NHS Jargon Explained

NHS Jargon Explained

TONY WHITE
PhD FRCS MB BS AKC
Consultant Otolaryngologist (retired)

Foreword by
SIR IAN CARRUTHERS
Chief Executive
South West Strategic Health Authority

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 Contents

Foreword vi
Preface vii
About the author ix
1 Glossary of NHS terminology 3
2 Useful health-related acronyms 60
 Foreword

When it comes to navigating our way around the health service,

those of us working in the NHS are only too well aware of how
we can suddenly become aware of gaps in our knowledge in such
a fast moving environment.
This is a reflection of the constant rigours of change and
improvement. The persistent pace of change has been a challeng-
ing feature of the NHS throughout its 62-year history.
I personally see such resilient flexibility and determined self-
improvement as one of the greatest strengths of our modern
health service.
As the NHS continues to become more open and transparent
there is no more important time than now to have a quick refer-
ence guide that enables the greatest number of people to quickly
come to terms with the language of the health service.
Our time-poor culture demands ever faster yet better informa-
tion so I welcome this book for being both comprehensive and
concise, making it the quick guide so many of us need to fully
appreciate the workings of our greatly admired National Health
Service.

Sir Ian Carruthers

Chief Executive
South West Strategic Health Authority
August 2010
 Preface

I often meet doctors, nurses and others working in the health

services who express a wish that they had received a broader range
of non-clinical information earlier in their careers. Others who are
committed to continuing professional development seek learning
material that will enable them to handle the wider issues they
confront on a day-to-day basis, and for which initial education
failed to prepare them. Many trainers can also find it difficult
to access a single source that provides material for non-clinical
training. The Doctor’s Handbook was written to address these and
other needs revealed by research. Since publication there has
been positive feedback received from specialist trainees and other
grades of doctors, including many consultants and, surprisingly,
NHS managers.
At the same time there remained other groups where certain
sections of the original Doctor’s Handbook were not required.
The sections likely to appeal to these groups have therefore
been published separately as A Guide to the NHS (to include the
structure and organisation of the NHS, and health-related Acts,
Reports, Guidance Notes and Codes of Conduct) and NHS Jargon
Explained (to include the glossary of NHS terms and acronyms).
Both books provide information not only to workers in the NHS
at all levels, but also to managers and staff of commercial com-
panies working with the NHS, and campaigners, patient interest
groups, researchers and journalists who wish to understand it
better.
As time passes further changes in the structure, funding and
governance of the NHS continue and Acts, Reports and acronyms
are added constantly, so with these more compact books the task
of keeping things up to date will be made easier. Where possible,
viii PREFACE

readers are guided to original sources for the latest information

that is often readily available on various websites.
You will find this small book valuable in your current role and
a quick source of useful information and support.
Tony White
August 2010
 About the author

Tony White is a retired consultant otolaryngologist appointed

in Bath, where he was clinical director for seven years. He has a
PhD from Bath University with a thesis on ‘The Role of Doctors
in Management’.
Together with John Gatrell he undertook a three-year research
project into the non-clinical development needs of doctors that
resulted in publication of the NHS Training Directorate report,
Medical Student to Medical Director.
He has written several books on medical management and
contributed to and edited several other textbooks as well as writ-
ing numerous papers. He has lectured widely and organised many
workshops on doctors’ management development issues. He was a
member of a number of national advisory committees to develop
doctors’ non-clinical skills and acted as regular tutor on training
courses in various regions.
NHS Jargon Explained
 1
Glossary of NHS
terminology

The aim of this chapter is to provide you with

information on useful terms and a glossary of health
service, management, non-clinical and medico-legal
terms along with some definitions. For clinicians
some of the terminology might already be familiar.

I’m afraid that further new terms continue to be introduced, many

related to new information technology. Some are fairly obvious
and have been included not just for the sake of completeness but
just in case they need clarification. Beware – quite often they are
terms that have only a loose connection with their real meaning.
You may need to check this out when you hear the expressions,
but do not be surprised if the speaker is not aware of the correct
meaning. The meaning may also relate to a specific connection.
A few terms are attempts that have been made to transfer manu-
facturing terminology to medical work.

Abduction In clinical terms a form of logical inference, commonly

applied in the process of medical diagnosis. Given an observa-
tion, abduction generates all known causes. (See also deduction,
induction and inference.)

3
4 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

Absenteeism Absence from work not authorised through appropri-

ate channels.
Access rate An estimate of the availability of facilities to people
living in an identified locality, irrespective of where they are
treated. The measure is stated as discharges and deaths per 1000
population.
Accident Any unexpected or unforeseen occurrence, especially one
that results in injury or damage.
Accident and Emergency (A&E) The title given to the hospital depart-
ment previously termed ‘Casualty’ and now frequently called
‘Emergency’. The Accident and Emergency patient may be
brought by ambulance or car, or may arrive on foot.
Accident report A written report of an accident. The format of the
report is laid down in health and safety legislation.
Accommodation (children) Being provided with accommodation
replaces the old voluntary care concept. It refers to a service that
the local authority provides for the parents of children in need,
and for their children. A child is not in care when they are being
provided with accommodation. Nevertheless, the local authority
has a number of duties towards children for whom it is provid-
ing accommodation, including the duty to discover the child’s
wishes regarding the provision of accommodation, and to give
them proper consideration.
Accountability Being answerable for one’s decisions and actions.
Accountability cannot be delegated.
Added value A measure of productivity expressed in terms of the
financial value of an item as a result of workforce. Often used
loosely in the NHS.
Adolescents Young people in the process of moving from childhood
to adulthood. Because of their age, adolescents may have special
needs as patients.
Adoption Total transfer of parental responsibility from the child’s
natural parents to the adopters.
Advance care planning The process of discussing the treatment and
care a patient would or would not wish to receive in the event that
they lose capacity to decide or are unable to express a preference.
This might include their preferred place of care and who they
would like to be involved in making decisions on their behalf.
Advance decision (England and Wales) or advance directive (Scotland) A
statement of a patient’s wish to refuse a particular treatment or
care if they become unable to make or communicate decisions for
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 5

themselves. A valid advance refusal if applicable to the patient’s

current situation must be respected and is legally binding on
those providing care in England and Wales (provided it relates
to life-prolonging treatment and it satisfies the additional legal
criteria). This is likely to become legally binding in Scotland and
Northern Ireland.
Advance statement A statement of a patient’s views about how they
would or would not wish to be treated if they become unable
to make or communicate decisions for themselves. This can be
general and would involve considerations regarding their place of
residence, religious and cultural beliefs along with other personal
values and preferences, as well as their medical treatment and care.
Adversarial One of two kinds of court process: adversarial and
inquisitorial. The adversarial system refers to a court process in
which the parties bring competing claims so that the court decides
the outcome on the merits of each case.
Advocate An individual acting on behalf of, and in the interests of,
patients who may feel unable to represent themselves in their
contacts with a healthcare or other facility.
Advisory boards Bodies established to ensure the National
Programme for IT engages with stakeholders, such as patients,
the public, and health and care professionals.
Affidavit Statement in writing and an oath sworn before a person
who has the authority to administer it, e.g. a solicitor.
Amenity bed A bed in a single room or small NHS hospital ward
for which a patient may be charged a small fixed amount for the
hotel part of the cost, but not the cost of treatment, under section
12 of the 1977 NHS Act.
Analysis of expenditure by client group Analysis of expenditure over
broad groups of service related to patient care groups, e.g. services
for mentally ill people, services mainly for children, and general
and acute hospital and maternity services.
◗ Functional (objective): The object for which the payment has
been made – medical staff services, nursing staff services,
transport services and so on.
◗ Subjective: According to the nature of the payment, e.g. sala-
ries and wages, travel, drugs, etc.
Annual report A report, written annually, which details progress over
the last year and plans for the following year. Includes financial
and activity statements.
Apology A sincere expression of regret.
6 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

Appeal (Care of Child) Appeals in care proceedings are now to be

heard by the High Court or, where applicable, the Court of
Appeal. All parties to the proceedings will have equal rights of
appeal. On hearing an appeal, the High Court can make such
orders as may be necessary to give effect to its decision.
Application In computer technology this is a synonym for a pro-
gram that carries out a specific type of task. Word processors
or spreadsheets are common applications available on personal
computers.
Arbitration The process of settling a disagreement between two or
more parties by the introduction of an external body or person
with authority to make and implement an agreement.
Arden syntax A language created to encode actions within a clini-
cal protocol into a set of situation-action rules for computer
interpretation, and also to facilitate exchange between different
institutions.
Area Child Protection Committee (ACPC) Based on the boundaries of
the local authority, it provides a forum for developing, monitoring
and reviewing the local child protection policies, and promot-
ing effective and harmonious co-operation between the various
agencies involved. Although there is some variation from area
to area, each committee is made up of representatives of the key
agencies, who have authority to speak and act on their agency’s
behalf. ACPCs issue guidelines about procedures, tackle sig-
nificant issues that arise, offer advice about the conduct of cases
in general, make policy and review progress on prevention, and
oversee interagency training.
Artificial intelligence (AI) Any artefact, whether embodied solely in
computer software or a physical structure like a robot, that exhibits
behaviours associated with human intelligence. (See also Turing
test.)
Artificial intelligence in medicine The application of artificial intel-
ligence methods to solve problems in medicine, e.g. developing
expert systems to assist with diagnosis or therapy planning. (See
also artificial intelligence and expert systems.)
Assessment Process by which the capacities and incapacities of
people who may require community care are established by social
services departments, with appropriate services thereby identified.
Assessment (children) Process of gathering together and evaluating
information about a child, its family and circumstances. Its pur-
pose is to determine children’s needs, in order to plan for their
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 7

immediate and long-term care and decide what services and

resources must be provided. Childcare assessments are usually
co-ordinated by social services, but depend on teamwork with
other agencies (such as education and health).
Associates Salaried doctors who support principals in hard-pressed
areas, such as the London Implementation Zone Education
Initiative area or remote parts of Scotland.
Asynchronous communication Communication between two parties
when the exchange does not require both to be an active partici-
pant in the conversation at the same time, e.g. sending a letter.
(See also synchronous communication and email.)
Audit Originally the process by which the probity of operations
and activities of an organisation was examined (internal audit)
and a report on the annual accounts produced (external audit).
Now used more widely, e.g. clinical audit evaluates the effective-
ness of clinical activities; and management audit evaluates the
effectiveness and efficiency of organisational and management
arrangements. It involves the process of setting or adopting stand-
ards and measuring performance against those standards, with the
aim of identifying both good and bad practice and implementing
changes to achieve unmet standards.
Audit Committee A committee of an NHS trust or authority board,
comprising non-executive members, which ensures probity in the
corporate governance of the organisation. Following the Cadbury
Report, NHS bodies should have such a body.
Audit trails Anyone accessing a patient’s record using the NHS Care
Records Service is automatically recorded in an audit trail. This
is like an electronic footprint that shows who they are, when they
accessed the record and what they did.
Authorised person (children) In relation to care and supervision
proceedings, this is a person not from the local authority who is
authorised by the Secretary of State to bring proceedings under
section 31 of the Act. This covers the National Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and its officers.
Elsewhere in the Act there is a reference to persons who are
authorised to carry out specified functions, e.g. to enter and
inspect independent schools.
Average daily available beds The average number of staffed beds in
each department in which patients are being treated, or could be
treated, each day without any changes being made in facilities or
staff. Beds borrowed from other departments are included.
8 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

Average length of stay The average number of days a bed is occupied

by each patient.
Bayes’ theorem Theorem used to calculate the relative probability
of an event given the probabilities of associated events. Used to
calculate the probability of a disease given the frequencies of
symptoms and signs within the disease and within the normal
population.
Bed bureau An administrative unit that ensures that patients need-
ing urgent admission are directed to a hospital which will admit
them.
Bed days
◗ Available bed days: the sum of beds available for use each day
during a specified period of time.
◗ Occupied bed days: the sum of the number of beds occupied by
patients each day during a specified period of time. This total,
divided by the number of discharges and deaths during the
same period, gives the average length of stay.
◗ Vacant bed days: the number obtained when the total of occu-
pied bed days is subtracted from the available bed days.
Bed norm A measure of the bed requirements for a given popula-
tion, expressed as number of beds per 1000 people. Bed norms
may be used in several different ways: age specific, as in the case of
hospital accommodation for the elderly – 10 beds per 1000 aged
65 years and over; or by specialty, as in the case of orthopaedic
beds – 0.35 per 1000.
Bed occupancy The number of beds occupied by patients at a par-
ticular time, usually midnight. It may be expressed as a percentage
of available beds.
Bed state The number of beds, both occupied and vacant, at a par-
ticular time.
Bed turnover The average number of patients using each bed in a
given period, such as a year.
Behavioural science The study of individuals and groups in a work-
ing environment. Issues may include communication, motivation,
organisational structure and organisational change. The science
is still being developed and relies on contributions from psychol-
ogy and sociology.
Benchmarking Defined by the UK Benchmarking Centre (1993)
as the continuous, systematic search for best practices, and the
implementation that will lead to superior performance.
Benchmarks Benchmarks are sources of information (e.g. cost,
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 9

quality outcomes, etc.) used as comparators to compare perform-

ance between similar organisations or systems.
Booked case An elective admission where the date has been arranged
in advance with the patient. Waiting lists should include booked
cases.
British Association of Medical Managers (BAMM) Aims to ‘support the
provision of quality healthcare by improving and supporting the
contribution of doctors in management, together with all other
activities which contribute to, further, or are ancillary to this
principal aim’.
Broadband A type of data transmission in which a single (telephone)
wire can carry several channels at once. Cable TV, for example,
uses broadband transmission.
Budget A statement of the financial resources made available to
a budget holder to provide an agreed level of service over a set
period of time.
Business plan A plan setting out the goals of an organisation and
identifying the resources and actions needed to achieve them.
Usually prepared on an annual basis, the business plan seeks to
balance planned activity with income so as to minimise financial
risk.
Caldicott Guardian The member of staff in an NHS organisation who
is responsible for ensuring that patient rights to confidentiality
are protected.
Capacity The ability to make a decision. An adult is deemed to have
capacity unless, having been given all appropriate help and sup-
port, it is clear that they cannot understand, retain, use or weigh
up the information needed to make a particular decision or to
communicate their wishes.
Capital asset Land, property, plant or equipment valued at more
than £5000.
Capital Asset Register A list of all the capital assets of an organisation.
This contains information required to administer a capital asset
replacement programme such as the purchase price, acquisition
and replacement date of assets.
Capital Asset Replacement Programme A programme which uses
depreciation accounting techniques to spread the cost of the
replacement of capital assets.
Capital charges Since 1991, the use/ownership of capital in the NHS
has incurred a cost, the capital charge. This was introduced so that
NHS capital was no longer regarded as a free good or gift from
10 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

the state. Capital charges consist of two elements: depreciation

and interest on fixed assets. The interest rate currently applied
is 6%. NHS trusts retain depreciation charges within the trust
and are required to make a target rate of return equivalent to the
interest rate.
Capital programme A plan over a period of time (normally five years)
showing costs and starting and final dates of schemes of work to
be charged to the capital allocation.
Career advice Providing information on career opportunities and
training requirements.
Career counselling Discussing career options for which the individual
may be most suited.
Care order (children) Order made by the court under s31 (1)(a) of
the Children Act placing the child in the care of the designated
local authority. A care order includes an interim care order except
where express provision to the contrary is made.
Care pathway An approach to managing a specific disease or clinical
condition that identifies what interventions are required, and sets
out the various stages of care through which a patient passes and
the expected outcome of treatment.
Care plan A written statement of community care services to be pro-
vided following assessment (q.v.). The document details the care
and treatment that a patient receives and identifies who delivers
the care and treatment. This term covers the term ‘individual plan’
(See also health record).
Care Programme Approach (CPA) The individual packages of care (care
programmes), developed in conjunction with social services, for
all patients accepted by the specialist psychiatric services. Care
programmes may range from ‘minimal’ single-worker assessment
and monitoring for individuals with less severe mental health and
social needs, to complex and multi-professional assessments and
treatment.
Care Record Development Board (CRDB) Established as an independ-
ent body to provide advice to NHS Connecting for Health on a
variety of issues arising from the development of the NHS Care
Records Service. The CRDB was replaced on 1 October 2007
by the National Information Governance Board for Health and
Social Care, which will continue to publish and review the NHS
Care Record Guarantee, formerly produced by the CRDB (See
also National Information Governance Board for Health and
Social Care).
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 11

