Glossary of terms

A&E

Accident and emergency department

A&E attendance

Terms used to describe what patients receive when they attend the acute hospital for urgent /non-elective/unplanned care.

Access(iblity)

The availability of NHS services – ‘getting the care you need’. A key theme in the NHS Plan. Also used in the context of modifications made to accommodate those with disabilities/impairments.

Accountability

Everything done by those who work in the NHS must be able to stand the test of parliamentary scrutiny, public judgements on propriety and professional codes of conduct.

Acute care

Care provided by the larger general hospitals.

Acute hospital

A hospital which provides a range of care that normally takes a short time to complete including accident and emergency, maternity, surgery, medical, x-ray, radiotherapy, and so on.

Acute services

Medical and surgical treatment provided mainly in hospitals.

Admissions

When a patient is admitted to hospital.

ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactive disorder

AHP

Allied health professionals. A diverse group of statutory-registered practitioners who deliver high quality care to patients across a wide range of care pathways and in a variety of settings, including physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

ALB

Arm’s length bodies

ALDOQ

Associate locality director of quality

Ambulatory care

Services where people do not stay in hospital overnight, for example, outpatients, x-ray, day surgery and medical diagnostics.

AMU

Acute medical unit

ANP

Advanced nurse practitioner

AO

The accountable officer was the title of the chief executive equivalent role in Clinical Commissioning Groups. CCGs closed on 30 June 2022 and Integrated Care Boards took on their responsibilities.

AOP

Annual operating plan. To identify, communicate and monitor progress on key priorities for the year that advance the strategic plan.

APCOS

Acute Primary Care Ophthalmology Service incorporating the Acute Eye Triage Service.

APHO

Association of Public Health Observatories

AQP

Any qualified provider. A procurement model that can be used to develop a register of providers (formerly known as any willing provider).  Providers must be qualified and meet standards and contract at an agreed price for them to have a contract with the NHS for patient care. They may provide services in a different way such as not in hospital.

ARA

Annual report and accounts

ARP

Ambulance Response Programme

ARR

Annual regulatory review

ASC / ASD

Autistic spectrum condition/autistic spectrum disorder

ASG

Antimicrobial stewardship group

ASH

Action on Smoking and Health: A campaigning public health charity

Assessment

Within the context of care planning, an assessment of a person’s health and social care needs. Considering the circumstances of an individual, family, group or community when looking at a future plan of action.

BABCP

British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapists

BAF

Board assurance framework (sometimes referred to as the assurance framework – AF). It is common practice across the UK public healthcare sector for the term 'board assurance framework (BAF)' to be used to refer to the key document used to record and report an organisation's key strategic objectives, risks, controls and assurances to the board.

BAME

Black, Asian and minority ethnic

BAU

Business as usual

BCF

Better Care Fund is a programme spanning both the NHS and local government which seeks to join-up health and care services, so people can manage their own health and wellbeing and live independently in their communities for as long as possible.

BCI

Business continuity incident

BCP

Business continuity plan

Beds

In the context of a hospital or community setting, the number of beds in a ward or department which refers to staffed beds used overnight.

Benchmarking

A method used by public sector organisations, charities and private companies for gauging their performance by comparing it to that of other organisations, typically of a similar size. Many organisations are now members of so called ‘benchmarking clubs’ in which they compare published and unpublished performance information.

BIT

Business Intelligence Team. (Previously SIT – Service Intelligence Team). A team that provides regular activity and finance data and will also provide information as requested.

BMA

British Medical Association: The professional medical association and trade union for doctors and medical students.

BMI

Body mass index

BNF

British National Formulary: A reference guide containing information and advice relating to prescribing and pharmacology re medicines available on the NHS.

BNFc

British National Formulary for children

Booked admissions

The NHS national booked admissions scheme is a style of booking system which enables patients to arrange convenient out-patient and in-patient admission dates, leading to fewer cancelled operations, less bureaucracy and more efficient use of NHS time and resources.

BSA

The NHS business services authority is a special health authority and an arm's length body of the Department of Health and Social Care, providing a range of critical central services to NHS organisations, NHS contractors, patients and the public.

BSI

Blood stream infection

Business cases

These are submitted to the ICB to seek approval for dis/investment into new/improved services/pathway. 

Business plan

A plan setting out the goals of an organisation and identifying the resources and actions needed to achieve them.

CAD

Computer-aided dispatch

C&B

Choose and book: A national electronic referral service which gives patients a choice of place, date and time for their first outpatient appointment in a hospital or clinic.

C&E

Communications and engagement: A team providing support in communicating and engaging with patients, carers, the public, GPs, nurses and other stakeholders. The team responds to media requests and manages all digital communications channels for the ICB, such as the public website and social media profiles.

Caldicott Guardian

All NHS organisations are required to appoint a Caldicott Guardian: A person who has a responsibility for policies that safeguard the confidentiality of patient information.

Caldicott standards

These are a set of standards that regulate the use of patient information throughout the NHS.

CAMHS

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

CaP

Contracting and procurement. (Previously ACT – acute contracting team). A team that supports managing contracts with providers and validating NHS numbers for invoices: a patient must live in Kent and Medway.

Care management

A system of organising care to vulnerable adults by local authority social services departments. It involves assessing needs, care planning, the organisation of care packages within available resources, monitoring and review and close involvement with service users and carers.

Care pathways

The route a patient will take from their first contact with a NHS member of staff (usually their GP), through referral, to the completion of their treatment. You can think of it as a timeline, on which every event relating to treatment can be entered.

Carer

One of six million informal carers that look after elderly, ill or disabled relatives or friends.

CAS

Central alert system (used for the management of incidents).

CASC

Clinical assessment of skills and competencies

CBT

Cognitive behavioural therapy

CCG

Clinical commissioning group; clinically-led statutory NHS body responsible for the planning and commissioning of healthcare services for their local area. CCGs were closed on 30 June 2022. Integrated Care Boards were established on 1 July 2022 and took on CCG responsibilities. 

CCP

Co-operation and competition panel

CCU

Coronary care unit: Dedicated unit for specialist coronary care.

CDiff

Clostridium difficile toxin

CDOP

Child death overview panel is a multi-agency panel that looks at all child deaths in a wider context than the earlier stages of a review.

