difficult times.

The doctor, who is originally from Stockport but lives on the Wirral, has been learning Welsh for two years and said he had always been captivated by the beauty of the language.

“As a child I used to travel a lot to North Wales to take part in various athletic competitions,” he said.

“I have always had a keen interest in languages but it was Welsh that truly fascinated me. Seeing as I was brought up in England, however, I couldn’t get any Welsh lessons.

“It was only when I started working as a doctor at Alder Hey and the Women’s Hospital that I decided I had to learn Welsh.

“We get a lot of premature babies or those that are very sick after birth, many of which were either supposed to be born in North Wales or are from North Wales.

“In some instances, when I’m looking after a family, their first language is Welsh.

“There was one family in particular, about two years ago, that really motivated me to learn more than ever.

“It was obvious that Welsh was their first language and I felt guilty about not being able to speak to them in their first language.

“I feel it’s important that we acknowledge that Welsh is their natural language, especially in a situation that is already so difficult and stressful – dealing with a premature birth or a sick child.

“It was important to me that I could speak with them in their first language and give them some comfort.”

From then onwards Dr Hurst started learning Welsh by using the language apps Duolingo and Say Something in Welsh as much as he could. In the summer of 2020 he registered for courses with the National Centre for Learning Welsh and Nant Gwrtheyrn.

Although the language’s mutations and various ways of saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ proved difficult at first the doctor has now reached a point where he is comfortable enough to carry a conversation in Welsh. “I wear a lanyard at work with ‘Cymru’ written on it,” he said.

“This is always a great starting point of conversation with families that speak Welsh. They’ll always ask: ‘Do you speak Welsh?’

“At first I was nervous speaking in the language so at first I would keep to simple sentences such as greeting them or asking them how they were. But over time, especially after attending classes last year, I felt so much more confident. Now I’ve started to thinking in Welsh when I speak the language.

“A lot of families feel confident speaking to me in their first language and they appreciate my use of the language. If speaking Welsh can make those families feel just a little bit better then I will do that. I hope this can improve the care and experience that I provide for these families.”

One family that was pleased to hear the Welsh language in Liverpool Women’s Hospital was Becca Parry and her partner Gethin Jones from Botwnnog in Pen Llyn.

In October 2020 their first child, Morgan, was born 13 weeks prematurely. At the time of his birth at Liverpool Women’s Hospital Morgan weighed one pound and six ounces.

Becca, Gethin, and their baby would spend four months overall in and out of hospitals in Liverpool.

“It was such a lonely time,” Becca explained. “I was so far away from home and from my family. I was on my own for some parts as well because of the Covid restrictions that were in place at the time.

“I remember Dr Jonathan Hurst coming into the room one day and the first thing I noticed was that he was wearing a Welsh lanyard. I told him that I liked his lanyard and then we just started speaking in Welsh.

“I think he appreciated the fact that we were speaking in Welsh because it meant good practice for him. But for us it was so comforting.

“It was like a piece of home was there with us. Even the nurses and other doctors made the extra effort and gave us Christmas and birthday cards in Welsh or used the Duolingo app. Even just a few Welsh words meant a lot for us.

“It was Gethin’s birthday at one point while we were there and I’ll never forget Dr Hurst coming into our room and singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to him in Welsh. That was such a thoughtful and lovely gesture.”