Care Record Guarantee The commitment of the NHS in England

to patients that it will use records about them in ways that
respect their rights and promote their health and well-being.
The Guarantee covers people’s access to their own records, con-
trols on others’ access, how access will be monitored and policed,
options to further limit access, access in an emergency and what
happens when someone cannot make decisions for him or herself.
Carer A person who regularly provides help (without pay) to some-
one who requires domestic, physical, emotional or personal care
as a result of illness or disability. This term also incorporates
friends, relatives and partners. There are thought to be six mil-
lion ‘informal carers’.
Case-based reasoning An approach to computer reasoning that uses
knowledge from a library of similar cases, rather than by accessing
a knowledge base containing more generalised knowledge, such
as a set of rules. (See also artificial intelligence and expert system.)
Case conference (children) Formal meeting attended by representa-
tives from all the agencies concerned with the child’s welfare. This
increasingly includes the child’s parents (and the Act promotes
this practice).
Casemix The mixture of clinical conditions and severity of condition
encountered in a particular healthcare setting.
Cash limit A limit imposed by the government on the amount of cash
a public body may spend during a given financial year. Separate
cash limits may be set for revenue and capital.
Causal reasoning A form of reasoning based on following from cause
to effect, in contrast to other methods in which the connection is
weaker, such as probabilistic association.
Chairman (chairperson or chair is more politically correct) A person who
leads or conducts discussions. A chair’s skill and technique may
be used in a one-to-one meeting or by indirect communication
methods, such as the telephone.
Change agent A third party, who may be a trained behavioural scien-
tist, and who acts as a catalyst in bringing about change by means
of an organisation development programme.
Checklist A means of recording observations relating to fixed crite-
ria; used to check compliance with agreed procedures or standards.
Child A person under the age of 18 years. There is an important
exception to this in the case of an application for financial relief
by a ‘child’ who has reached 18 years and is, or will be, receiving
education or training.
12 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

Child assessment order The order requires any person who can do
so to produce the child for an assessment and to comply with the
terms of the order.
Child Protection Register Central record of all children in a given area
for whom support is being provided via inter-agency planning.
Generally, these are children considered to be at risk of abuse
or neglect. The register is usually maintained and run by social
service departments under the responsibility of a custodian (an
experienced social worker able to provide advice to any profes-
sional making inquiries about the child). Registration for each
child is reviewed every six months.
Child minder Person who looks after one or more children under the
age of eight for reward, for more than two hours in any one day.
Children in need A child is in need if: (a) he or she is unlikely to achieve
or maintain (or have the opportunity of achieving or maintain-
ing) a reasonable standard of health or development without the
provision for him or her of services by a local authority; or (b) his
or her health or development is likely to be significantly impaired
(or further impaired) without the provision for him or her of such
services; or (c) he or she is disabled.
Children living away from home Children who are not being looked
after by the local authority but are nevertheless living away from
home, e.g. children in independent schools. The local author-
ity has a number of duties towards such children, e.g. to take
reasonably practicable steps to ensure that their welfare is being
adequately safeguarded and promoted.
Choice Giving patients more choice about how, when and where they
receive treatment is one cornerstone of the government’s health
policy. In the context of NHS reforms, this is the overarching pol-
icy term given to range of initiatives within the reform of the NHS
designed to act as a driver for efficiency, quality and effectiveness.
Choose and Book Allows a patient, in partnership with health and
care professionals, to book first outpatient appointments at the
most appropriate date, time and place for the patient.
Clinic session A session held, and not merely scheduled, for, by or
on behalf of one consultant, senior hospital medical officer or
dental officer. Now extended to include sessions run by nurses
and other clinical staff.
Clinical budgeting The allocation of specific budgets to consultant
clinical staff who are responsible for the budget management. A
part of management budgeting.
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 13

Clinical directorate A unit of management for specific clinical serv-

ices. A clinical directorate is usually led by a clinical director, who
is often a consultant working in that role for a number of sessions
per week. They are supported by a nurse and/or business manager.
The extent to which management responsibilities for budgets and
staff are devolved to directorates varies.
Clinical guideline An agreed set of steps to be taken in the manage-
ment of a clinical condition.
Clinical pathway See clinical guideline.
Clinical protocol See clinical guideline.
Clinical responsibilities Range of activities for which a clinician is
accountable.
Clinical Risk and Safety Board Local NHS boards responsible for
establishing a framework for the safe implementation and con-
tinuing use of new IT systems in local NHS organisations. The
board is made up of clinical representatives including doctors,
nurses and other healthcare professionals.
Clinical Spine Application (CSA) The web-based application that ena-
bles healthcare professionals who do not have access to local NHS
Care Records Service systems and services to have controlled
access to the Personal Demographics Service (PDS) and the
Personal Spine Information Service (PSIS). It enables clinicians
and other staff to access information held on the Spine.
Clinician Health professional such as a doctor or nurse, involved in
clinical practice.
Clinician’s sealed envelope See sealing.
Closed beds Beds which have not been used (i.e. closed) for longer
than one month for the purpose of redecoration or structural
alterations, or because of a shortage of staff, but are scheduled to
be reopened at a future date.
Code In medical terminological systems, the unique numerical iden-
tifier associated with a medical concept, which may be associated
with a variety of terms, all with the same meaning. (See also term.)
Cognitive map A process of recording information in related group-
ings and intended to assist lateral thinking. (See also mind map.)
Cognitive science A multidisciplinary field studying human cognitive
processes, including their relationship to technologically embod-
ied models of cognition. (See also artificial intelligence.)
Commissioner An organisation or individual involved in purchasing
healthcare. (See also purchaser.)
Commissioning Relates to the purchasing and contracting of
14 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

healthcare services. It is a broad term that can cover a range of

activities but in principle a distinction can be drawn between two
levels of commissioning. At one level, commissioning can involve
service planning and design, through identifying population need;
assessing the local priorities; understanding the market; and deter-
mining where and how services should be provided and by whom.
On another level, commissioning can involve the daily purchasing
of services, through managing contracts and spending budgets.
Commissioning a patient-led NHS The letter and attachments (enti-
tled Commissioning a Patient-led NHS) was sent to NHS Chief
Executives and others at the end of July 2005. It builds on the
NHS Improvement Plan and Creating a Patient-Led NHS. The
details contained in the papers relate to the form and function
of primary care trusts and strategic health authorities and was
designed to begin to address the tension between providing serv-
ices and commissioning services in PCTs. It was also intended to
prompt cost savings of £250 million; deliver practice-based com-
missioning (PBC) by December 2006 at the latest; and SHAs will
be reconfigured to move towards alignment with Government
Office boundaries.
Communication The two-way process of exchanging ideas, thoughts,
feelings and facts.
Communication strategy A written statement of objectives for effec-
tive communication and a plan for meeting those objectives. The
strategy should be consistent with the business plan.
Community care The assessment and commissioning of health and
social care and treatment to patients/clients outside hospital, who
have an identified physical or mental illness or disability. It is often
more narrowly associated with patients being resettled from insti-
tutional care, e.g. from large psychiatric hospitals, or frail, elderly
people who previously would have remained in hospital care.
Community Health Councils (CHCs) ‘Patient watchdog’ bodies estab-
lished as part of the NHS reorganisation in 1974. Their role
included assisting with complaints and visiting NHS premises.
The government published the NHS Plan for England in 2000,
which proposed the abolition of CHCs in England and their
replacement by Patient and Public Involvement Forums and
Patient Advocate and Liaison Services and established by each
NHS trust, including primary care trusts in England. CHCs have
been retained in Wales and Scotland.
Community health services These divide into two main groups:
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 15

patient care in the community – the treatment or care (outside

hospital) of patients with identified physical or mental illness or
disability; and services to the community – services of prevention
or intervention that are provided to a population, such as immu-
nisation, screening and health promotion.
Complainant A person who expresses dissatisfaction. They may or
may not be the patient concerned.
Complaint An expression of dissatisfaction.
Complaints procedure (children) The procedure that a local author-
ity must set up in order to hear representations regarding the
provision of services under Part III of the Children Act from
a number of persons, including the child, the parents and ‘such
other person’ as the authority considers has sufficient interest in
the child’s welfare to warrant his or her representations being
considered by them.
Compliment An expression of approval or satisfaction.
Computer-based patient record See electronic medical record.
Computerised protocol Clinical guideline or protocol stored on a
computer system so that it may be easily accessed or manipulated
to support the delivery of care. (See also clinical guideline.)
Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) The Local Service Provider
(LSP) for the North West and West Midlands Cluster and North
East and Eastern Clusters, delivering software developed by its
main subcontractor iSoft.
Conciliation The process of a layperson assisting two parties in
dispute to reach informal agreement through discussion and per-
suasion without any legally binding status.
Conciliatory The application of conciliation techniques particularly
outside a formal conciliation process.
Concurrent jurisdiction (children) The High Court, a County Court
and a Magistrates’ Court (Family Proceedings Court) all have
jurisdiction to hear proceedings under the Children’s Act.
Connectionism The study of the theory and application of neural
networks. (See also neural network.)
Consent to share Where a patient has explicitly consented to share
information across organisations for the purpose of their health-
care, or has expressed no preference so consent is inferred. The
sharing of information will be on a need- to- know basis. A
Summary Care Record exists and is visible to an authorised user
with a legitimate relationship to the patient. Consent may be
given in two ways.
16 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

◗ Implied consent: When a patient has not expressed a preference

so consent to share is inferred. For example, when a GP sends
clinical information to a consultant following a patient referral
to specialist care, the GP is assuming the patient’s consent to
send that information as part of the referral.
◗ Express consent: When a patient expresses permission for the
sharing of their clinical information across NHS organisations.

Patients may also express dissent to the sharing of information.

◗Dissent to share: Prevents confidential information maintained
by one legal organisation being accessible by another legal
organisation, unless the information is sent as part of a direct
clinical communication like a referral or discharge note. A
Summary Care Record will exist but will not be automatically
visible to any authorised user, when combined with Consent
to Store.
Constant prices A mechanism for comparing prices for goods and
services over a number of years, which compensates for the dis-
tortion introduced by inflation.
Contact order (children) Order requiring the person with whom a
child lives, or is to live, to allow the child to visit or stay with the
person named in the order.
Continuing education Activities which provide education and train-
ing for staff. These may be used to prepare for specialisation or
career development as well as facilitating personal development.
Continuing professional development (CPD) Defined as: ‘A process
of lifelong learning for all individuals and teams which enables
professionals to expand and fulfil their potential and which also
meets the needs of patients and delivers the health and healthcare
priorities of the NHS’.
Contract/Agreement A document agreed between providers and
purchasers of healthcare. Details activity, financial and quality
levels to be achieved.
Contract currencies Agreed units of measurement for contracting,
e.g. finished consultant episodes.
Contracts The basis for agreement on the services that should be
provided to patients, including specification of quality. Block con-
tracts specify facilities to be provided, and may include workload
agreements including patient activity targets within an agreed
range. Cost and volume contracts specify the level of services
required by the purchaser. Purchasers can link payment with
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 17

agreed activity. Provider units will be able to match funding with

workload and deploy resources more flexibly. Cost per case con-
tracts cover the cost of treatment for specific patients.
Control measures Ways in which risk can be controlled, including
physical controls such as locking away drugs and valuable items,
and system controls such as restricting access to hazardous areas
to specific staff groups.
Convenor A non-executive director of a trust, health authority or
health board who decides whether or not to convene an inde-
pendent panel to review a complaint against an NHS provider.
Corporate Relating to the whole of an organisation, e.g. the manage-
ment of an organisation.
Corporate seal A seal used by organisations to certify documents
used in legal transactions (such as the sale of land) so as to fulfil
legal requirements.
Court welfare officer (children) Officer appointed to provide a report
for the court about the child and the child’s family situation and
background. The court welfare officer will usually be a probation
officer.
Criterion A measurable component of performance. A number of
criteria need to be met to achieve the desired standard.
Cross-functional team A team of people from different disciplines.
Cruse A non- religious UK- based organisation specialising in
bereavement. Email [email protected]
Cybernetics A name coined by Norbert Weiner in the 1950s to
describe the study of feedback control systems and their applica-
tion. Such systems were seen to exhibit properties associated with
human intelligence and robotics, and so were an early contribution
to the theory of artificial intelligence.
Cyberspace Popular term (now associated with the Internet) which
describes the notional information ‘space’ that is created across
computer networks. (See also virtual reality.)
Cycle time Time a patient is under treatment (in hospital). Thus,
cycle time plus waiting time equals the lead time.
Database A structured repository for data, usually stored on a
computer system. The existence of a regular and formal index-
ing structure permits rapid retrieval of individual elements of the
database.
Day care (children) A person provides day care if they look after one
or more children under the age of eight on non-domestic premises
for more than two hours in any day.
18 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