CDU

Clinical decisions unit: Patients are referred who may require further investigations, procedures and stabilisation before being transferred to the most appropriate setting (e.g. ward or hospital or being discharged home).

CDW

Community development worker

CEPN

Community education provider network: A network which aims to coordinate primary, secondary and social care education and training.

CETR

Care education treatment review

CfCK

Change for Children Kent

CFO

Chief finance officer

CGPC

Chief GP commissioner

CHC

Continuing health care: Some people with long-term complex health needs qualify for free social care arranged and funded solely by the NHS. This is known as NHS continuing healthcare.

CHD

Chronic heart disease

Ch & YPS

Children and Young People’s Service (historically CaHMS)

CIC

Children in care

CLT

Community Liaison Team

CMHT

Community Mental Health Team

Clinical audit

A cyclical evaluation and measurement by health professionals of the clinical standards they are achieving.

Clinical governance

A framework through which NHS organisations are accountable for improving continuously the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care, by creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care will flourish.

Clinical negligence

A breach of duty by healthcare practitioners in the performance of their duties.

Clinical team

A clinical team may comprise of doctors, nurses and other health staff who provide services of a particular type, for example, audiology.

Clinician

A health professional who is directly involved in the care and treatment of patients, for example, nurses, doctors, therapists.

CMAU

Child mortality analysis unit

CNO

Chief nursing officer

CO

Chief officer

Collaborative

Working in partnership across organisations and with various groups.

Co-morbidity

Term used to signify multiple illnesses at the same time for one person.

Commission/ commissioning

Process in which the health service identifies local needs for services and assesses them against the available public and private sector provision. Priorities are decided and services are purchased from the most appropriate providers through contracts and service agreements. As part of the commissioning process services are subject to regular evaluation.

Commissioning cycle

The essential elements of effective and efficient planning are reflected in this.

Commissioning intentions

High level statements that outline the commissioning intentions for the financial year in terms of quality, financial dis/investment and in/decreases in activity.

Communities

Is a collective term referring to people who share identities, experiences or interests. This might include people living in the same locality, people sharing identities as members of a minority ethnic group or as disabled people, or people who share the experience of being a single parent or those living in similar economic demographics.

Community care

A network of services provided by social services departments of local authorities with the NHS and volunteers. It supports older people, people who have mental health problems, or people who have learning disabilities, who might previously have been in a long stay hospital - not to be confused with community health services.

Community health services

Care provided locally, designed to keep people out of hospital and providing treatment in or near their homes. It is normally given by district nurses, health visitors, community midwives and community psychiatric nurses, attached to general practice surgeries.

Competitive tender

Publicly run organisations requesting goods and services in as wide and competitive a market as practical.

Conflicts of interest

Occurs when an individual or organisation is involved in multiple interests. They may be considered as perceived or actual conflicts. GPs are providers and commissioners so these need to be taken seriously.

Contract management

The contract manages services with providers.

COO

Chief Operating Officer. An effective COO combines broad operational knowledge with strategic planning and plays a key role in the provision of consistent care.

COP

Close of play

COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Corporate governance

The rules and regulations within which an organisation works to ensure probity and accountability.

COT

Community Ophthalmology Team

CP-IS

Child protection information system

CPMS

Care plan management system; the system aims to improve your care by making it possible for clinicians treating you to view information about your health electronically.

CQC

Care Quality Commission, Health and social care inspectorate which replaced the Healthcare Commission in April 2009.

CQUIN

Commissioning for quality and innovation. The CQUIN payment framework enables commissioners to reward excellence, by linking a proportion of English healthcare providers' income to the achievement of local quality improvement goals.

CRCG

Community recovery care group

CRR

Corporate Risk Register is a mechanism to manage high level risks facing the organisation from a strategic, clinical and business risk perspective.

CRU

Central referral unit

Cruse

A bereavement services provider

CS

Company secretary

CSE

Childhood sexual exploitation

CSG

Clinical strategy group; in response to a locally set vision for clinical services, a group of suitably qualified individuals who help develop strategy to support physical/mental health, wellness and promote individuals independence for as long as possible.

CSU

Commissioning support unit provides external support, specialist skills and knowledge to other NHS organisations, for example by providing business intelligence services.

CT

Computerised tomography

CTG

Cardiotocography

CYP

Child or young person/children and young people

Day case admission

Day case patients are admitted for care or treatment which can be completed in a few hours and do not require a hospital bed overnight.  Normally describes what patients receive when they attend the acute hospital for planned/elective care.

DCO

Designated clinical officer

Delayed discharge

Where patients fit for discharge remain in acute hospital beds when other suitable forms of care are not provided.

Delayed discharge rate

The proportion of patients occupying a hospital bed who are ready for discharge.

Demographic trends

Changes in age, sex and size of the population over time.

Deprivation

A measure of material poverty based on a number of criteria such as income, economic circumstances, environment.

DES

Directed enhanced service contract for GPs

DHR

Domestic homicide review is a multi-agency review of the circumstances in which the death of a person aged 16 or over has, or appears to have, resulted from violence, abuse or neglect by a person to whom they were related or with whom they were, or had been, in an intimate personal relationship, or a member of the same household as themselves. Since 13 April 2011 there has been a statutory requirement for local areas to conduct a DHR following a domestic homicide that meets the criteria.

DHTO

Department of Health (DH) transition office

DIPC

Director of Infection, Prevention and Control – every provider organisation has one.

Direct access

An arrangement for GPs to make use of facilities in a hospital. These can include laboratory investigations, x-rays, physiotherapy, and so on, without reference to a third party such as a consultant.

DMG

Decision making group

DNA

Did not attend

DNR / DNACPR

‘Do not resuscitate / do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation’ is an order on a patient's file which means a doctor should not attempt to resuscitate a patient if their heart stops. It is designed to prevent unnecessary suffering.

DOI

Declaration of interest

DOLs

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguarding Scheme

DORIS

Document organisation, referral and information service. Platform used by practices in West Kent containing a range of forms and guidance material for clinical and non-clinical tasks.

