A study was carried out in 2001 that tried to reflect the current situation of social interpreting in health centers in Northern Ireland. The conclusions obtained could be considered disheartening. Even though Northern Ireland is part of Great Britain, the practice of social interpreting in its medical centers is far from reflecting the initiatives that were taken throughout the 1980s by the Institute of Linguists in England. In the few situations in which interpreting is needed to aid in communication between health authorities and patients, what often happens is that the patient comes accompanied by a relative, or it is the hospital staff that ends up interpreting for the patient, or any number of possibilities which do not include the use of professional interpreters. This precariousness is due to a series of factors which come together in the case of Northern Ireland and that have impeded the development of the practice of interpreting in public services in this region.