Day cases Patients who have an investigation, treatment or opera-

tion, but are admitted electively and discharged on the same day.
Decision support system General term for any computer application
that enhances a human’s ability to make decisions.
Decision tree A method of representing knowledge that makes struc-
tured decisions in a hierarchical tree-like fashion.
Deduction A method of logical inference. Given a cause, deduction
infers all logical effects that might arise as a consequence. (See also
abduction, induction and inference.)
Designated person A person within an NHS provider, or a depart-
ment of an NHS provider, who is delegated responsibility to
ensure that complaints are properly resolved locally.
Detailed records At present patients have many detailed records.
These include a GP record, usually held electronically but often
supplemented by paper records. Where patients have visited
a hospital or clinic, there will usually be an electronic patient
administration record; a separate written clinical record in their
local hospital; a separate paper record if they have been pregnant;
a further separate paper record if they have received mental health
treatment; another separate paper record if they have been treated
in the sexual health clinic; and a separate record if they have
attended Accident and Emergency. Each of these records will
be repeated for each hospital or clinic the patient has attended.
In addition, the patient may have a community record if receiv-
ing long-term care in the community (e.g. physiotherapy). The
National Programme for IT has a clear objective to reduce this
duplication of diverse records by providing a patient-centred
electronic detailed record that spans these areas. As a minimum,
this would be within a hospital but there are real benefits when
providing a consistent record across a local health community
and across the boundaries involved in care pathways for a patient.
The overall objective is a single detailed record for an individual
patient that is accessible by the GP and by community and local
hospital care settings.
Dictionary of Medicines and Devices (dm+d) The source of terminol-
ogy and a common language for medicines and devices used in
healthcare.
Direct credits The income from the sale of meals to staff, renting
accommodation to staff and so on.
Direct discrimination Where someone is treated less favourably purely
on grounds of marital status, sex, ethnic origin or similar criteria
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 19

which do not affect the individual’s ability to perform the job. (See
also indirect discrimination)
Disabled (children) A child is disabled if ‘he or she is blind, deaf
or dumb or suffers from a mental disorder of any kind or is
substantially and permanently handicapped by illness, injury or
congenital deformity or such other disability’.
Dissent to share See consent to share.
Disclosure interview (children) Term sometimes used to indicate an
interview with a child, conducted as part of the assessment for
suspected sexual abuse. It could be misleading (since it implies,
in some people’s view, undue pressure on the child to ‘disclose’)
and therefore the latest preferred term is ‘investigative interview’.
Discrimination May be direct or indirect. For details see separate
headings.
Distributed computing Term for computer systems in which data and
programs are distributed and shared across different computers
on a network.
Dual registered homes Homes for disabled or elderly people, regis-
tered as both a residential care home and a nursing home.
Duty to investigate (children) A local authority is under a duty to
investigate in a number of situations where they have a ‘reasonable
cause to suspect that a child who lives, or is found, in [its] area is
suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm’.
Early Adopter Programme A programme of work involving NHS
Connecting for Health supporting the first primary care trusts
to implement Summary Care Records for patients in their area.
There were six Early Adopter PCTs that made up the Early
Adopter Programme. The Early Adopter sites were independently
evaluated so that lessons could be learned and business processes
tested and refined before Summary Care Records started to roll
out across England from 2008.
European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) A training course in essen-
tial IT skills available to all NHS staff to help them prepare for
new ways of working and increase confidence in their use of IT.
ECDL is an internationally recognised qualification that has
been adopted as the NHS standard. Since replaced by Essential
IT Skills.
Education supervision order (children) Order which puts a child under
the supervision of a designated local education authority.
Education welfare officer (EWO) Social work support to children in
the context of their schooling. While EWOs’ main focus used to
20 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

be the enforcement of school attendance, today they perform a

wider range of services, including seeking to ensure that children
receive adequate and appropriate education and that any special
needs are met, and more general liaison between local authority
education and social services departments.
Educational psychologist A psychology graduate who has had teach-
ing experience and additional vocational training. Educational
psychologists perform a range of functions including assessing
children’s education, psychological and emotional needs, offering
therapy and contributing psychological expertise to the process
of assessment.
Electronic mail See email.
Electronic medical record A general term describing computer-based
patient record systems. It is sometimes extended to include other
functions, such as order entry for medications and tests, among
other common functions.
electronic Government Interoperability Framework (eGIF) Standards
used to ensure the security of systems for registering system users
and authenticating their identity. The eGIF defines the techni-
cal policies and specifications governing information flows across
government and the public sector.
Electronic Patient Record (EPR) EPR is a catch-all term covering the
patient data held in digital form by computers. The National
Programme for IT is delivering a number of EPRs. A Summary
Care Record (SCR), Detailed Records, Diagnostic Test Order
and Results, PACS images and all other clinical data held in
computers are examples of EPRs.
Electronic transmission of prescriptions (ETP) Enables GPs/prescribers
to send prescriptions electronically to pharmacies.
Email/e-mail/electronic mail A messaging system available on com-
puter networks, providing users with personal mail boxes from
which electronic messages can be sent and received.
Emergency admission A patient admitted on the same day that
admission is requested.
Emergency protection order (children) That which a court can make if it
is satisfied that a child is likely to suffer significant harm, or where
inquiries are being made with respect to the child and they are
being frustrated by the unreasonable refusal of access to the child.
End of life Patients are ‘approaching the end of life’ when they are
likely to die within the next 12 months. This category includes
those where death is expected within hours or days; those who
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 21

have advanced, progressive incurable conditions; those with gen-

eral frailty and co-existing conditions that mean they are expected
to die within 12 months; those at risk of dying from a sudden acute
crisis in an existing condition; and those with life-threatening
acute conditions caused by sudden catastrophic events. The term
can also be applied to extremely premature neonates whose pros-
pects for survival are known to be very poor and patients who are
diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state for whom a
decision to withdraw treatment and care may lead to their death.
End stage The final period in the course of a progressive disease
leading to a patient’s death.
Enterprise-wide arrangements Arrangements with key suppliers in
the IT industry. Given its size, the National Programme seeks
to procure quality IT services from suppliers to the NHS on a
greater scale and at a more competitive rate than any single NHS
organisation.
Epidemiology Study of the distribution and determinants of disease
in human populations.
Epistemology The philosophical study of knowledge.
Estates strategy A written statement of objectives relating to estates
management and a plan for meeting those objectives. The strategy
should be consistent with the business plan.
European Directive A requirement which binds an EU member state,
e.g. the one designed to facilitate the free movement of doctors
and the mutual recognition of their diplomas, certificates and
other evidence of formal qualifications (Council Directive 93/16/
EEC).
Evaluation The study of the performance of a service (or element
of treatment and care) with the aim of identifying successful and
problem areas of activity.
Evidence-based medicine A movement advocating the practice of
medicine according to clinical guidelines, developed to reflect best
practice as captured from a meta-analysis of the clinical literature.
(See also clinical guideline, meta-analysis and protocol.)
Existing system provider A supplier whose system is currently installed
within the NHS and related care settings. NHS Connecting for
Health’s Existing Systems Programme works with these suppliers
to make their systems compatible with National Programme sys-
tems and services that in turn ought to enable patients to benefit
from the new services such as Choose and Book, the Electronic
Prescription Service and GP2GP Record Transfer.
22 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

Expert system A computer program that contains expert knowledge

about a particular problem, often in the form of a set of if-then
rules, that is able to solve problems at a level equivalent or greater
than human experts. (See also artificial intelligence.)
Explicit consent See consent to share.
External financing limit (EFL) A cash limit set by the NHSE on net
external financing for an NHS trust. A positive external finan-
cing limit is set where the agreed capital spending for an NHS
trust exceeds income from internally generated resources. A zero
external financing limit is set where the agreed capital spending
programme for a trust equals internally generated resources. A
negative external financing limit is set where the agreed capital
spending programme for a trust is less than internally generated
resources.
Extra-contractual referral (ECR) The term used for referral of an
individual for health services that were not covered in contracts
that existed between the old system of purchaser and providers
of services.
Family centre Child and parents, or other person looking after a child,
can attend for occupational and recreational activities, advice,
guidance or counselling, and accommodation while receiving such
advice, guidance or counselling.
Family Panel Panel from which magistrates who sit in the new
Family Proceedings Court are selected. These magistrates will
have undergone specialist training on the Children’s Act.
Family Proceedings Court Court at the level of the magistrates’ court
to hear proceedings under the Children Act 1989. The magis-
trates will be selected from a new panel, known as the Family
Panel, and will be specially trained.
Fieldworker (field social worker) Conducts a range of social work
functions in the community and in other settings (e.g. hospitals).
Financial strategy A written statement of objectives relating to finan-
cial management and a plan for meeting those objectives. The
strategy should be consistent with the business plan.
Financial target (for an NHS trust) A real pre-interest return of 6% on
the value of net assets, effectively a return on the average of the
opening and closing assets shown in the accounts.
Finished consultant episode (FCE) An episode where the patient has
completed a period of care under a consultant and is either dis-
charged or transferred to another consultant. The total number of
episodes is a common measure of overall hospital activity.
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 23

Firewall A security barrier erected between a public computer net-

work like the Internet and a local private computer network.
Flexible training Available for doctors who have ‘well-founded indi-
vidual reasons’ for working less than full-time. The DoH runs two
schemes to encourage flexible training for career registrars and
senior registrars (PM(79)3). Flexible training for PRHOs and
SHOs is available on a personal basis. In addition, a number of
regions organise their own flexible training schemes.
Foster carer Provides substitute family care for children. A child
looked after by a local authority can be placed with local author-
ity foster carers.
Foundation trusts (FTs) First set up as a result of the Health and
Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003. More
hospitals have become foundation trusts since then and all Acute
NHS Trusts will be required to attain FT status by the end of
2008. Although remaining part of the NHS, foundation trusts are
subject to reduced control from central government. They differ
from traditional NHS trusts in three main ways:
◗ they possess the freedom to decide locally how to meet their
obligations (which can also involve borrowing money from
private sources)
◗ they are accountable, through (mainly elected) governors, to
their members, who are drawn from local residents, patients
and staff
◗ they are authorised and monitored by Monitor, the Independent
Regulator of NHS foundation trusts.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ) Common term for information lists
available on the Internet which have been compiled for newcom-
ers on a particular subject, answering common questions that
would otherwise often be asked by submitting email requests to
a Newsgroup.
Front line staff The employees of an NHS provider who have direct,
face-to-face contact with patients and other NHS users.
Front Line Support Academy Provides learning opportunities for staff
involved in the implementation of IT in the NHS and social care.
The Academy works with staff to change and improve patients’
experience of their care.
Functional department Examples would include X-ray, a ward, thea-
tre, pharmacy, pathology, a clinic or outpatients.
Functional team A team from within a single discipline.
General Practice Element Usually referenced in relation to Summary
24 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

Care Records, this is the information from the GP patient record

that is included in a patient’s Summary Care Record.
General Medical Services (GMS) The rules used to manage payments
to family doctors as part of the GP’s contract.
General Medical Services Contract (GMS contract) In 2003 GPs accepted
a new contract, negotiated by the British Medical Association and
the NHS Confederation. The terms of this contract meant that
payments to GPs were more closely related to the quantity and
quality of the services provided.
Go live For the purposes of communications with the public, go
live is when new systems and services start to be used to enable
information to be linked so that it can be accessed by people in
different organisations, e.g. a hospital can access information
created by a GP.
GP fundholder Term that was used for GP practice with a budget for
the purchase of a range of hospital inpatient and outpatient (and
certain nursing and paramedical) services. Ceased in April 1999.
GP2GP A service that transfers electronic patient records from one
GP practice to another when a patient changes GP practices. A
secure way of transferring patient records from one GP practice
to another.
Guardian ad litem (GAL) Person appointed by a court to investigate a
child’s circumstances and to report to the court.
Guidance (children) Authorities are required to act in accordance
with the guidance issued by the Secretary of State. However,
guidance does not have the full force of law but is intended as a
series of statements of good practice and may be quoted or used
in court proceedings.
Hawthorne effect Term used to describe changes in productivity
and employee morale as a direct result of management interest in
their problems. Improvements may arise before any management
action. Originates from a study of the Hawthorne Works, Western
Electric Co, USA (1920s).
Hazard assessment procedures The process by which the origins,
frequencies, costs and effects of hazards are identified and strat-
egies adopted to avoid or minimise their effects.
Hazards The potential to cause harm, including ill health and injury,
damage to property, plant, products or the environment, produc-
tion losses or increased liabilities.
Health and safety policy A plan of action for the health, safety and
well-being of staff, patients, residents and visitors.
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 25

Healthcare Resource Groups (HRGs) These are codes that signify

clinically similar treatments that use common levels of health-
care resource. An information management tool, they have been
developed to support Payment by Results.
Health economy or health community These terms generally refer to
all providers, purchasers and service users within a defined geo-
graphical area.
Health gain The improvement of the health status of a community
or population. It is sometimes described as ‘adding years to life
and life to years’.
Health level 7 (HL7) A healthcare-specific communication standard
for data exchange between computer applications.
Healthcare professional A person qualified in a health discipline.
Health promotion Enabling individuals and communities to increase
control over the determinants of health and thereby improve their
health.
Health record Information about the physical or mental health of
someone, which has been made by, or on behalf of, a health profes-
sional in connection with the care of that person. These must be
kept for a statutory period of time after the patient is discharged
from the service. Records will be held in addition to care plans.
Health Service Commissioner (HSC) The Ombudsman, appointed by
Parliament to protect the rights of users of the NHS. Responsible
only to Parliament.
Health service price index This index takes the NHS ‘shopping
basket’ of goods and services (it excludes pay of employees) and
weighs them according to use. The cost movement of these items
is measured each month and the index updated to reflect these
changes. It is used by the NHS to measure price movements and
quite often to update allocations and budgets.
HealthSpace A secure website which provides an online personal
health organiser for patients. In time, and after completing
the registration process for an advanced HealthSpace account,
patients who have a Summary Care Record will be able to access
it using HealthSpace.
Health status A measure of the overall health experience of an indi-
vidual or a defined population.
Hearing The process of perceiving sound or agreement to having
heard a person’s statement.
Herzberg’s two-factor theory Herzberg maintained on the basis of
research studies that in any work there are factors which satisfy
26 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

and dissatisfy, but they are not necessarily opposites of each other.
The latter are to do with conditions of work which he called
hygiene or maintenance factors, and the former are achievement,
recognition, responsibility and advancement, which he called
motivators.
Heuristic A rule of thumb that describes how things are commonly
understood, without resorting to deeper or more formal knowl-
edge. (See also model-based reasoning.)
HMRL First of a series of hospital medical record forms. It is usually
the front sheet of a patient’s case notes and summarises personal,
administrative and medical details. It is used for inpatients in all
hospitals except those for mental illness and maternity.
Hospice NHS, voluntary or private residential premises for the pro-
vision of clinical and nursing care to residents who are terminally
ill.
Hospital acquired infection An infection acquired by a patient dur-
ing their stay in hospital, which is unconnected with their reason
for admission.
Hospital information system (HIS) Typically used to describe hospital
computer systems with functions such as patient admission and
discharge, order entry for laboratory tests or medications, and
billing functions. (See also electronic medical record.)
Hospital stay The number of days a patient stays on one hospital site
during a hospital provider spell.
Hotel costs The costs of food, heating, maintenance and so on for
keeping a patient in hospital, excluding all medical and treat-
ment costs.
Human-computer interaction The study of the psychology and design
principles associated with the way humans interact with computer
systems.
Human-computer interface The ‘view’ presented by a program to its
user. Often literally a visual window that allows a program to be
operated, an interface could just as easily be based on the recog-
nition and synthesis of speech or any other medium with which
a human is able to sense or manipulate.
Human resource strategy A written statement of human resource
objectives and a plan for meeting those objectives. The strategy
should be consistent with the business plan.
Hygiene factor The element of work motivation concerned with
the environment or context of job, i.e. salary, status and secur-
ity, etc. To be distinguished from motivators, i.e. achievement
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 27

recognition. Based on theory of Herzberg F. (see Herzberg 1959).