DPH/DoPH

Director of public health

DPIAs

Data protection impact assessments

DQIP

Data quality improvement plan

DST

Decision support tool; document which helps record an individual’s care needs. Used to determine if that individual qualifies for additional support, such as NHS continuing healthcare funding.

DTOC

Delayed transfer of care from an NHS funded acute or non-acute care occurs when an adult patient is ready to go home but continues to occupy a bed.

DVH

Darent Valley Hospital, Dartford

DwSI

Dentists with a special interest. They work as part of the Kent and Medway IMOS service (Intermediate minor oral surgery service).

EBD

Excess bed day. Where patients exceed the length of stay.

ECG

Electrocardiograms

ECMO

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

ED

Emergency department

EDC

Executive development consultants

EDD

Estimated date of discharge. Discharge planning is used to describe how long patients stay in an acute hospital for either elective or non-elective care.

EDNs

Electronic discharge notes

EDS

Eating disorder service

EHCP

Education health care plan; is for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs support. EHCPs identify educational, health and social needs and set out the additional support to meet those needs.

EIA

Equality impact assessment: This is a tool used in evidence based policy or decision making. It ensures equality analysis is carried out as required by law (Equality Act 2010). They assess the actual or likely effect of policies/decisions on groups of people / those with protected characteristics.

EKHUFT

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

Elective care

Care that is planned in advance as a day case or inpatient.

Elective admission

A patient who is admitted from the waiting list.

Electronic booking

A system under development that will allow patients to make appointments directly and be able to obtain information on waiting times.

Emergency admission

A patient admitted to hospital at short notice because of clinical need or because alternative care is not available.

EMI

Elderly mental infirm

EMIS

Software application used in GP practices.

ENT

Ear, nose and throat

EOC

Emergency operations centre

EOL

End of life

EPACT

Electronic prescribing analysis costing

ePCR

Electronic patient clinical record

EPP

Expert patients programme – an NHS course for people living with long-term health conditions, to help them understand and manage their conditions.

EPRR

Emergency preparedness, resilience and response. The NHS needs to plan for, and respond to, a wide range of incidents and emergencies that could affect health or patient care. These could be anything from extreme weather conditions to an outbreak of an infectious disease or a major transport accident.

EPR

Electronic patient record - all patient information will be available electronically, on screen, at any hospital location, at any time. It will transform the way the NHS admits, treats and discharges patients.

EPS

Electronic prescription service. EPS allows prescribers to send prescriptions electronically to a dispenser (such as a pharmacy) of the patient's choice. This makes the prescribing and dispensing process more efficient and convenient for patients and staff.

ERF

Elective Recovery Fund:  The ERF is designed to support systems to work collaboratively to restore elective services against the backdrop of unprecedented demands on the service because of Covid-19.

ERRS

Enhanced Rapid Response Service, please see ‘Home Treatment Service’.

ESP

Extended scope physiotherapy

Essence of care

An initiative aimed at improving patient experience by identifying best practice in areas such as nutrition and privacy and dignity.

Executive directors

Board level senior management employees of the health authority or NHS trust who are accountable for carrying out the work of the organisation.

FDP

Financial delivery plan

FESC

Framework for procuring external support for commissioners

FFT

Friends and Family Test: The test was created to help service providers and commissioners understand whether patients are happy with the service provided, or where improvements are needed. It's a quick and anonymous way to give your views after receiving NHS care or treatment.

FGM

Female genital mutilation

FGM-IS

Female genital mutilation information system

FHS

Family Health Services. Services provided in the community through GPs, dentists, pharmacists

FNC

Funded nursing care rate

FOI

Freedom of information. The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides a right of access to a wide range of information held by public authorities, including the NHS. The purpose is to promote greater openness and accountability.

FOT

Forecast outturn/predicted spend against budget.

Foundation Trust

NHS foundation trusts were established as public interest organisations accountable to local people and free from Whitehall control. Drawing on models from co-operative societies, mutual organisations and charities in Britain and abroad, NHS foundation trusts work for NHS patients and wide public benefit. Each NHS foundation trust has a board of governors, including governors elected by members of the local community and NHS colleagues, to provide accountability to stakeholders.

F&P Committee

Finance and Performance Committee: The remit of the committee is to review and agree all aspects of financial, corporate and commissioned service performance deliverables against statutory and mandatory financial requirements, the NHS Constitution, the NHS Long Term Plan and annual commissioning and operational delivery plans, including financial recovery plans. Specifically, the purpose of the committee is to review the performance of the above areas and ensure appropriate action plans are in place and delivery is effectively monitored.

Franchising

NHS franchising involves identifying the top NHS managers and appointing them to the ‘biggest challenges’, whether failing trusts, key modernisation initiatives, or strategic health authorities.

FRP

Financial recovery programme

FSUM

Frequent service user manager

G4S

Provider of non-emergency transport for Kent and Medway.

GCH

Gravesham Community Hospital

GCP

Good clinical practice

GDS

General dental services

GMC

General Medical Council registers doctors to practice medicine in the UK. Their purpose is to protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public by ensuring proper standards in the practice of medicine

GMS

General medical services: This is the UK-wide contract between general practices and NHS England for delivering core primary care services to local communities.

GOSH

Great Ormond Street Hospital

GP

General practitioner. A doctor who, usually with colleagues, works at a local surgery and provides medical advice and treatment to patients. They take a leading role in the management and provision of local healthcare. Their surgeries, general practices, often have a practice manager and are now staffed by specialist nurses and therapists. Some accommodate dentists, opticians, and pharmacists.

GPC

General Pharmaceutical Council: Governing body for pharmacy professionals.

GPG

Good practice guide

GPwSI

GPs with special interests: They supplement their main GP role by delivering an additional high-quality service in a particular area of expertise to meet the needs of patients.

GRT

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities

GSL

General sales list

GSTT

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

GUM

Genito-urinary medicine

HAIs

Hospital-acquired infections

HASC

Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee

HASCI

Health and social care integration

HASU

Hyper acute stroke unit

HCAIs

Healthcare associated infections

HDA

The Health Development Agency was a special health authority established in 2000 to develop the evidence base to improve health and reduce health inequalities. It worked with professionals and practitioners across a range of sectors to translate that evidence into practice. As a result of the Department of Health's 2004 review of its "arms length bodies", the functions of the HDA were transferred to NICE on 1 April 2005.