IG alert An alert to a Caldicott Guardian or Privacy Officer, which
will be generated when a user has had to justify special access to
confidential patient information, and access has been provided.
The privacy officer will ensure that the reason given for access is
genuine and justifiable.
Information Governance (IG) The structures, policies and practice
used to ensure the confidentiality and security of health and social
care services records, especially clinical records, and to enable the
ethical use of them for the benefit of the individual to whom they
relate and for the public good.
IG Statement of Compliance (IGSoC) An agreement between NHS
Connecting for Health and any organisation wishing to use
services provided through the National Programme for IT. The
agreement stipulates the obligations that the organisation is
expected to maintain to ensure patient data is safeguarded and
only used appropriately.
Implied consent See consent to share.
In care (children) Refers to a child in the care of the local authority
by virtue of an order or under an interim order.
Incident An event or occurrence, especially one that leads to prob-
lems. An example of this could be an attack on one person by
another within a service.
Income and expenditure reports An accountancy tool which describes
and analyses the flow of funds into and out of an organisation in
order to assess liquidity. Sometimes known as ‘source and applica-
tion of funds statements’ or more commonly ‘cash flow statements’.
Independent contractor In primary care, this normally refers to a
self-employed professional. The vast majority of GPs are self-
employed – unlike hospital doctors who are normally directly
employed by the hospital.
Independent review The process of a panel of laypersons reviewing
the case of a complaint where the complainant is not satisfied with
the results of local resolution by an NHS provider.
Independent visitor (children) A local authority in certain sets of
circumstances appoints such a visitor for a child it is looking
after. The visitor appointed has the duty of ‘visiting, advising and
befriending the child’.
Indirect discrimination Where an unjustifiable requirement or con-
dition is applied to the job which has a disproportionately adverse
effect on one sex or group. For example, the career and life pattern
28 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

of women is often different from that of men as a consequence

of family responsibilities and child-bearing. Women may be
less mobile than men. Another example of indirect discrimina-
tion is insisting on a conventional career path. (See also direct
discrimination.)
Individual performance review (IPR) A system of appraisal based on
the setting of agreed objectives and targets between individual
employees and their managers and the extent of the attainment
of these targets. Normally, IPR is linked to development; within
the NHS it is often associated with performance-related pay for
senior managers.
Induction A method of logical inference used to suggest relation-
ships from observations. This is the process of generalisation we
use to create models of the world. (See also abduction, deduction
and inference.)
Induction programme Learning activities designed to enable newly
appointed staff to function effectively in a new position.
Industrial tribunals Set up under the Industrial Training Act 1964,
they consider cases of unfair dismissal, sex discrimination and
disability.
Industry Liaison Provides information and guidance to IT suppliers
who would like to be involved in providing products and services
to NPfIT. It also supplies information to the National Programme
on product innovations and developments in IT.
Infant mortality rate The deaths of infants under one year of age per
1000 live births.
Inference A logical conclusion drawn using one of several methods
of reasoning, knowledge and data. (See also abduction, deduction
and induction.)
Information Governance Framework The Information Governance
Framework for Health and Social Care is formed by those ele-
ments of law and policy from which applicable information
governance standards are derived, and the activities and roles
which individually and collectively ensure that these standards
are clearly defined and met. While a key focus of information
governance is the use of information about service users, it applies
to information and information processing in its broadest sense
and underpins both clinical and corporate governance.
Information Standards Board (ISB) Established in 2001 to provide an
independent mechanism for the approval of information stand-
ards in the NHS.
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 29

Information superhighway A popular term associated with the

Internet and used to describe its role in the global mass trans-
portation of information.
Information theory Initially developed by Claude Shannon, this
describes the amount of data that can be transmitted across a
channel given specific encoding techniques and noise in the signal.
Informed consent The legal principle by which a patient is informed
about the nature, purpose and likely effects of any treatment pro-
posed, before being asked to consent to accepting it.
Inherent jurisdiction (children) Powers of High Court to make orders
to protect a child.
Injunction Order made by the court prohibiting an act or requiring
its cessation.
Inpatient A patient who has gone through the full admission pro-
cedure and is occupying a bed in a hospital inpatients’ department.
Inquisitorial One of two kinds of court process: adversarial and
inquisitorial. The inquisitorial system is one where the role of the
court is to inquire into the facts of a particular matter in order to
reach a judgement. The Coroners Court is a good example.
Inspiration trap The difficulty faced by a conciliator who can iden-
tify an obvious and sensible solution to a dispute but must ensure
that the parties to the dispute reach the same conclusion without
identifiable direction from the conciliator.
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) A digital telephone net-
work that is designed to provide channels for voice and data
services. Customer must be within about 3.4 miles of the tele-
phone exchange otherwise expensive repeater devices are required.
Inter-agency plan (children) Plan devised jointly by the agencies
concerned in a child’s welfare which co-ordinates the services
they provide.
Interim Access Controls All NHS organisations are working towards
fulfilling all the commitments set out in the Care Record
Guarantee. Until that time, interim measures will be put in place
by organisations, in order to allow appropriate access to informa-
tion while providing the necessary security and confidentiality.
Interim care order (children) Made by court, placing the child in the
care of the designated local authority.
International Classification of Disease (ICD-10) Tenth edition published
by the World Health Organization for the statistical classifica-
tion of morbidity and mortality. It may be used in conjunction
with another classification termed Read coding. Review of the
30 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

WHO website suggests work is under way on ICD-11 and

more information about the ICD can be found at www.who.int/
research/en.
Investigative interview (children) Preferred term for an interview con-
ducted with a child as part of an assessment following concerns
that the child may have been abused.
Investment appraisal A means of assessing whether expenditure of
capital (or revenue) on a project will show a satisfactory rate of
return (e.g. lower costs or higher income), either absolutely or
when compared with alternative projects.
Job description Contains standard information for staff regarding
conditions of service, location(s) of the post, duties of the post,
accountability, education and training facilities, appraisal and the
salary scale of the post. It should be available and made known
to all potential applicants at the earliest possible stage and should
be sent out with every application form. It contains details of
accountability, responsibility, formal lines of communication,
principal duties, entitlements and performance review. It is a guide
for an individual in a specific position within an organisation. (See
also person specification.)
Joint financing A sum of money taken from the health allocation and
then spent on projects which are agreed by a joint consultative
committee. Such monies should normally be spent on personal
social service projects to reduce demands on NHS services.
Judicial review An order from the divisional court quashing a dis-
puted decision. The divisional court cannot substitute its own
decision but can merely send the matter back to the offending
authority for reconsideration.
Key worker The person responsible for co-ordinating the care plan
for each individual patient, for monitoring its progress and for
staying in regular contact with the patient and everyone involved.
A key worker may be from a variety of different professional or
non-professional backgrounds.
Kipling’s serving men ‘I keep six honest serving men (they taught
me all I know). Their names are What and Why and When and
How and Where and Who’.
Knowledge acquisition Subspecialty of artificial intelligence, usu-
ally associated with developing methods for capturing human
knowledge and of converting it into a form that can be used
by computer. (See also expert system, heuristic and machine
learning.)
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 31

Knowledge-based system See expert system.

Korner data Korner relates to the review of NHS information
requirements by the NHS/DHSS steering group on health serv-
ices information which was chaired by Edith Korner. The group
recommended a minimum set of data that should be collected in
all districts for management purposes.
Lay person A person who is not, and preferably never has been, a
professional in the field under dispute or any associated field.
Lead time Time between presentation to GP or perhaps A&E and
discharge. Thus the lead time = cycle time + waiting time.
Lecture 50–55 minutes of largely uninterrupted discourse from a
teacher with no discussion between students and no student activ-
ity other than listening and note taking.
Legacy systems suppliers These are the commercial companies that
supply the current/existing IT systems and software in use in the
NHS. Also known as existing systems suppliers.
Legal proxy Person with legal authority to make decisions on behalf
of another adult. Legal proxies who can make healthcare decisions
include: a person holding a lasting Power of Attorney (England
and Wales) or a Welfare Power of Attorney (Scotland); a court
appointed deputy (England and Wales); and a court appointed
guardian or court appointed intervener (Scotland). Northern
Ireland currently has no provision for appointing legal proxies
with the power to make healthcare decisions.
Legitimate relationship (LR) Staff involved in a patient’s care are con-
sidered to have a ‘legitimate relationship’ with that patient. Access
to confidential information will be limited to those staff who have
a ‘legitimate relationship’ with that patient.
Listen The process of actively hearing, accepting and understanding
a verbal communication.
Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) Local Improvement Finance
Trusts are a method for funding primary care and community
care estates modernisation, similar in some respects to PFI. The
contracts involved in a LIFT scheme are for buildings and main-
tenance. It is an additional procurement route for developing
primary care estates that currently includes the use of conventional
public capital, premises built and operated under the national
contract for general medical services (GMS), PFI and other
public–private partnerships.
Local implementation An NPfIT management group and individual
project teams who have responsibilities for implementation in
32 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

each SHA. They co-ordinate and manage the progress of the

programme by dealing with a variety of issues, including progress
monitoring, problem solving, risk management, planning, good
practice and allocating resources.
Local resolution The process of resolving a complaint against an
NHS provider swiftly, at or very near to the point at which the
issue complained about actually occurred.
Local Service Providers (LSPs) Responsible for working with the local
NHS to deliver National Programme for IT systems and services
at a local level. They work to integrate local systems with national
applications and to maintain common standards. LSPs also sup-
port local organisations to deliver and realise the benefits from
their National Programme for IT systems and services.
Local voices initiative Encourages gathering of the views and wishes
of local people as a contribution to purchasing intelligence (q.v.).
Logical To follow a sound set of rules and tests.
Looked after (children) A child is looked after when in local author-
ity care or is being provided with accommodation by the local
authority.
Mailing list A list of email addresses for individuals. Used to dis-
tribute information to small groups of individuals who may, for
example, have shared interests. (See also email.)
Major incident (external) A serious external incident which requires
the organisation to implement contingency plans or change or
suspend some normal functions. An example would be the after-
math of a rail crash.
Major incident (internal) A serious incident occurring within the
healthcare facility resulting in the changing or suspension of
some normal functions or threatening of the organisation. This
requires the drawing up of contingency plans. Examples of this
would include the loss of electricity or telecommunications serv-
ices or bomb threats.
Makaton symbols A system of symbols used to communicate with
some people who have severe learning disabilities.
Management by objectives An approach to management which aims
to integrate the organisation’s objectives with the individual’s
objectives.
Management development An approach for ensuring that the organi-
sation meets its current and future needs for effective managers.
Would include succession planning, performance appraisal and
training.
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 33

Manpower planning A method of ensuring that the organisation’s

human resources can be met now and in the future.
Market forces May be characterised as any system of incentives
which rely on market type mechanisms such as contracts, price
or cost to create a desired behaviour from the various participants
in that market. For example, competition, fixed or decreasing
budget limits, bidding for contracts, and so on may all be seen as
market forces.
Matrix management A system of managing in a horizontal as well
as a vertical organisation structure. Typically, a person reports to
two superiors, a department or line manager and a functional or
project manager.
Matrix team People from different parts of the organisation and with
no line authority.
Mediation The process of resolving a dispute by the intervention of
an expert person who closely guides the disputing parties towards
agreement.
Mentoring and co-mentoring An ancient process of learning facilita-
tion by mutual professional support, traditionally given by a senior
to a junior colleague. In co-mentoring the process of mentoring is
non-hierarchical and involves co-mentees helping and supporting
each other in learning.
Meta-analysis Pooled statistical analysis of results from several indi-
vidual statistical analyses of different experiments, searching for
statistical significance which is not possible within the smaller
sample sizes of individual studies.
Mind map A process of recording information in related groupings
which is intended to assist lateral thinking. (See also cognitive
map.)
Minimum data sets A group of statistics or other information that
together comprise the minimum amount of information required
to inform any management process, for example for contract
monitoring.
Ministerial Taskforce An NHS Summary Care Record Taskforce was
established in July 2006 to recommend how best to implement
the Summary Care Record in the Early Adopter Programme. It
reported to ministers in December 2006 and its recommenda-
tions are being implemented. The Taskforce considered a variety
of perspectives including clinicians, hospital managers, patients
and the ambulance service.
Mission statement Statement of the overall purpose of an organisation.
34 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

Model Any representation of a real object or phenomenon, or tem-

plate for the creation of an object or phenomenon.
Model-based reasoning Approach to the development of expert
systems that uses formally defined models of systems, in contrast
to more superficial rules of thumbs. (See also artificial intelligence
and heuristic.)
Modernisation Agency Created as part of the NHS Plan to help
local clinicians and managers redesign local services around the
needs and convenience of patients. It is discussed in more detail
in Chapter 1, ‘Understanding the NHS’ of A Guide to the NHS.
Monitor An independent corporate body established under the
Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act
2003. It is responsible for authorising, monitoring and regulating
NHS foundation trusts.
Monitoring The systematic process of collecting information on
clinical and non-clinical performance. Monitoring may be inter-
mittent or continuous. It may also be undertaken in relation to
specific incidents of concern or to check key performance areas.
It is also used in respect of selection in recording data such as
sex, ethnic origin and age, etc. on applicants, short-listed candi-
dates and appointees for retrospective review to show whether an
organisation’s equal opportunities policies are being carried out
successfully. Monitoring also includes analysing the information
and data obtained to see if there are any discrepancies in treat-
ment/success rates of different groups, identifying the reasons and
taking remedial action where appropriate. Monitoring in respect
of childcare is where plans for a child, and the child’s safety and
well-being, are systematically appraised on a routine basis. Its
function is to oversee the child’s continued welfare and enable
any necessary action or change to be instigated speedily, and, at
a managerial level, to ensure that proper professional standards
are being maintained.
Morbidity The incidence of a particular disease or group of diseases
in a given population during a specified period of time.
Mortality The number of deaths in a given population during a
specified period of time.
Motivators Factors leading to job satisfaction and high employee
morale. See Herzberg’s theory of motivation, as described in
some detail on p. 118 in The Doctor’s Handbook, Part 1. Also see
Herzberg 1983.
Movement The stage in a conciliation or mediation process during
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 35

which the parties modify their views and their opinions become
closer to each other’s.
Multi-professional A combination of several professions working
towards a common aim.
National Application Service Providers (NASPs) Responsible for
purchasing and integrating IT systems and services which are
common to all users across the country including the Spine
element of the NHS Care Records Service, Choose and Book,
NHSmail and the National Network for the NHS (N3).
National clinical leads Appointed by NHS Connecting for Health
to lead engagement about the National Programme for IT with
their respective clinical professions at a national level. National
clinical leads are in place for nurses, GPs and hospital doctors.
They work closely with the clinical professional bodies and other
organisations as well as the chief clinical officers at the DoH. They
make sure that clinical involvement is central to all the work of
NHS Connecting for Health.
National Programme for IT (NPfIT) Responsible for procurement and
delivery of the multi-billion-pound investment in new informa-
tion and technology systems to improve the NHS.
National Information Governance Board for Health and Social Care
Provides leadership and promotes consistent standards for infor-
mation governance across health and social care. It arbitrates on
the interpretation and application of information governance
policy and gives advice on matters at national level. The NIGB
has taken over some of the responsibilities of the Care Record
Development Board, which has now closed. It will continue to
publish and review the NHS Care Record Guarantee.
National Network for the NHS (N3) Provides fast, wide area network-
ing services to the NHS, offering reliability and value for money.
N3 replaced the private NHS communications network NHSnet.
N3 is vital to the delivery of the National Programme for IT, pro-
viding the essential technical infrastructure to support the NHS
Care Records Service, the Electronic Prescription Service, Choose
and Book and Picture Archiving and Communications Systems.
National Service Frameworks (NSFs) Set national standards and service
models for a specific service or care group. They set up pro-
grammes of implementation and performance management
against which progress in an agreed timescale can be measured.
They may help decide which services are best provided in primary
care, in hospitals and in specialist centres.
36 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

Natural team For example, a boss with direct subordinates.

Neonatal death rate The deaths of infants under four weeks of age
per 1000 live births. The early neonatal death rate is the deaths
of infants under one week of age per 1000 live births.
Neonates Newborn infants less than one month old.
Neural computing See connectionism.
Neural network Computer program or system designed to mimic
some aspects of neurone connections, including summation of
action potentials, refractory periods and firing thresholds.
New outpatient A patient attending for an outpatient appointment
for the first time for a particular ailment. If transferred to another
department, the patient is also a new outpatient on their first
attendance there.
Newsgroup A bulletin board service provided on a computer net-
work like the Internet, where messages can be sent by email and
be viewed by those who have an interest in the contents of a par-
ticular newsgroup. (See also email and Internet.)
NHS Care Records Service (NHS CRS) A secure service that links
patient information from different parts of the NHS electroni-
cally so authorised NHS staff and patients have the information
they need to make care decisions. There are two elements to the
NHS CRS: detailed records (held locally) and the Summary Care
Record (held nationally). The NHS CRS enables each person’s
detailed records to be securely shared between different parts of
the local NHS, such as the GP surgery and hospital. Patients
will also be able to have a summary of their important health
information, known as their Summary Care Record, available
to authorised NHS staff treating them anywhere in the NHS
in England. Patients will be able to access their Summary Care
Record using the secure website HealthSpace.
NHS Code of Practice Sets out the basic principles underlying public
access to information about the NHS. It reflects the government’s
intention to ensure greater access by the public to information
about public services and complements the Code of Access to
Information which applies to the DoH.
NHS Connecting for Health (NHS CFH) An agency of the DoH sup-
porting the NHS to introduce the National Programme for IT.
This will help the NHS to deliver better, safer care for patients.
NHS CFH is also responsible for other existing business-critical
IT systems in the NHS.
NHSmail A secure national email and directory service. It was
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 37

developed specifically to meet NHS and BMA requirements for

clinical email between NHS organisations.
NHS Number The NHS Number is fundamental to the National
Programme for IT. It is the national unique patient identifier that
makes it possible to share patient information across the whole of
the NHS safely, efficiently and accurately.
NHS Plan Recognises that the NHS has achieved much but needs
to keep pace with change to meet patient needs. Increased invest-
ment and modernisation are the steps described in the document
(it was published July 2000).
Non-principals A generic term for doctors who wish to practise in
general practice but who do not want the financial or time com-
mitment of becoming a principal – includes retainers, returners,
assistants and associates as well as the new salaried doctor oppor-
tunities available under Primary Care Act Pilots (PCAPs).
Non-recurrent expenditure ‘One-off expenditure’, e.g. provision of
new buildings, major alterations and major pieces of equipment.
Clearly, capital expenditure is non-recurrent expenditure but the
purchase of minor pieces of equipment and the carrying out of
maintenance work is non-recurrent, though chargeable to revenue.
Non-recurring measures These are one-off measures which affect the
year of account only, e.g. raising capital through the sale of land
or via a one-off payment or loan from an external source such as
the Strategic Health Authority NHS Bank.
Objective A clearly identifiable and quantifiable target to be achieved
in the future. A specific and measurable statement which also sets
out how overall aims are to be achieved.
Office of Population, Census and Surveys (OPCS) The central govern-
ment office that collected information on the entire population.
Now Office for National Statistics.
Official solicitor Officer of the Supreme Court. When representing
a child, the official solicitor acts as a solicitor as well as a guard-
ian ad litem.
Ombudsman Health Service Commissioner who investigates cases
of maladministration in the health service.
Open-loop control Partially automated control method in which a
part of the control system is given over to humans.
Open system Computer industry term for computer hardware and
software that is built to common public standards, allowing pur-
chasers to select components from a variety of vendors and to use
them together.
38 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

Opinion A belief which is held but may not be based on provable fact.
Organisation A generic term used to describe an entire organisation,
as opposed to the term service, which is used to describe one part
of the organisation (see also service). Thus a hospital, a practice or a
university or medical school may all be described as organisations.
Organisation and management development strategy A written docu-
ment which sets out the strategy for developing the organisational
processes and management skills needed by an organisation.
Organisational chart A graphical representation of the structure of
the organisation, including areas of responsibility, relationships
and formal lines of communication and accountability.
Organisational development (OD) An educational strategy aimed at
changing the beliefs, attitudes, values and structures within an
organisation so that it can better adapt to changing requirements.
The emphasis is on interventions, rather than the objective assess-
ment of services. A systematic process of improving organisational
effectiveness and adaptiveness on the basis of behavioural science
knowledge.
Originating capital debt The amount owed by an NHS trust to the
consolidated fund. This is equal to the value of the net assets
transferred to an NHS trust when it is set up. Assets donated to
the NHS since 1948 are not included.
Output-based specification (OBS) Each prospective supplier to the
National Programme must meet rigorous technical requirements.
These are set out in an output-based specification.
Outcome The effect on health status of a healthcare intervention or
lack of intervention. The end result of care and treatment; that is,
the change in health, functional ability, symptoms or situation of
a person, which can be used to measure the effectiveness of care
and treatment.
Outpatient A patient attending for treatment, consultation, advice
and so on, but not staying in a hospital.
Output (or programme) budgets A system of analysing expenditure by
reference to objectives to be met (e.g. increased level of day care;
more operations) instead of under input headings such as staff
and running expenses, etc.
Out-turn prices The prices prevailing when the expenditure occurs,
as distinct from the estimated prices.
Overall benefit The ethical basis on which decisions are made
about treatment and care for adult patients who lack a capa-
city to decide for themselves. This involves appropriateness of
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 39

treatment not only the potential clinical benefits, burdens and

risks but non-clinical factors such as the patient’s personal cir-
cumstances, wishes, beliefs and values. There is GMC guidance
on this consistent with the legal requirement to consider whether
treatment is in the patient’s ‘best interests’ (England, Wales and
Northern Ireland), or ‘benefits’ a patient (Scotland). It also takes
into account other principles set out in the Mental Capacity Act
2005 and the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000.
Palliative care The holistic care of patients with advanced, progress-
ive or incurable illness focused on the management of a patient’s
pain and other distressing symptoms and the provision of psycho-
logical, social and spiritual support to patients and their family.
Palliative care is not dependent on diagnosis or prognosis and can
be provided at any stage of a patient’s illness not only in the last
few days of life. The objective is to support patients to live as well
as possible until they die and to die with dignity.
Paramedics Ambulance personnel with extended qualifications in
providing pre-hospital care according to protocols.
Paramount principle The principle that the welfare of the child is
the paramount consideration in proceedings concerning children.
Parental responsibility Defined as all the rights, duties, powers,
responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has
in relation to the child and his property.
Part III accommodation Residential care homes provided by local
authorities under Part III of the National Assistance Act 1948.
Parties Parties to legal proceedings under the Children’s Act are
entitled to attend the hearing, present their case and examine
witnesses. The Act envisages that children will automatically be
parties in care proceedings. Anyone with parental responsibility
for the child will also be a party to such proceedings, as will the
local authority. Others may be able to acquire party status.
Party A patient, carer, representative or NHS provider involved in
a dispute.
Passcode An alphanumeric code unique to each member of NHS
staff to use alongside their Smartcard to access patient informa-
tion contained on the patient’s care record.
Patient A person currently or previously under medical care.
Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Known as PALS, the Patient
Advice and Liaison Service supports patients to ensure that the
NHS listens to patients, their relatives, carers and friends; answers
their questions and resolves their concerns as quickly as possible.
40 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

PALS also helps the NHS to improve services by listening to what

matters to patients and their carers and supporting the NHS to
make changes, when appropriate.
Patient Administration System (PAS) An administrative system typ-
ically used in hospitals and community service settings that
contain essential non-clinical data, such as patient attendance
lists, appointments and waiting times.
Patient and Public Involvement Forums (PPI Forums) PPI Forums were
set up following the NHS Reform and Health Care Professions
Act 2002. There are 572 forums – one for each trust in England.
They are the local voice of the community on health matters and
have a wide range of responsibilities.
Patient costing A system whereby costs are analysed in relation to
specific patients or types of patient. This is the most complete
analysis that can be undertaken and enables different combina-
tions of costs to be made to fulfil any requirement. Particularly
useful for evaluating proposed changes in service provision.
The Patient’s Charter A list of required national standards and rights
set by central government for the NHS.
Patients’ council/forum/group This is a group led and determined by
patients, meeting independently of staff with its own agenda and
operations. There can be patient councils/forums/groups within
inpatient services, day hospitals, residential or community-based
services. They are different to users’ groups that are separately
funded and legal entities in their own right, e.g. charities such as
the UK Advocacy Network.
Patient Safety Assessment Process All new NHS CFH products and
services are subject to this process, which operates to international
standards. The patient safety assessment process is overseen by
NHS CFH’s national clinical safety officer working with the
National Patient Safety Agency. The patient safety assessment
process involves three key steps:
1 products are risk-assessed in the context in which they will
be used
2 a safety case sets out how identified hazards would be mitigated
3 a safety closure report provides evidence that hazards have been
addressed satisfactorily.
Patient’s sealed envelope See sealing.
Patterns of delivery The way in which services are delivered, their
structure and relationship to each other. This does not relate to
the content of services.
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 41

Payment by Results (PbR) A funding system for care provided to

NHS patients, which pays healthcare providers on the basis of the
work they do. It does this by paying a nationally set price or tariff
for similar groups of treatments, known as healthcare resource
groups (HRG), which itself is based on the historical national
average cost of providing services to those HRGs. The fixed
tariffs for specified HRGs are set by the DoH and are intended
to avoid price differentials across providers that could otherwise
distort patient choice. Payment is on a ‘per spell’ basis, where a
spell is defined as a continuous period of time spent as a patient
within a trust, and may include more than one episode. The aim
of Payment by Results is to provide a transparent, rules-based sys-
tem for paying NHS trusts. It hopes to reward efficiency, support
patient choice and diversity, and encourage strategies for achieving
sustainable reductions in waiting times.
Percentage occupancy Occupied beds expressed as a percentage of
the available beds during a given period.
Performance appraisal A process for assessing performance to assess
training needs, job improvement plans and salary reviews, etc.
Performance indicators A standard of work that acts as a measurement
of performance, e.g. response times to requests for work used to
indicate the performance of the service. (See also quality indicator.)
Performance review A systematic check on the achievement of the
organisation and individuals compared with set objectives.
Perinatal mortality rate Stillbirths and deaths of infants under one
week of age per 1000 total births.
Period of study leave (PSL) GPs can apply (in accordance with para-
graph 50 of the Statement of Fees and Allowances) for financial
assistance in connection with a period of study leave to undertake
postgraduate education, which will result in benefit to the GP,
primary care (in particular) and the NHS.
Permanency planning Deciding on the long-term future of children
who have been moved from their families.
Persistent vegetative state An irreversible condition resulting from
brain damage, characterised by lack of consciousness, thought
and feeling, although some reflex activities, such as breathing,
continue.
Personal Demographics Service (PDS) The national electronic data-
base of NHS patient demographic details used within health
and social care. Demographic information includes, for example,
name, address, date of birth and NHS Number.
42 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

Personal Spine Information Service (PSIS) The central database on the

Spine containing clinical records for each NHS patient.
Personality The distinctive and identifiable characteristics of an
individual human being.
Person specification Derived from the job description and outlines
the qualifications, skills and experience required to perform the
job. It lists what is essential and what is desirable and it should
be used for shortlisting and interviewing. Person specifications
should be available and made known to all those considering
applying for a post so that they are aware of the criteria that will
be used to judge them.
Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) A system
enabling images such as X-rays and scans to be stored and sent
electronically so that doctors and other health professionals can
access the information with the touch of a button.
Physician’s workstation A computer system designed to support the
clinical tasks of doctors. (See also electronic medical record.)
Planning The process by which the service determines how it will
achieve its aims and objectives. This includes identifying the
resources which will be needed to meet those aims and objectives.
Police protection The Children Act allows police to detain a child or
prevent his or her removal for up to 72 hours if they believe that
the child would otherwise suffer significant harm.
Policy An operation statement of intent in a given situation.
Portfolios Personal professional development tools, aimed at encour-
aging reflection and self-direction in identifying training needs.
They record and monitor opportunities for learning and pro-
vide tangible evidence of the outcomes. Content varies – for a
job interview it will focus on practical skills, competencies and
achievements, whereas for academic recognition it will reflect the
ability to independently problem solve in the chosen field.
Positive action Measures by which people from particular racial
groups are either encouraged to apply for jobs in which they have
been under-represented or are given training to help them develop
their potential and so improve their chances when competing for
particular work.
Postgraduate Education Allowance (PGEA) GPs are eligible if they
maintain a balanced programme of education and training geared
towards providing the best possible care for their patients. Courses
are approved (in advance) by the regional directors of postgraduate
general practice education (or their staff ) and can be classified in
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 43

the following three areas: health promotion and prevention; dis-

ease management; and service management. GPs have to show
that they have attended an average of five days’ training a year. Any
doctor who does not take part stands to lose financially as they
will not be eligible for PGEA. The structure varies and approval
may be given for, e.g.:
◗ lunchtime lecturettes (maybe a half or quarter session)
◗ in-house practice meetings on specific educational topics
◗ week-long courses at PG centres (including at overseas resorts)
◗ national meetings
◗ reading (free) weekly medical magazines and answering MCQs
on the magazine content.
Postscript In computer technology the commercial language that
describes a common format for electronic documents that can be
understood by printing devices and converted to paper documents
or images on a screen.
Practice-based commissioning (PBC) The term given to a form of
practice-level commissioning which enables practices (usually
this refers to primary care teams led by GPs, although there are
some exceptions) to commission care and other services that are
directly tailored to the needs of their patients. Practices can keep
up to 100% of any savings made by agreement with the local PCT.
Practice parameter See clinical guideline.
Preliminary hearing (children) Hearing to clarify matters in dispute,
to agree evidence, and to give directions as to the timetable of the
case and the disclosure of evidence.
Prescription Pricing Authority (PPA) A national provider of managed
services to the NHS. Its main functions are to calculate and make
payments for amounts due to pharmacists and GPs for supplying
drugs and appliances prescribed under the NHS. It also produces
information for NHS organisations and stakeholders about pre-
scribing volumes, trends and costs and manages a range of health
benefits, e.g. the NHS Low Income Scheme.
Preventive maintenance and replacement programme A plan for the
maintenance of machines to minimise the amount of time lost
through breakdown by anticipating and preventing likely problems.
Primary Care Audit Group (i.e. multidisciplinary) Groups of profes-
sionals and managers in health authorities whose remit is to
encourage and facilitate the undertaking and implementation of
audit in primary care – the cyclical reappraisal of structure pro-
cess and outcome.
44 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