HDP

Hospital Discharge Programme

Health community, or health economy

A term used to embrace all the organisations, NHS and others, whose activities have an effect on people’s health in a local area. It can include local authority function such as services, environmental health and transport, housing associations, water suppliers and voluntary organisations.

Health inequality

The term used to describe the fact people living in deprived areas usually have poorer health than people living in more affluent areas. This can also apply to differences in the health of people of various ethnic groups.

Healthcare Commission

Was the independent watchdog for healthcare in England promoting improvement in quality of NHS and independent healthcare. The Healthcare Commission was replaced by the CQC in April 2009.

Healthwatch

Independent consumer champion representing views of public about health and social care.

HMA

Healthcare market analysis

HOSC

Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee. This committee scrutinises services which have an impact on the health of the local community and must be consulted about any proposals for a substantial change or development in health services.

Hosted

Responsible to a single statutory organisation but providing a service to a number of organisations.

HRGs

Health resource groups – means of categorising procedures

HSCC

Health and social care co-ordinator

HSIB

Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch/Bureau: Specifically charged with investigations into incidents that have happened within the NHS. However, HSIB is not an inspector like the CQC or a regulator like NHS Improvement (NHSI).

HSJ

Health Service Journal – NHS managers weekly trade magazine

HTS

Home Treatment Service (replaced the Enhanced Rapid Response Service). For frail, elderly patients with multiple health conditions, this means receiving the best care, quickly, in their own home. Patients with the most urgent needs will be seen within two hours of a referral. If needed, patients will be referred easily and quickly to longer-term treatment, rehabilitation and community support.

HV

Health visiting

HWB

Health and Wellbeing Board. Local system leaders across health, social care and public health.

IAPTs

Improving access to psychological therapies. Now called Talking Therapies.

ICB

Integrated care board has the function of arranging for the provision of services for the purpose of the health service in England. ICBs were established as statutory bodies in April 2022.

ICO

Information Commissioner’s Office: The UK’s independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals.

ICP

Integrated Care Partnership: Joint strategic planning committee with NHS, local authority and voluntary community and social enterprise members. Responsible for development and oversight of the integrated care strategy for Kent and Medway.

ICPCs

Initial children protection conferences: The conference brings together family members (including anyone they wish to bring to support them) or advocates, the child (where appropriate) and the professionals most involved with the child and family.

ICS

Integrated care system: In this system, NHS organisations, in partnership with local councils and others, take collective responsibility for managing resources, delivering NHS standards, and improving the health of the population they serve.

ICU

Intensive care unit

IDVA

Independent domestic violence advisors

IFR

Individual funding request: Where patients have a rare and exceptional health need they can apply for funding of medication/treatment which would not normally be funded.

IFSE

Integrated single finance system

IG

Information governance ensures necessary safeguards for, and appropriate use of, patient and personal information.

IHAs

Initial health assessments

Inequalities

In the context of this document, ‘inequalities’ refers to services which are not equally accessible by all geographical areas of client groups.

Inpatient

A patient who has been admitted to hospital for treatment and is occupying a hospital bed.

Integration

Of pathways and care across primary and secondary care between mental and physical health but also with social care (and voluntary) organisations.

ISO 17799

This is a regulation that requires all NHS organisations to report all information security incidents and to review their business to take this into account.

ISTC

Independent sector treatment centre

Integrated care pathway

Improving the patient’s route for treatment through different health and social care systems by combining resources and co-ordinating working methods to prevent hold-ups and jams.

Integrated Care Records Service

ICRS: This is part of the NHS national strategic programme for IT and comprises of the electronic health record (lifelong patient health records) and the electronic patient record (updating records at source).

Intermediate care

Healthcare for patients who are not ill enough to be in an acute hospital and not well enough to be at home unsupported.

IT

Information technology

ITU

Intensive care treatment unit: Dedicated unit for intensive care of patients. Also known as a high dependency unit.

IWL

Improving working lives: Changing practices in the workplace which improve the working life of existing staff and those intending to join.

JIP

Joint investment plan: A plan for purchasing care services jointly, produced by the NHS and local authorities as well as other key agencies and representatives of service-users and carers.

Joined-up working

When organisations such as councils, the NHS and schools work together to identify and solve local problems, close gaps between public services and improve overall performance.

Joint funding

Where two or more agencies, for example, health and social services, agree to share the cost of running a project or service.

JSCC

Joint Staff Consultative Committee is a group of people who represent the management and employees of an organisation, who meet for formal discussions before decisions are taken which affect the employees.

JSNA

Joint strategic needs assessment: This covers both health and social care. The purpose of a JSNA is to pull together in a single process all the information available on the needs of the local population and to analyse them in detail to identify:

a) the major issues to be addressed re. health and wellbeing,
b) the actions that will be taken to address those issues. 

K&M

Kent and Medway

K&S

Kent and Sussex Hospital, Tunbridge Wells (now replaced by Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury)

KCC

Kent County Council

KCH

Kings College Hospital, London

KCHFT

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

KIMS

Kent Institute of Medicine and Surgery

KMCS

Kent and Medway Commissioning Support Services, now SECSU

KMPT

Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust

KPIs

Key performance indicators: These help define and measure progress towards organisational goals. These are normally identified in contracts with providers.

KSCMP

Kent Safeguarding Children Multi-agency Partnership

LA

Local authority

LAA

Local area agreement: An agreement between central government and a local area containing a set of improvement targets which local organisations are committed to achieving through a delivery plan. Actions will be set against each partner organisation which will work through a local strategic partnership.

LACS

Looked After Children’s Services: Service for children who are either in care (subject to a care order) or accommodated by a local authority.

LAT

Local area teams

LD

Learning disability

LDA

Learning disabilities and autism

LDP

Local delivery plan

LES

Local enhanced service contract for GP services. Where patients have a rare and exceptional health need they can apply for funding of medication/treatment which would not normally be funded.

LGBTQ+

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, with the plus sign signifying a desire to be inclusive.