Primary care centre (PCC) Centre for out-of-hours treatment, allowed

under changes to the GP contract in 1994.
Primary Care Trust (PCT) Responsible for commissioning all health-
care in their community.
Principals Doctors who have been established in general practice by
the traditional route, i.e. by means of appointment to the health
authorities’ GMS Principal List.
Private bed (pay bed) A bed occupied by a patient who pays the whole
cost of accommodation and medical and other services.
Private Finance Initiative (PFI) Provides a way of funding major cap-
ital investments as an alternative to the public procurement route,
which is funded directly by the Treasury. Private consortia, usually
involving large construction firms, are contracted to design, build,
and in some cases manage new projects. Contracts typically last
for about 30 years, although some are longer, during which time
the building is leased by a public authority. It remains a conten-
tious issue with many critics who state that it does not offer value
for money and effectively transfers ownership of NHS hospitals
out of the NHS. Others point to the relatively large number of
new facilities built under the scheme that would not otherwise
have been built.
Private patient A patient who pays the full cost of all medical and
other services.
Probation officer Welfare professional employed as an officer of the
court and financed jointly by the local authority and the Home
Office.
Procedure The steps taken to fulfil a policy. A particular and speci-
fied way of doing something.
Professional standards Professionally agreed levels of performance.
Programmes for IT (PfIT) Accountability for the delivery of the
National Programme for IT (NPfIT) transferred to strategic
health authorities on 1 April 2007, as part of the NPfIT Local
Ownership Programme (NLOP). The SHAs operate as three
Programmes for IT, each of which has a Local Service Provider.
These are the London Programme for IT (LPfIT), the Southern
Programme for IT (SPfIT) and the North, Midlands and East
Programme for IT (NMEfIT).
Prohibited Steps Order (children) Order that no step which could be
taken by a parent in meeting his parental responsibility for a child,
and which is of a kind specified in the order, shall be taken by any
person without the consent of the court.
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 45

Project 2000 The system of nurse education which places increased

emphasis on student-centred and research-based learning.
Protocol The adoption by all staff of local or national guidelines to
meet local requirements in a specified way. An alternative word
for procedure. (See also clinical guideline.)
Provider A healthcare organisation, such as an NHS trust, which
provides healthcare and sells its services to purchasers.
Provider plurality This term refers to the use of a range of different
organisations from NHS and independent, private and ‘not-for-
profit’ sectors in the delivery of services. In the context of NHS
reforms, ‘provider plurality’ coupled with competition and patient
choice is said to promote efficiency, effectiveness and value for
money in the delivery of services.
PSL See period of study leave.
Psychometric tests Standardised question and answer papers de-
signed to measure personality.
Public dividend capital (PDC) A form of long- term government
finance on which the NHS trust pays dividends to the govern-
ment. PDC has no fixed remuneration or repayment obligations,
but, in the long term, the overall return on PDC is expected to
be no less than on an equivalent loan.
Public Information Programme See Summary Care Record (SCR)
Public Information Programme.
Public private partnership (PPP) The umbrella name given to a range
of initiatives which involve the private sector in the operation of
public services.
Purchaser A budget-holding body that buys health or social care
services from a provider on behalf of its local population or ser-
vice users.
Purchasing intelligence The knowledge purchasers need in order to
make informed decisions when purchasing healthcare on behalf of
their resident population. Includes demographic data, information
on healthcare services, and the views of local people (local voices).
Qualitative reasoning A subspecialty of artificial intelligence con-
cerned with inference and knowledge representation when
knowledge is not precisely defined, e.g. ‘back of the envelope’
calculations.
Quality A specified standard of performance.
Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) As part of a new NHS con-
tract, introduced in 2004, GP practices are rewarded for achieving
clinical and management quality targets and for improving
46 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

services for patients within a Quality and Outcomes Framework.

It sets out a voluntary system of financial incentives for improv-
ing quality within the General Medical Services contract for GP
payments.
Quality assurance (QA) A generic term essentially meaning that one
ensures not only that the right things get done, but also that none
of the wrong things is done.
Quality improvement strategy A written statement of objectives relat-
ing to quality improvement and a plan for meeting those objectives.
The strategy should be consistent with the business plan.
Quality indicator A standard of service which acts as a measurement
of quality, for example incidence of infection used to indicate the
quality of care. (See also performance indicator.)
Quality Management and Analysis Subsystem (QMAS) To support the
Quality and Outcomes Framework, NPfIT has commissioned
British Telecom to develop and implement a new IT system called
the Quality Management and Analysis Subsystem. It will provide
reporting, forecasting and payment information for improving
services within the Quality and Outcomes Framework.
Quango A quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation. A
body with virtual statutory power.
RA01 Form Used by a Registration Authority to register a user for
access to patient information contained on the Spine. It is made
up of two parts:
1 RA01 Part A Form contains the conditions a successful appli-
cant has to agree to prior to becoming an authorised NHS
Care Records Service (NHS CRS) user and being issued with
a Smartcard
2 RA01 Part B Form is for the registering of users of NHS CRS
applications.
Read coding A hierarchically arranged thesaurus of clinical condition
terms which provides a numeric coding system. The system was
developed by Dr Read and is cross-referenced to other national
and international classifications. Developed initially for primary
care medicine in the UK, it was subsequently enlarged and devel-
oped to capture medical concepts in a wide variety of situations.
(See also terminology.)
Reasoning A method of thinking. (See also inference.)
Recovery order (children) Order which a court can make when there is
reason to believe that a child in care, who is the subject of an emer-
gency protection order or in police protection, has been unlawfully
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 47

taken or kept away from the responsible person, or has run away,
is staying away from the responsible person, or is missing.
Recurrent expenditure ‘Ongoing expenditure’ such as salaries and
wages, travelling expenses, drugs and dressings, and provisions.
Reflection The process of returning verbal or body language com-
munication to the original perpetrator to indicate agreement and
acceptance.
Refuge (children) Enables ‘safe houses’ to legally provide care for
children who have run away from home or local authority care.
A recovery order can be obtained in relation to a child who has
run away to a refuge.
Registration Authority Responsible for registering and verifying
the identity of individuals who need to access the NHS Care
Records Service. After proving their personal identity and being
vouched for by a sponsor, the Registration Authority issues staff
with a Smartcard and passcode with an approved level of access
to patient information.
Regular day admission A patient who attends electively and regularly
for a course of treatment and care, but does not stay in hospital
through the night.
Relate A voluntary body, formerly known as the Marriage Guidance
Council, which assists couples to resolve differences that threaten
their relationship.
Representation The method chosen to model a process or object. For
example, a building may be represented as a physical scale model,
drawing or photograph. (See also reasoning and syntax.)
Representations (childcare) See complaints procedure.
Research and development (R&D) Searching out knowledge and
evidence about the relationship between different factors in the
provision of services. Research does not require action in response
to findings.
Residential care homes Residential accommodation, other than
group homes, providing board and lodging and personal care to the
residents. Includes homes for elderly or physically disabled people.
Residential social worker (children) Provides day-to-day care, sup-
port and therapy for children living in residential settings, such
as children’s homes.
Resource assumptions Provisional estimates of cash resources (capi-
tal, revenue and joint finance) that may be made available over the
next two to three years.
Resource management The different definitions of resource
48 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

management all emphasise the involvement of doctors, nurses

and other clinical staff in the continuing improvement of the
quality and quantity of patient care through better use of resources
and information.
Respite care Service giving family members or other carers short
breaks from their caring responsibilities.
Responsibility The obligation that an individual assumes when
undertaking delegated functions.
Responsible person (children) Any person who has parental responsi-
bility for the child, and any other person with whom the child is
living. With their consent, the responsible person can be required
to comply with certain obligations.
Retainers Doctors appointed to practices under the Doctors Retainer
Scheme who are constrained from practising full-time or part-
time usually by virtue of domestic commitments, but who wish
to keep in touch with medicine.
Returners Doctors wishing to return to clinical practice.
Revenue consequences of capital schemes (RCCS) Annual running
costs of capital schemes.
Review The examination of a particular aspect of a service or care
setting so that problem areas requiring corrective action can be
identified.
Review (children) Local authorities have a duty to conduct regular
reviews in order to monitor the progress of children they are
looking after.
Review meetings The system whereby the NHSE regional offices
monitor the performance of health authorities against planned
objectives and set an action plan for further achievements.
Ringfencing The identification of funds to be used for a particular
purpose only – usually applied to funds earmarked by central gov-
ernment for a particular use within the NHS or local government,
e.g. the mental illness specific grant.
Risk management A systematic approach to the management of risk
to reduce loss of life, financial loss, loss of staff availability, staff
and patient safety, loss of availability of buildings or equipment
or loss of reputation.
Risk management strategy A written statement of objectives for the
management of risk and a plan for meeting those objectives. The
strategy should be consistent with the business plan.
Role-based access control (RBAC) Grants a view of a patient’s record
depending on the role the individual was assigned when they
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 49

registered for their Smartcard. Authorised users using the NHS

Care Records Service will only be able to access the information
they need to carry out their role, e.g. a booking clerk will see less
information than a doctor.
Safe discharge of patients A procedure for the discharge of patients
who require care in the community which complies with DoH
guidelines.
Satisfaction survey Seeking the views of patients through responses
to pre-prepared questions and carried out through interview or
self-completion questionnaires.
Sealing If a patient ‘seals’ information in their NHS Care Record, it
can only be accessed with the patient’s agreement, except in excep-
tional circumstances. Those outside the core team that created the
information will see a ‘flag’ indicating that information is missing.
◗ Seal and Lock: If a patient ‘seals and locks’ information in their
NHS Care Record, no one will be able to look at the sealed
information outside of the team that added it to the record.
Other staff will not be informed that any ‘sealed and locked’
information exists. Information may be disclosed by the team
that recorded it only where the law requires this to save others
from serious harm, or where the information has been ano-
nymised so that others will not know who it relates to.
◗ Clinician Sealed Record: As now, clinicians can only withhold
information from patients permanently in very exceptional
circumstances. Those circumstances include where there is a
clear danger that the information may cause serious harm to
the patient or to someone else, or if it contains confidential
information about other people. In those circumstances, it is
intended that clinicians will be able to seal information from
a patient’s view. At the time of writing the process of achiev-
ing this is still being considered. Clinicians may also, with the
patient’s agreement, seal information until they can discuss
it with the patient, e.g. an upsetting test result. This is par-
ticularly relevant as patients begin to be able to access their
own Summary Care Record using HealthSpace. The Data
Protection Act exempts clinicians from revealing the informa-
tion that they have kept from patients for lawful reasons.
◗ Patient Sealed Record: Allows a patient to place restrictions on
access to parts of their records. (See also partial access.)
◗ Partial access: As the NHS Care Records Service develops, but
not right away, patients will be able to limit access to elements
50 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

of their record by asking that certain information in the record

is hidden from normal view. This will be known as a patient’s
‘sealed record’. Hidden information will only be accessible
with the person’s express permission, except in exceptional
circumstances. In the future, patients will have two options for
sealing information.
Second opinion An independent opinion from a senior clinician
(possibly from another specialty) who has experience of the
patient’s condition but who is not directly involved in the patient’s
care. An opinion based on examination of the patient by the
clinician.
Secondary Uses Service (SUS) A single repository of person and care
event level data relating to the NHS care of patients, which is used
for management and clinical purposes other than direct patient
care. These secondary uses include healthcare planning, commis-
sioning, public health, clinical audit, benchmarking, performance
improvement, research and clinical governance. The Information
Centre for Health and Social Care is working in partnership with
NHS Connecting for Health to develop and support the service so
that it reflects user needs and requirements and protects patients’
rights to confidentiality.
Section 8 orders (children) The four new orders contained in the
Children’s Act, which, to varying degrees, regulate the exercise
of parental responsibility.
Secure accommodation (children) Provides for the circumstances in
which a child who is being looked after by the local authority
can be placed in secure accommodation. Such accommodation
is provided for the purpose of restricting the liberty of the child.
Seeding The process of ‘planting’ all or part of an idea or plan in the
mind(s) of others such that those persons produce the plan as if
it were their own original thought.
Semantics The meaning associated with a set of symbols in a given
language, which is determined by the syntactic structure of the
symbols, as well as knowledge captured in an interpretative model.
(See also syntax.)
Seminar A session during which prepared papers are presented to
the class by one or more students.
Sensitively flagged records Indicates that a demographics record for
certain people requires extra protection from unauthorised access,
e.g. those in adoption cases and victims of domestic violence.
Controls are in place to limit access to patient details that would
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 51

allow such patients to be contacted. In these cases, the patient’s

address, telephone numbers and GP registration will not be vis-
ible on the Personal Demographics Service.
Service The term used to describe part of an organisation, as opposed
to the entire organisation. (See also organisation.)
Service contract A legally binding contract between an organisation
and an external supplier of goods or services. The contract sets
out the agreed cost and quality for a given period.
Service level agreement The term used to describe a document,
agreed between organisations or services that will provide and
receive a service, which sets out in detail how the service will be
provided.
Significant harm (children) ‘Whether harm suffered by the child is
significant turns on the child’s health or development; his [or her]
health or development shall be compared with that which could
reasonably be expected of a similar child’.
Skill mix The balance of skill, qualifications and experience of
nursing and other clinical staff employed in a particular area.
The process of reassessing the skill mix required is known as
reprofiling.
Slippage The shortfall compared with planned spending caused
by delays in the planning or execution of expenditure. Can be
expressed in terms of money or time.
Smartcard A plastic card containing an electronic chip (like a chip
and PIN credit card) used to identify those who are authorised
to use the NHS Care Records Service (NHS CRS). This is
used together with an alphanumeric passcode. The chip on the
Smartcard does not contain any personal information. It provides
a secure link between the NHS CRS and the database holding the
user’s information and assigned access rights. The Smartcard is
printed with the user’s name, photo and unique identity number.
Smartcard passcode See passcode.
Social worker Generic term applying to a wide range of staff who
undertake different kinds of social welfare responsibilities. (See
also education welfare officer, fieldworker, probation officer and
residential social worker.)
Specialty costing The analysis of costs to clinical specialties, thus
enabling comparisons to be made in the same institution over
time or between different institutions.
Specific Issue Order (children) Order giving directions for the purpose
of determining a specific question which has arisen, or which may
52 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

arise, in connection with any aspect of parental responsibility for

a child.
Spine A national, central service that underpins the NHS Care
Records Service. It manages the patient’s national Summary
Care Records. Clinical information is held in the Personal Spine
Information Service (PSIS) and demographic information is held
in the Personal Demographics Service (PDS). The Spine also
supports other systems and services such Choose and Book and
the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS).
Spine Directory Services (SDS) The main information source about
NHS registered users and accredited systems and services. It
ensures that transactions/messages are only processed from
authorised users and systems. The Spine Directory Service also
stores a record of each NHS organisation. It is a key component
of the Spine.
Sponsor A member of staff appointed by an NHS organisation’s
Executive team to vouch for staff applying for a Smartcard and
passcode to gain access to the NHS Care Records Service. Sponsors
will usually be a member of staff ’s operational head, manager or
administrator within a practice, clinic, ward or department. They
may also be a member of the HR/personnel department.
Staffed allocated beds Staffed beds allocated to particular specialties
including those which are available and those which are tempo-
rarily not available.
Staff Incident Reporting System A standardised system for reporting
incidents and near misses. The NHSE recommends that no more
than two types of forms are used for this.
Standardised mortality ratio (SMR) The number of deaths in a given
year as a percentage of those expected. The expected number is a
standard sex/age mortality of a reference period.
Standing financial instructions Specific instructions issued by the
board of a hospital or trust to regulate conduct of the organisa-
tion, its directors, managers and agents in relation to all financial
matters.
Standing orders A series of established instructions governing the
manner in which business will be conducted.
Standards Standards are a means of describing the level of quality
that healthcare organisations are expected to meet or to aspire to.
The performance of organisations can be assessed against this
level of quality.
Strategic Health Authority (SHA) SHAs are responsible for managing
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 53