LHA

Local health authority

LHE

Local health economy

LHWB

Local Health and Wellbeing Board: These were established under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to act as a forum in which key leaders from the local health and care system could work together to improve the health and wellbeing of their local population. They became fully operational on 1 April 2013 in all 152 local authorities with adult social care and public heath responsibilities.

LIN

Local implementation network

LINks

Local involvement networks (predecessor to Healthwatch). Individuals and community groups joined LINks to have their say about improving health and social care services.

LIS

Local incentive scheme: A process to engage GPs in priority areas such as working to address specific health objectives for the local population, such as early diagnosis or effective prescribing.

LIT

Local implementation team

LMC

Local Medical Committee: The statutory committee elected by all GPs in contract with the health authority to represent them and contributes to the debate on local health issues. Represents GPs and practices.

LMS

Local maternity system: These systems bring together providers involved in maternity and neonatal care ensuring the services are person-centred, safe and of a high-quality for mothers and babies through pregnancy, birth and postnatal period. 

LOS

Length of stay (time from admission to discharge, based on number of nights in hospital).

LPP/LPP Plus

Low priority procedures: A list of procedures that will not be funded for patients unless there are exceptional needs. These have been locally agreed with various stakeholders.

LSCB

Local Safeguarding Children’s Board: These are key statutory interagency mechanisms which act as focal points for local co-operation to safeguarding children. It has a range of responsibilities such as implementation of statutory safeguarding requirements, ensuring the effectiveness of measures put in place by organisations, developing policies and procedures, reviewing the deaths of children in the respective area and carrying out serious case reviews.

LSP

Local strategic partnership: Non-statutory, multiagency partnerships, which match local authority boundaries. LSPs bring together at a local level the different parts of the public, private, community and voluntary sectors; allowing different initiatives and services to support one another so they can work together more effectively.

LSP

Local service provider.

LTC

Long-term conditions. These are conditions that cannot, at present, be cured, but can be controlled by medication and other therapies. They include diabetes, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

LTP

Long term plan

MASH

Multi-agency safeguarding hub: Children’s services and partner agencies will work closely to safeguard children at a fast pace, prevent delay for families and stop duplication.

MCH

Medway Community Healthcare

MCP

Multi-speciality community provider: This is a care model which is population-based and aims to improve the physical, mental and social health and wellbeing of their local population.

MDT

Multi-disciplinary team: This is a team of professionals drawn from various disciplines who combine their expertise to the benefit of patients.

Medical advice

Improvements which allow the medical profession to treat an increasing range of conditions or treat existing conditions in a better way.

Meds Opt/MOT

Medicines Optimisation (Team): This team provides support to GP practices and pharmacists regarding medications and updated guidelines. It also provides finance information and activity data.

MFF

Market forces factor: On top of the cost of the patient’s diagnosis/treatment, there is an MFF which provides an index of the relative differences in avoidance costs to NHS organisations. This includes staff, land and buildings. The MFF is higher in London hospitals.

MFFD

Medically fit for discharge

MFT

Medway NHS Foundation Trust

MH

Mental health

MHLDA

Mental health learning disability and autism

MHRA

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency: The agency plays a leading role in protecting and improving public health and supports innovation through scientific research and development.

MIC

Maternity Improvement Committee

MIG

Medical interoperability gateway: This computer system enables the sharing of specified datasets of patient information between healthcare providers.

MIMHS

Mothers and Infants Mental Health Services: Specialises in the assessment, diagnosis and short-term treatment of women aged 18-years-old and above who are affected by a moderate to severe mental health illness in the preconception, antenatal and postnatal period.

MIU

Minor injuries unit: Located in community hospitals and run by nurse practitioners. The units are able to treat a range of minor conditions, such as, sprains and strains, broken bones, traumatic wound infections and some minor ailments.

MO

Medicines optimisation: This is an approach that seeks to maximise the beneficial clinical outcomes for patients from medicines with an emphasis on safety, governance, professional collaboration and patient engagement.

MOG

The Medicines Optimisation Group is the key management group responsible for ensuring a healthcare provider is compliant with all aspects of medicines optimisation, including statutory obligations. Its aim is to promote a consistent approach to the cost effective and evidence based use of medicines.

MOS

Medicines Optimisation Scheme: Local guidance and incentives to develop adherence to the principles of medicines optimisation.

MoU

Memorandum of understanding: This document records the common intent and agreement between two or more parties. MoUs can help clarify roles and responsibilities, intent and goals.

MRI

Magnetic resonance imaging (scanner)

MRSA

Methicillin resistant staphyloccous aureus

MSK

MTW

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust – acute provider

MVCs

Mass vaccination centres

NCMD

The national child mortality database is an NHS funded project, delivered by the University of Bristol, which gathers information on all children who die across England. The ambition is to learn lessons that could lead to changes to improve and save children's lives in the future.

NED

Non-executive director

NELCSU

North East London Commissioning Support Unit

NELFT

North East London NHS Foundation Trust

NES

National enhanced service: These are services or activities provided by GP practices that have been negotiated nationally and at an enhanced service level above what is required by the core general medical services (GMS) contract.

NHS

National Health Service

NHS 111

111 is the phone number for the NHS' non-emergency response service

NHS CB

NHS Commissioning Board: A special health authority established on 31 October 2011; operates as NHS England

NHS CB LAT

NHS Commissioning Board Local Area Teams

NHS Constitution

The NHS Constitution has been created to protect the NHS and make sure it will always do the things it was set up to do in 1948 – to provide high-quality healthcare that is free to everyone at the point of access.

NHS continuing care

Care provided over an extended period of time to a person aged 18 or over to meet physical or mental health needs which have arisen as the result of disability, accident or illness.

NHSE

NHS England: Local health systems are supported by seven integrated regional teams which play a major leadership role in the geographies they manage. They make decisions about how best to support and assure performance in their region, as well as supporting system transformation and the development of sustainability and transformation partnerships and integrated care systems (ICS).​ From 1 April 2019, NHS England and NHS Improvement are working together as a new single organisation to better support the NHS to deliver improved care for patients and the NHS Long Term Plan.

NHSI

NHS Improvement. Please see NHSE.

NHSIA

NHS Information Agency: A special health authority set up to improve patient care and achieve best value for money in working with the NHS to supporting the most efficient and effective use of information.

NHSLA

NHS Litigation Authority: Manages negligence and other claims against the NHS in England on behalf of its member organisations.

NHSNET

NHS network: A secure wider area network (information technology) that will connect all NHS organisations.

NHS number

This is a unique number given to every baby at birth and will be used as a NHS identifier for life.

NHSPS

NHS Property Services Limited is a company owned by the Department of Health in the United Kingdom that took over the ownership of around 3,600 National Health Service (NHS) facilities in April 2013. The company now manages, maintains and develops the properties across England.

NHS trusts

These provide health care locally, mainly community health trusts, mental health trusts, acute hospital trusts, or ambulance service trusts. They are each managed by a board headed by a lay chairman, with part-time non-executive directors who represent the local community and special interests, and the senior full time staff, including the chief executive.

NICE

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guides NHS staff about new health technologies including medicines, medical devices, techniques and procedures.

NMC

Nursing and Midwifery Council

NOUS

Non-obstetric ultrasound service

NPSA

National Patient Safety Agency is an arm’s length body of the Department of Health and Social Care which leads and contributes to improved, safe patient care by informing, supporting and influencing organisations and people working in the health sector.

NPC

New primary care: A term used to encompass new models of delivery of primary care services, which include the development of federations/networks of practices with the ambition to improve the scale, range and quality of services delivered.

NQB

National Quality Board: Established to deliver high-quality care for patients throughout the NHS and at the interface of health and social care.

NSFs

National service frameworks: These are nationally defined standards which set out the range of healthcare that should be in place for a specific service or group of patients. There are a range of NSFs, which establish a set of minimum national standards of clinical quality and access to services in a series of major care areas and disease groups, including mental health, diabetes, older people and coronary heart disease. The aim is to drive up performance and decrease geographical variations.

NTS

National transfer system

Nursing home

A residential home with qualified nursing staff to provide nursing care.

OATs

Out-of-area treatments:

• is a retired term in NHS data model and dictionary, as it is associated with non-contract activity. Out-of-area placements are also referred to as Out-of-area admissions in NICE guidance.

The abbreviation is also used in the context of specialist panels:

• The Adult Mental Health Out-of-Area Treatment Panels are responsible for considering individual applications for funding of care and treatment outside of contracted activity or commissioned local provision. Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) exercise its statutory duties to provide clinical subject matter expertise supporting the review of the assessed care needs of clients with mental health needs.

OBC

Outline business case

OD

Organisational development

ONS

Office for National Statistics: Main responsibility centres on the collation, analysis and dissemination of statistics about the UK's economy, society and population.

OOH

Out-of-hours: Primary care services provided outside normal GP hours.

OPD

Outpatient data referrals.

OPwSI

Opticians with a special interest who may be part of a community ophthalmology team.

Ordinary admission

An admission, including one that is an emergency, where the patient is expected to remain in hospital for at least one night.

OTC

Over the counter: The term is used in reference to drugs which can be purchased ‘over the counter’ and not reliant on a prescription.

Outpatient

A patient who attends hospital for treatment, consultation and advice but does not require a stay in hospital

PACS

Primary and acute care system: The PACS model of care joins up GP, hospital, community and mental health services. The aim of a PACS is to improve the physical, mental, social health and wellbeing of its local population.

PAG

Professional advisory group: A panel which assesses doctors’ performance issues.

Palliative care

The care of patients whose disease is no longer curable, such as cancer and motor-neurone disease. It takes into account the physical, psychological, social and spiritual aspects of care of patients, with the aim of providing the best quality of life for them. See also ‘end of life’.

PALS

Patient Advice and Liaison Services operate in NHS trusts and provide on the spot help and advice to patients and carers.

Patients

People who are using or waiting for health services.

PB

Programme budgeting is the analysis of expenditure in healthcare programmes, such as cancer, mental health and cardiovascular diseases.

PBC

Practice-based commissioning was introduced as a DH policy in 2005. It devolved responsibility for commissioning services to local GP practices. ICBs have now taken over this to enable more effective clinical engagement and power.

PbR

Payment by results: A system of paying NHS healthcare providers a standard national price or tariff for each patient seen or treated. Many organisations are looking to move from a transactional, tariff-based approach to a more partnership-orientated approach focusing on population health requirements.

PCCC also known as PC3

Primary Care Commissioning Committee: The PCCC provides additional governance, promoting transparency and a means to control any emerging conflicts of interest. The committee will consider local commissioning needs within its decision making. This will ensure that integrated care partnerships (ICPs) and primary care networks (PCNs) are able to co-ordinate through general practices, community services and hospitals to meet the needs of local people.

PCMS

Primary care mental health specialist

PCNs

Primary care networks build on the core of current primary care services and enable greater provision of proactive, personalised, coordinated and more integrated health and social care. Clinicians describe this as a change from reactively providing appointments to proactively care for the people and communities they serve.

PCOGs

Primary care operational groups: These groups have set geographical remits (for example, west Kent, south Kent coast) and report directly into the Primary Care Commissioning Committee (PCCC/PC3). They provide a greater level of oversight at a local level and are able to effectively escalate concerns or considerations to PCCC.

PDP

Personal development plan

PDSA

Plan, do, study, act fund, designed to ‘pump prime’ projects which are innovative and support the adoption of tested innovation from elsewhere.

Personal social services

Personal care services for vulnerable people, including those with special needs because of old age or physical disability and children in need of care and protection, which are provided through home care and home help services, social workers and residential care homes.

PFI

Private finance initiative. A government–led arrangement that involves private concerns in providing facilities which will be run by the NHS.

PGDs

Patient group directions: Provide a legal framework that allows some registered health professionals to supply and/or administer specified medicines to a pre-defined group of patients, without them having to see a prescriber (such as a doctor or nurse prescriber). Supplying and/or administering medicines under PGDs should be reserved for situations in which this offers an advantage for patient care, without compromising patient safety.

PHB

Personal health budget: An amount of money to support your health and wellbeing needs, which is planned and agreed between you (or someone who represents you) and your local NHS team. It works in a similar way to personal budgets, which allow people to manage and pay for their social care needs.

PLT

Protected learning time: An opportunity for practice staff to address their own learning and professional development needs.