the NHS locally and acting as a conduit between NHS organi-

sations and the DoH. They oversee the local implementation
of national policy and are responsible for devising overarching
local plans for the NHS to improve services and the health of
their population. Accountability for the delivery of the National
Programme for IT transferred to SHAs in April 2007, as part of
the NPfIT Local Ownership Programme (NLOP).
Strategy A long-term plan.
Subject Access Request A written, signed request from an individual
to see information held on them by an organisation, made under
the Data Protection Act 1998.
Suggestion The process of putting a thought, plan or desire to
another person.
Summary Care Record (SCR) A summary of a patient’s health infor-
mation. Patients will, over the next few years, have a Summary
Care Record, which will be available to authorised healthcare
professionals treating them anywhere in the NHS in England.
At first, the information in the Summary Care Record will come
from their GP record and will contain their current medications,
adverse reactions and allergies. Later, it may be added to from
other parts of the NHS. Initially, the Summary Care Record will
contain only basic essential information such as current medica-
tions and allergies and bad reactions to medicines in the past.
Patients will be able to request that sensitive information, for
example relating to mental or sexual health, or other matters that
they consider sensitive, is restricted.
Summary Care Record (SCR) Public Information Programme A rolling
programme to raise public awareness about linking electronic
medical records and what it means for patients. The programme
began in 2007 in early adopter areas for the Summary Care
Record. Information and advice is being provided about how
health records will be handled differently and patients’ options
for participating. It is important to ensure that NHS front-
line staff and other patient-facing groups are trained to handle
patient queries which may result from the Public Information
Programme.
Supervision order (children) Order including, except where express
contrary provision is made, an interim supervision order.
Supervisor (children) Person under whose supervision the child is
placed by virtue of an order.
Supplier Attachment Scheme (SAS) The Supplier Attachment Scheme
54 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

is a new opportunity for NHS professionals to have a direct influ-

ence on the future of healthcare by working in one of a range of
roles with a Local Service Provider.
Supplier Liaison The function of Supplier Liaison is to assist IT
suppliers to locate information on the National Programme and
to provide contact details for those organisations that have been
awarded contracts.
Supraregional Services Specialist services for rarer conditions pro-
vided for a population significantly larger than that of an English
region. They are specially funded.
Survey The collection of views from a sample of people in order to
obtain a representative picture of the views of the total popula-
tion being studied.
Synchronous communication A mode of communication when
two parties exchange messages across a communication chan-
nel at the same time, e.g. telephones. (See also asynchronous
communication.)
Synergy The extent to which investment of additional resources
produces a return which is proportionally greater than the sum
of the resources invested. Sometimes known as the ‘2+2=5’ effect.
Syntax The rules of grammar that define the formal structure of a
language. (See also semantics.)
Systematised Nomenclature of Human and Veterinary Medicine
(SNOMED) A commercially available general medical termi-
nology, initially developed for the classification of pathological
specimens. (See also terminology.)
Targets Refer to a defined level of performance that is being aimed
for, often with a numerical and time dimension. The purpose of
a target is to incentivise improvement in the specific area covered
by the target over a particular time frame.
Target Allocation National share of the resources available calculated
by reference to established criteria of need.
Team Any group of people who must significantly relate with each
other in order to accomplish shared objectives.
Teleconsultation Clinical consultation carried out using a telemedical
service. (See also telemedicine.)
Telemedicine The delivery of healthcare services between geographi-
cally separated individuals, using telecommunication systems, e.g.
video conferencing.
Temporarily closed beds Staffed allocated beds closed for less than
one month.
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 55

Term In medical terminology an agreed name for a medical con-

dition or treatment. (See also code and terminology.)
Terminal A screen and keyboard system that provides access to a
shared computer system, e.g. a mainframe or mini-computer. In
contrast to computers on a modern network, terminals are not
computers in their own right.
Terminology A set of standard terms used to describe clinical activi-
ties. (See also term.)
T group Training group; refers to training in interpersonal awareness
or sensitivity, where a group of people meet in an unstructured
way to discuss the interplay of the relationships between them.
Theory X A theory about motivation expounded by Douglas
McGregor, which suggests that people are lazy, selfish and unam-
bitious, and need to be treated accordingly. It contrasts with
Theory Y, the optimistic view of people.
Theory Z An expression coined by William G. Ouchi as a result
of studying Japanese success in industry, to denote a process of
organisational adaptation in which the management of the enter-
prise concentrates on co-ordinating people, not technology, in the
pursuit of productivity.
Those close to the patient Anyone nominated by the patient, close
relatives (including parents if the patient is a child), partners, close
friends, paid or unpaid carers outside the healthcare team and
independent advocates. In some circumstances this may include
attorneys for property and financial affairs and other legal proxies.
Throughput The number of patients using each bed in a given period,
such as a year. (See also bed turnover.)
Top slicing Usually used to refer to a proportional sum of money
retained from budgets in a district or region to fund, e.g. region-
wide initiatives, or supplement financial reserves.
Total Quality Management (TQM) Approach to management of organ-
isations which aims to change organisational culture, so that
continuous improvements in quality are achieved, by moving
from a traditional command structure to one which encourages
and empowers staff.
Training The process of modifying behaviour at work through
instruction, example or practice.
Training and Development Strategy A written statement of objectives
for the training and development of staff and a plan for meet-
ing these objectives. The strategy should be consistent with the
business plan.
56 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

Training Needs Analysis An approach to assessing the training or

development needs of groups of employees aimed at clarifying
the needs of the job and the needs of the individuals in terms of
the training required.
Transfer of Undertakings – Protection of Employment (TUPE) A safe-
guard of employees’ rights where businesses change hands
between employers.
Transaction Messaging Service A message transfer service that forms
part of the Spine. The service allows messages from NHS Care
Records Service users to be securely routed to the service they are
requesting and to manage the response to that request.
Treatment centre Centres are dedicated units that offer pre-booked
day and short-stay surgery and diagnostic procedures in specialties
such as ophthalmology, orthopaedics, hernia repair and gallblad-
der and cataract removal, among others. Treatment centres can
be run by the NHS or the Independent Sector and exist mainly
to provide additional capacity (including staff ) to address wait-
ing list targets.
Tribunal A court-like procedure for the resolution of disputes.
Turing Test Proposed by Alan Turing, the test suggests that an
artefact can be considered intelligent if its behaviour cannot be
distinguished by humans from other humans in controlled cir-
cumstances. (See also artificial intelligence.)
Turnover interval The average number of days that beds are vacant
between successive occupants.
Tutorial A discussion session, usually dealing with specified content,
or a recent lecture or practical. Chaired by the teacher, it may have
any number of students from one to 20 or so.
Unbundling and bundling Under the Payment by Results (PbR) sys-
tem, trusts are reimbursed per spell, categorised by HRG (see
PbR definition above). There are debates as to whether the HRG
categories accurately reflect the cost of providing services, and
whether they are flexible enough to incorporate varying treatment
patterns. When people refer to ‘unbundling’ the tariff, they mean
being able to clearly identify the individual elements which go to
make up the cost of each component of the HRG. This would
allow different organisations to carry out different parts of the
treatment. For example, unbundling the tariff for an HRG that
includes a hospital procedure and after care, means that the after
care can be administered in the community, with both the hos-
pital and community provider accurately reimbursed for the work
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 57

that they do. Conversely, when people talk about ‘bundling’ the
tariff, they mean budgeting for whole patient pathways or treat-
ment programmes, which allows the individual components to
be negotiated locally.
Unusual medications Medications which are currently unlicensed
or being used for an unlicensed indication. Patients must be
informed before they receive such medications.
Underlying deficit This is the total amount of one-off measures the
health economy has had to find to achieve a break-even position
at year end, i.e. the overall position after ignoring ‘in-year’ non-
recurrent measures.
Valid consent The legal principle by which a patient is informed
about the nature, purpose and likely effects of any treatment
proposed before being asked to consent to accepting it. (See also
informed consent.)
Value analysis Also known as value engineering. Term used to
describe an analytical approach to the function and costs of every
part of a product with a view to reducing costs while retaining
the functional ability.
Virement The transfer of resources from one budget heading to
another. It is a means of using a planned and agreed saving in one
area to finance expenditure in another area. Clear rules are needed
about how virement operates so that, for instance, a budget for
one-off purchases (e.g. purchase of equipment) is not spent on
recurrent payments (e.g. employing staff ).
Virtual reality Computer- simulated environment within which
humans are able to interact in some manner that approximates
interactions in the physical world.
Vital services In management terms those services that are essential
to the normal operation of the organisation. Examples include
electricity, water, medical gases and telecommunications.
Voice mail Computer-based telephone messaging system, capable of
recording and storing messages, for later review or other process-
ing, e.g. forwarding to other users. (See also email.)
Waiting list The number of people awaiting admission to hospital
as inpatients.
Waiting time The time that elapses between (1) the request by a
general practitioner for an appointment and the attendance of the
patient at the outpatients’ department, or (2) the date a patient’s
name is put on an inpatients’ list and the date they are admitted.
Ward of Court A child who, as the subject of wardship proceedings,
58 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

is under the protection of the High Court. No important decision

can be taken regarding the child while they are a ward of court
without the consent of the wardship court.
Wardship Legal process whereby control is exercised over the child
in order to protect the child and safeguard his or her welfare.
Weighted capitation Sum of money provided for each resident in a
particular locality. The three main factors reflected in the formula
are: age structure of the population; its morbidity; and relative cost
of providing services.
Welfare Checklist (children) Refers to the innovatory checklist con-
tained in the Children Act.
Welfare Report (children) The Children Act gives the court the power
to request a report on any question in respect of a child under
the Act.
Whole-time equivalents (WTEs) The total of whole-time staff, plus
the whole time equivalent of part-time staff, which is obtained by
dividing the hours worked in a year by part-timers, by the number
of hours in the whole-time working year.
Wide area network (WAN) Computer network extending beyond a
local area such as a campus or office. (See also local area network.)
Work in progress Waiting lists or queues waiting to be seen.
Work Measurement A work study technique designed to establish
the time for a qualified person to carry out a specified job to a
defined level.
Work Study Includes several techniques for examining work in all its
contexts, in particular factors affecting economy and efficiency,
with a view to making improvements.
Written agreement (children) Agreement arrived at between the local
authority and the parents of children for whom it is providing
services. These arrangements are part of the partnership model
that is seen as good practice under the Children Act.

Related reading
Some useful sources of further information on these topics are to
be found at the following websites.
Department of Health: www.dh.gov.uk
Healthcare Commission: www.healthcare-commission.org.uk
Herzberg F, Mausner B, Snyderman BB. Herzberg on Motivation.
Cleveland, OH: Penton/IPC; 1983.
 GLOSSARY OF NHS TERMINOLOGY 59

Herzberg F, Mausner B, Snyderman BB. The Motivation to Work. New

York: Wiley; 1959.
King’s Fund: www.kingsfund.org.uk
NHS Alliance: www.nhsalliance.org
Royal College of Nursing: www.rcn.org.uk
 2
Useful health-
related acronyms

The following list excludes virtually all the clinical acronyms.

Fortunately, you don’t need to know these acronyms but I felt a
reference source might be useful. There has been a burgeoning of
acronyms in recent years. I have removed some of the more obvi-
ous, such as degrees, diplomas and other medical qualifications
and many very common clinical ones. Some have lapsed, although
they are still to be found referred to in literature and thus have
been included. Interestingly, some have appeared and disappeared
in the interval between this and the previous edition! For interest’s
sake only, included are a handful of mildly amusing ones to be
found, although you will need to look carefully for them. I hope
that none cause offence, but the author is only reporting those in
current use or as reported in current literature.

A
A&C administrative and clerical
A&E Accident and Emergency
AA Attendance Allowance
AAA Annual Accountability Agreement; abdominal aortic
aneurysm
AAC Advisory Appointments Committee

60
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 61

AAGBI Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland

AAMS Association of Air Medical Services (US)
AAO American Academy of Ophthalmology
AAOS American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
AAOX3 awake, alert and oriented to date, place and person
ABC activity-based costing
ABG arterial blood gases
ABHI Association of British Healthcare Industries
ABI area-based initiative
ABM activity-based management
ABN Association of British Neurologists
ABPI Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry
ABS Adult Basic Skills
AC Audit Commission
ACA Area Cost Adjustment (part of the SSA)
ACAC Area Clinical Audit Committee
ACAD Ambulatory Care and Diagnostic Centre
ACAS Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (set up
by the UK government to assist in the resolution of disputes
between employers and employees)
ACBS Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances
ACC Adjusted Credit Ceiling (part of capital control framework)
ACCEA Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards
ACDA Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards (consultants)
ACDC Ambulatory Care and Diagnostic Centre
ACDM Association of Clinical Data Managers
ACDP Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens
ACEVO Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary
Organisations
ACF Association of Charitable Foundations
ACGT Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing
ACHCEW Association of Community Health Councils for England
and Wales (now obsolete)
ACHMS Asian Community Mental Health Services
ACIE Association of Charity Independent Examiners
ACIG Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Information Group
ACLS Advanced Coronary Life Support
ACM Assessment and Care Management – Social Services
community care purchaser division
ACME Advisory Committee on Medical Establishment
(Scotland); Alliance for Continuing Medical Education
62 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

ACMT Advisory Committee on Medical Training (European);

American College of Medical Toxicology
ACOST (Cabinet) Advisory Committee on Science and
Technology
ACP American College of Physicians
ACPC Area Child Protection Committee
ACR American College of Radiology
ACRA (DoH) Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation
ACRA Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (obsolete)
ACRPI Association of Clinical Research for the Pharmaceutical
Industry
ACT Assertive Community Treatment
ACTAF Association of Community Trusts and Foundations Now
Community Foundation Network
ACTR Additional Cost of Teaching and Research (in Scotland)
ACTS Agency for Community Team Support
ADA Americans with Disabilities Act
ADC automatic data capture
ADCU Anti-Drugs Co-ordination Unit
ADD Attention Deficit Disorder
ADH additional duty hours (junior doctors)
ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
ADI acceptable daily intake
ADL activities of daily living
ADMS Assistant Director of Medical Services
ADNS Assistant Director of Nursing Services
ADP automatic data processing
ADQ average daily quantity (average amount of a medication
prescribed for an adult in England)
ADR adverse drug reaction; alternative dispute resolution
ADS Attribution Data Set
ADSS Association of Directors of Social Services
ADSU Automatic Distress Signal Unit
AED Automatic External Defibrillator
AEF Aggregate External Finance
AELS Advanced Endocrinological Life Support
AEN Additional Educational Needs (part of SSA)
AES Assigned Educational Supervisor
AFAIAA as far as I am aware
A4A Awards for All
AfC Agenda for Change
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 63