PMS

Personal medical services: PMS agreements are locally agreed contracts between NHS England and a GP practice. PMS contracts offer local flexibility compared to the nationally negotiated general medical services (GMS) contracts by offering variation in the range of services which may be provided by the practice, the financial arrangements for those services and the provider structure (who can hold a contract).

PMO

Programme management office: Team which provides oversight of the ICB's broad ranging projects, with a focus on whether it is delivering to plan and its effectiveness.

POG

Programme overview group: Group of expert commissioners and clinicians which convene to discuss set programme areas (such as planned care, mental health) and share learning, discuss and resolve operational issues etc.

POM

Prescription-only medicines

PPE

Personal protective equipment

PPE

Patient and public engagement

PPG

Patient participation group: Group of patients, carers and GP practice staff who meet to discuss practice issues and patient experience to improve the service. Also provides the opportunity for patients and practice staff to meet and discuss topics of mutual interest.

PPI

Patient and public involvement

Primary care

Health services delivered in or near to a person’s home to which patients have direct access. These services include those provided in GP surgeries, health centres and community hospitals, or in patients’ homes, by a team of healthcare professionals including GPs, practice nurses, community nurses, therapists, pharmacies, dentists, opticians and others.

Primary healthcare team

Professionals working in or attached to general practices to provide a range of healthcare needs including GPs and community nursing staff.

PROMS

Patient related outcome measures: Patients are asked about their health and quality of life before they have an operation and about their health and the effectiveness of the operation after it, helping the NHS measure and improve the quality of its care.

PSI

Programme for service improvement

PTL

Patient tracking list: An established, forward-looking, management tool that can be used by the NHS to help achieve and sustain short referral to treatment and diagnostic waits.

PTS

Patient transport service: Transports patients with non-urgent conditions to and from hospitals and day care centres and carries out non-urgent inter-hospital transfers.

Public

A term used to describe everyone who is not part of the organisation or the professional team. We are all members of someone else’s ‘public’.

QALYs

Quality adjusted life years: The QALY method helps to measure factors so different treatments can be compared for the same and different conditions. A QALY gives an idea of how many extra months or years of life of a reasonable quality a person might gain as a result of treatment.

QEQM

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital

QIA

Quality impact assessment: Carried out on new plans, programmes, projects and savings schemes. They support quality governance by assessing the impact on quality of services provided, to inform and enable appropriate decision-making.

QIPP

Quality, innovation, productivity and prevention: A tool developed by the Department of Health and Social Care to drive quality improvement. It means we must always be looking for new and better ways of providing NHS services. Any savings realised are reinvested in frontline care.

QOF

The quality and outcomes framework, introduced in 2004 as part of the general medical services contract, the QOF is an incentive scheme for GP practices in the UK, rewarding them for how well they care for patients. The QOF contains groups of indicators, against which practices score points according to their level of achievement.

QSG

Quality surveillance group: A group acting as a virtual team across a health economy, bringing together organisations and their respective information and intelligence gathered through performance monitoring, commissioning, and regulatory activities. By collectively considering and triangulating information and intelligence, QSGs will work to safeguard the quality of care people receive.

QSSC

Quality, Safety and Safeguarding Committee considers the quality, safety, safeguarding and patient experience performance and commissioned services against statutory and mandatory standards, the NHS Constitution, the NHS Long Term Plan, annual commissioning and operational delivery plans. This includes identifying key areas of concern and agreeing remedial action where appropriate to ensure patient safety, experience and outcomes are maximised. Specifically, the committee will review the performance of the above areas and make sure appropriate action plans are in place and delivery is effectively monitored.

RAA

Regional adoption agency

RAG

Red – amber – green rating system. Used to identify areas of concern, for consideration or where work is progressing as anticipated.

RATC

The Referral and Treatment criteria is a formal document that contains policies on around 140 tests, treatments and procedures. The RaTC explains when each of these treatments can and can’t be used by clinicians to treat Kent and Medway patients. The purpose of the RaTC is to reduce avoidable harm to patients and focus clinical resource on implementing best practice fairly and consistently across Kent and Medway. 

RCA

Root cause analysis: Methodology applied to support and add rigour to serious incident investigations by applying a systematic process whereby the factors that contributed to an incident are identified. It is the preferred investigation technique for investigation of safety incidents.

RCGP

Royal College of General Practitioners: UK’s professional body for GPs.

RCM

Royal College of Midwives: UK’s professional body for midwives.

RCN

Royal College of Nurses: UK’s professional body for nurses.

RCOG

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists: UK’s professional body for obstetricians and gynaecologists

RCS

Royal College of Surgeons:. UK’s professional body for surgeons.

Referral patterns

These describe the number and frequency of patients referred to hospitals by GPs.

RHAs

Review health assessments: A form which will help health practitioners make sure a looked after young person has a periodic health review and updated recommendations for their care plan. Also provides an opportunity to identify any issues and gives the opportunity to the child to discuss any particular concerns about their healthcare with a professional.

Risk management

A systematic approach of identifying, analysing, evaluating, treating, monitoring and communicating risks associated with any activity, function or process.

RN

Registered nurse

RO

Responsible officer

ROI

Return on investment – a performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or to compare the efficiency of a number of different investments

RoI

Register of interest: A key document outlining any conflicts of interest of key members in a committee involved in decision making.

Royal colleges

Statutory organisations that set and monitor professional standards for medical services.

RPS

Royal Pharmaceutical Society

RS

Recovery star: Developed by the Association of Mental Health Providers (formerly the Mental Health Providers Forum), is an outcomes measure which enables people using services to measure their own recovery progress, with the help of mental health workers or others.

RTT

Referral to treatments – a patient waiting time measure.

SALT (S<)

Speech and language therapy

SAR

Safeguarding adults reviews

SAU

Surgical assessment unit: Assesses patients who have a confirmed or probable surgical condition. Patients are referred to the SAU via their GP or are admitted via the emergency department. Depending on your clinical condition and care needs, you will either be assessed in the clinic or admitted to another ward.

SBS

Shared business service: Provides finance and accounting, employment, procurement and innovation and technology solutions to the NHS.

SCP

Strategic commissioning plan: Strategic framework guiding the commissioning priorities.

Scrutiny committee

An all-party group of elected local councillors that reviews local NHS services and other issues: Introduced by the Local Government Act 2000.

SDEC

Same day emergency care. SDEC is the provision of same day care for emergency patients who would otherwise be admitted to hospital.

SEC

South east coast

SECAmb

NHS South East Coast Ambulance Service

Secondary care

Patients whose needs are too complex to be managed in primary care are referred to more specialist services. Secondary care includes local hospitals and treatment given away from the hospital setting, such as mental health services, learning disability services and help for older people.

SEND

Special educational needs and disability: A child or young person has special educational needs and disabilities if they have a learning difficulty and/or a disability that means they need special health and education support.

Service specifications

These are held between the ICB and providers for services provided.

Service user

Anyone who uses or who has used a product or a service. This may mean current users or also include potential users.

SFIs

Standing financial instructions: Issued for the regulation of the conduct of the health care organisation, its directors, officers, employees and agents in relation to all financial matters.

SIs

Serious incidents: Something out of the ordinary or unexpected, with the potential to cause serious harm, which occurs on NHS premises or in the provision of an NHS service, or where there is a cluster or pattern of incidents or actions by NHS staff.

SIG

Service improvement group: These are normally held per speciality, such as ophthalmology and dental services.

SIRI

Serious incidents requiring investigation: Formal investigation triggered when an incident(s) exceed defined criteria.

SIRO

Senior information risk owner: Executive director or member of the senior management board of an organisation with overall responsibility for an organisation's information risk policy. The SIRO is accountable and responsible for information risk across the organisation.

Sitreps

Situation reports

SJR

Structured judgement reviews: Blends traditional, clinical judgement-based review methods with a standard format. This approach requires reviewers to make safety and quality judgements over phases of care, to make explicit written comments about care for each phase, and to score care for each phase. The result is a relatively short but rich set of information about each case in a form that can also be aggregated to produce knowledge about clinical services and systems of care.

SKC

South Kent coast

SLA

Service level agreement: An agreement between organisations and/or agencies setting out how services must be provided, what their standards will be and how monitoring will take place.

Social care

Social care services are normally run by local councils, sometimes with local NHS providers and organisations. Most of us are likely to become clients of social care services at one time or another but some of the main groups using the services include children or families who are under stress, people with disabilities, people with emotional or psychological difficulties, people with financial or housing problems and older people who need help with daily living activities.

SOs

Standing orders: NHS trusts/ICBs are required by law to make SOs, which regulate the way in which the proceedings and business of the trust will be conducted.

SQG

System quality group: All integrated care systems are required to have a system quality group, focusing on enabling quality improvement across the health and care system.

SRG

Systems resilience group: Responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of elective as well as urgent care in their area for both physical and mental health.

SS

Social services

Stakeholders

Anyone who has an interest in the way services are delivered, including service users, carers, patients, service providers, staff, health professionals and partner organisations, such as social services, district and borough councils and other community or voluntary groups.

Statutory organisations

Organisations with powers to fund or provide services, such as local authorities and NHS trusts.

STEB

System Transformation Executive Board

Sub-acute care

An alternative term for intermediate care.

SUDI

Sudden unexpected death in infancy.

SUS

Secondary uses service: The single, comprehensive repository for healthcare data in England which enables a range of reporting and analyses to support the NHS in the delivery of healthcare services.

T&O

Trauma and orthopaedics

TB

Tuberculosis

TEP

Treatment Escalation Plan provides the opportunity for patients, doctors and nurses to come to an agreement on the outlines of your overall plan of care. It gives guidelines on what treatments you would receive should your condition get worse.

Tertiary care

Service provided by specialist hospitals which have diagnostic and treatment facilities not available at general hospitals, or given by doctors who are uniquely qualified to treat unusual disorders that do not respond to therapy available at acute hospitals. It can also include hospice care for people who are terminally ill.

Therapy services

These are provided by allied health professionals including dieticians, hearing therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, podiatrists (chiropodists) and speech and language therapists.

TIA

Transient ischaemic attack – stroke

TUPE

Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981

TVN

Tissue viability nurse

UASC

Unaccompanied asylum seeking children

UCB

Urgent Care Board

UEC

Urgent and emergency care

UMAU

Urgent medical assessment unit: Provides early assessment and treatment to adult patients, who are referred by their general practitioner or by the accident and emergency department.

UTC

Urgent treatment centre: GP-led, open at least 12 hours-a-day, every day, offer appointments that can be booked through 111 or through a GP referral, and are equipped to diagnose and deal with many of the most common ailments people attend A&E for.

V4M/VFM

Value for money. Defined as the relationship between economy, efficiency and effectiveness. VFM is a term used to assess the extent to which the organisation has obtained benefit from goods and services it both acquires and provides within the resources available.

VISION

Software application used in GP practices

VSM

Very senior manager. Relates to pay banding for the most senior staffing.

VTE

Venous thromboembolism

Whole system approach

Term for a strategic, integrated approach to planning and delivering services. A local whole system of care covers all local health and social service provision and any other service that impacts upon health and social care.

WHH

William Harvey Hospital

WIC

Walk-in centres: Nurse-led drop-in centres managed by the NHS that provide minor treatments, self-help advice and information on the NHS, social services and other local healthcare organisations.

YTD

Year-to-date. Refers to the period of time beginning the first day of the current calendar year or typically the financial year up to the current date.

2WW

Two week wait. Refers to instances where a referral is requested by your GP to ask a hospital for an urgent appointment for you. This can be because you have symptoms that might indicate you have cancer.

5YFV

Five Year Forward View. Document sets out a vision for the future of the NHS. The purpose is to articulate why change is needed, what that change might look like and how we can achieve it.

18WW

18-week wait. The maximum waiting time for non-urgent, consultant-led treatments is 18 weeks from the day your appointment is booked through the NHS e-Referral Service, or when the hospital or service receives your referral letter.

52WW

52 week wait. In 2013/14 NHS England introduced a zero tolerance to any referral to treatment time of more than 52 weeks. Measures of waits beyond 52 weeks provide a measure of activity which is in breach of this standard and to form part of corrective action planning.