AFOM Association of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine

AFPP Association for Perioperative Practice
AFR annual financial return
AfS Action for Sustainability
AFWG Allocation Formula Working Group (part of Home
Office)
AGH Advisory Group on Hepatitis
AGM annual general meeting
AGMETS Advisory Group for Medical Education, Training and
Staffing (an overarching body designed to co-ordinate all issues
relating to staffing and educating doctors)
AGREE Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation in
Europe
AGUM Association for Genito-urinary Medicine
AHA Associate of the Institute of Hospital Administrators
(previously Area Health Authority)
AHCPA Association of Health Centre and Practice Administrators
AHHRM Association of Healthcare Human Resource
Management
AHP allied health professional
AHRQ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
AHSC Academic Health Science Centre
AI artificial intelligence
AICD Automatic Internal Cardiac Defibrillator
AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
AIF area investment frameworks
AIM activity information mapping; advanced informatics in
medicine
AIMS Association for Improvements in Maternity Services
AIOPI Association of Information Officers in the Pharmaceutical
Industry
AIP approval in principle
ALA Association of Local Authorities
ALAC Artificial Limb and Appliance Centre (Now known as the
DSC.)
ALARM Association of Litigation and Risk Managers
ALBs arm’s length bodies
ALD Adult with Learning Difficulties
ALF activity-led funding
ALI Adult Learning Inspectorate
ALM Action Learning for Managers
64 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

ALMO Arm’s Length Management Organisation

ALOS average length of stay
ALPBs arm’s length public bodies
ALPHA Access to Learning for the Public Health
ALPHA Access to Learning for the Public Health Agenda
ALS Advanced Life Support
ALSOB alcohol-like substance on breath
AM Assembly Member (Wales)
AMA against medical advice; American Medical Association;
Association of Metropolitan Authorities
AME annual managed expenditure
AMEE Association for Medical Education in Europe
AMIA American Medical Informatics Association
AMP annual maintenance plan; asset management plan
AMPS assessment of motor and process skills
AMQ average monthly quantities (the assumed maintenance dose
per month for an adult of a drug)
AMRA Asset Management Revenue Account
AMRC Academy of Medical Royal Colleges; Association of
Medical Research Charities
AMS Army Medical Services
AMSPAR Association of Medical Secretaries, Practice
Administrators and Receptionists
AND Allow natural death
ANDPB advisory non-departmental public bodies
ANH artificial nutrition and hydration
ANP advanced nurse practitioner
A/O alert and orientated
AOB alcohol on breath
AOC Adult Opportunity Centre
AODP Association of Operating Department Practitioners
(formerly BAODA: British Association of Operating
Department Assistants)
AOMRC Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
AOP Association of Optometrists
AOT Assertive Outreach Team
APC antigen-presenting cell; Area Prescribing Committee
APD Advanced Professional Development
APH aged persons home (aka EPH); Association of Public Health
(now turned into UKPHA)
APHA American Public Health Association
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 65

APHI Association of Public Health Inspectors

APL accredited prior learning
APLS Advanced Paediatric Life Support
APMS Alternative Primary Medical Services; Alternative Provider
Medical Services
A/R alert and responsive
APROP Action for the Proper Regulation of Private Hospitals
APSE Association for Public Service Excellence
AQ Advancing Quality
AQH Association for Quality in Healthcare
AQS Air Quality Strategy
ARC Arthritis and Rheumatism Council
ARCP Annual Review of Competence Progression
ARF Annual Retention Fee
ARG Academic Review Group
ARM Association of Radical Midwives
ARSH Association of Royal Society of Health
ARVAC Association for Research in the Voluntary and Community
Sector
AS associate specialist
ASA Ambulance Service Association
ASAP as soon as possible
ASB anti-social behaviour
ASBAH Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus
ASBO Anti-Social Behaviour Order
ASC Action for Sick Children
ASCT Asylum Seeker Co-ordination Team
ASD Autistic Spectrum Disorder
ASEC Associate Specialist Education Committee
ASGBI Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland
ASH Action on Smoking and Health
ASIM American Society of Internal Medicine
ASIT Association of Surgeons in Training
ASME Association for the Study of Medical Education
ASPFA Asylum Seekers and People From Abroad (a Social
Services team who pay out cash to people who cannot get
Social Security Benefits)
ASPIRE Action to Support Practices Implementing Research
Evidence
ASSIST Association for Information Management and
Technology Staff in the NHS
66 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

ASTC Associate Specialist Training Committee

ASTRO-PU Age Sex Temporary Resident Originated Prescribing
Unit
ASW Approved Social Worker (A social worker approved to carry
out Sections under the Mental Health Act.)
ASWCS Avon Somerset and Wiltshire Cancer Services
ATLS Advanced Trauma Life Support
ATMD Association of Trust Medical Directors
ATU Alcohol Treatment Unit
AUDGP Association of University Departments of General
Practice
AURE Alliance of UK Health Regulators on Europe
AVG Ambulatory Visit Group
AvMA Action for Victims of Medical Accidents
AWMEG All-Wales Management Efficiency Group

B
BAAF British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering
BACCH British Association for Community Child Health
BAC blood alcohol content
BACS British Association for Chemical Specialities
BACTS British Association of Clinical Terminology
BACUP British Association of Cancer United Patients
BAEM British Association for Accident and Emergency Medicine
BAMM British Association of Medical Managers (for clinicians in,
or interested in, management)
BAMS Benefits Agency Medical Service
BAN British Approved Name
BAO British Association of Otolaryngologists
BAOT British Association of Occupational Therapists
BAP British Association for Psychopharmacology
BAPS British Association of Paediatric Surgeons; British
Association of Plastic Surgeons
BAPT British Association of Physical Training
BARQA British Association of Research Quality
BASH British Association for the Study of Headache
BASICS British Association of Immediate Care
BASRaT British Association of Sports Rehabilitators and Trainers
BASSAC British Association of Settlements and Social Action
Centres
BASW British Association of Social Workers
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 67

BaTA Blood and Transplant Authority

BAUS British Association of Urological Surgeons
BBP blood-borne pathogen
BBS Bulletin Board System
BBV blood-borne virus
BC Block Contract[ing]; Borough Council
BCA Basic Credit Approval (part of capital control framework)
BCCCF Black Community Care Consultative Forum
BCD black and culturally diverse
BCF Boundary Change Factor (part of SSA)
BCHS Better Care Higher Standards
BCODP British Council of Disabled People
BCS British Computer Society
BCSH British Committee for Standards in Haematology
BDA British Dental Association; British Diabetic Association
(now called Diabetes UK); British Dietetic Association; British
Dyslexia Association
BDD body dysmorphic disorder
BDH British Drug Houses (no longer trading)
BEAM Biomedical Equipment Assessment and Management
BEHAF British Ethnic Health Awareness Foundation
BGM Board General Manager (an NHS in Scotland term)
BGS British Geriatrics Society for Health in Old Age
BHAF Black HIV and AIDS Forum
BHF British Heart Foundation
BHS British Hypertension Society
BIBRA British Industrial Biological Association
BILD British Institute of Learning Disabilities
BIM British Institute of Management
BioRes Biological and Biomedical Sciences Research (Internet
resource)
BIR British Institute of Radiology
BIVDA British In Vitro Diagnostics Association
BLROA British Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological
Association
BLS Basic Life Support
BMA British Medical Association
BMCIS building maintenance cost information system
BME black and minority ethnic
BMI Body Mass Index
BMIS British Medical Informatics Society
68 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

BMJ British Medical Journal

BMR basal metabolic rate
BNF British National Formulary (quarterly publication containing
details of prescribed drugs)
BNI British Nursing Index
BOA British Orthopaedic Association
BOPCAS British Official Publications Current Awareness
Service
BOS British Orthodontic Society
BP British Pharmacopoeia
BPA British Paediatric Association
BPAS British Pregnancy Advisory Service
BPC British Pharmaceutical Codex
BPD borderline personality disorder
BPMF British Postgraduate Medical Federation
BPPV benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
BPR business process re-engineering
BPS British Pharmacological Society
BPSU British Paediatric Surveillance Unit
BR budget requirement
BrAC breath alcohol content
BrAPP British Association of Pharmaceutical Physicians
BRCS British Red Cross Society
BSA Basic Skills Agency
BSAD British Sports Association for the Disabled
BSC Business Service Centre (NHS Wales)
BSCC British Society for Clinical Cytology
BSE bovine spongiform encephalopathy; breast self-examination
BSEC Basic Surgical Education Committee
BSH British Society for Haematology
BSI British Society for Immunology; British Standards
Institution
BSL British Sign Language
BSPED British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes
BSR British Society of Rheumatology
BSS basic surgical skills
BST basic surgical training; basic specialist training
BSTC Basic Surgical Training Committee; Basic Surgical Training
Course
BSVP Better Services for Vulnerable People
BTEG Black Training and Enterprise Group
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 69

BTS Blood Transfusion Service; British Thoracic Society

BUPA British United Provident Association
BVACoP Best Value Accounting Code of Practice
BVPI Best Value Performance Indicator
BVPP Best Value Performance Plan
BWS Beached Whale Syndrome

C
CAB Citizens Advice Bureau
CABA Compressed Air Breathing Apparatus
CABE Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment
CABG Coronary Artery Bypass Graft
CADO Chief administrative dental officer
CAEF Clinical Audit and Effectiveness Forum
CAF Charities Aid Foundation
CAFCASS Children And Family Court Advisory Support
Service
CAIT Citizens Advocacy Information and Training
CAL Computer assisted learning
CALL Cancer Aid Listening Line
CAM Complementary and Alternative Medicine
CAMHS Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services – Joint
Local and Health Authority services to young people with
mental health problems.
CAMO Chief administrative medical officer
CAMS Computer Aided Medical Systems
CAN Community Action Network
CANH Clinically assisted nutrition and hydration
CANO Chief Area Nursing Officer
CAOX4 conscious, alert/awake and orientated to person, place,
time and recent events
CAP College of American Pathologists
CAPD Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis for people with
kidney failure
CAPM Capital Asset Pricing Model
CAPO Chief administrative pharmaceutical officer
CARE Clinical Audit and Research Evidence; Craniofacial
Anomalies Register
CAS Controls assurance statement; Care Assessment Schedule;
Chemical Abstracts; Community Accountancy Service;
Controls Assurance Statement
70 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

CASE Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion

CASH Consensus Action on Salt and Health
CASP Critical Appraisal Skills Programme
CASPE Clinical Accountability Service Planning and Evaluation
Specialist Healthcare Training Group
CAT Computerised axial tomography; Critically Appraised Topic;
Community Alcohol Team
CATS Credit Accumulated Transfer Scheme (a national scheme)
CAWG Controls Assurance Working Group
CBA cost-benefit analysis; competence-based assessment
CbD case-based discussion
CBRN Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear
CBS Common basic specification
CBT Cognitive Behavioural Therapy; Computer Based
Training
CC Charity Commission; County Council; Chief Complaint; City
Council
CCA Cost-Consequence Analysis; Current Cost Accounting
CCC NHS Centre for Coding and Classification.
CCCG Cochrane Colorectal Cancer Group
CCDC Consultant in Communicable Disease Control
CCE Completed consultant episode (see FCE)
CCEPP Cochrane Collaboration on Effective Professional Practice
– now called EPOC
CCETSW Central Council for Education and Training in Social
Work (abolished October 2001)
CCG Community Care Grant
CCHR Citizens Commission on Human Rights
CCIT Consultant Contract Implementation Team
CCN County Councils’ Network; Change Control Notice
CCP Community Care Plan; Change Control Procedure
CCR Cross Cutting Review
CCrISP Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient
CCRN Comprehensive Clinical Research Network
CCSC Central Consultants and Specialists Committee (a
committee of BMA)
CCSI Critical Care Skills Institute
CCSR Cross Cutting Spending Review
CCST Certificate of completion of specialist training for junior
doctors
CCT Certificate of Completion of Training; compulsory
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 71

competitive tendering (a sort of Dutch auction of public

services, now partly replaced by the Best Value process)
CCTR Cochrane Controlled Trials Register
CCTV Closed Circuit TeleVision
CCU coronary care unit; critical care unit
CD Clinical Director; Clinical Directorate; Controlled Drug; Civil
Defence; Cluster of Differentiation
CDC Center for Disease Control and Prevention (USA)
CDDS Council of Deans of Dental Schools
CDER Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (USA)
CDHN Community Development and Health Network
CDM Chronic disease management; Construction, Design and
Management
CDO Chief dental officer
CDS Contract Data Set – A collection of information recorded
by the NHS Trust that identifies a patient and their treatment
which is sent to the Health Authority; Community Dental
Service
CDSC Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre
CDSM Committee on Dental and Surgical Materials (abolished
1994)
CDSR Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
CDU Child Development Unit; Central Delivery Unit; Colourflow
Duplex Ultrasound
CDX Community Development Exchange
CE chief executive
CEA cost-effectiveness analysis
CEAC Clinical and Excellence Awards Committee (Northern
Ireland)
CEDP Chief Executive Development Programme
CEEU Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation Unit of the RCP
CEF Community Empowerment Fund
CEFET Central England Forum for European Training
CEMACH Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health,
evolved into the Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries
(CMACE).
CEMD Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths
CEMVO Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector
Organisations
CEN Comite Europeen de Normalisation (European Standards
organisation)
72 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

CEN Community Empowerment Network

CEO chief executive officer
CEPOD Confidential Enquiry into Peri-operative Deaths (see
NCEPOD)
CERA Capital Expenditure, Revenue Account
CERES Consumers for Ethics in Research
CertHSM Certificate in Health Services Management
CES Charities Evaluation Services
CESDI Confidential Enquiry into Stillbirths and Deaths in Infancy
CESH National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide
By People With Mental Illness
CEX Clinical Evaluation Exercise
CF Cystic Fibrosis
CfH Connecting for Health
CfI Centre for Infections (part of HPA)
CFI Community Finance Initiative
CFISSA Centrally Funded Initiatives and Services and Special
Allocations
CFN Community Foundation Network
CFO Chief Finance Officer; Conventionally Financed Option;
Co-Financing Public Sector Intermediary Organisation
CfPS Centre for Public Scrutiny
CFR Capital Financing Reserve
CFRC Children and Family Resource Centre
CFS Chronic Fatigue Syndrome closely associated with ME
CFSMS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service
CG Clinical Governance
CGD Chronic Granulomatous Disease
CGF Child Growth Foundation
CGRDU Clinical Governance Research and Development Unit
CGST Clinical Governance Support Team
CHAI Commission for Healthcare Audit and Improvement (obs
now HC)
CHAIN Contact Help Advice and Information Network
CHAOS Chief Has Arrived on the Scene
CHART Community Health Action Resource Team
CHC Community Health Council (now only in Wales)
CHCP community health and care partnership (Scotland)
CHD coronary heart disease
CHDGP Collection of Health Data from General Practice project
CHEST Combined Higher Education Software Team
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 73

CHEX Community Health Exchange

CHFG Clinical Human Factors Group
CHG Community Hospitals Group (now taken over by BUPA)
CHI Commission for Health Improvement; community health
index
CHIA Comprehensive Health Impact Assessment
CHIME Centre for Health Informatics in Medical Education
CHiQ Centre for Health Information Quality (patient
information)
CHIR Canadian Institutes of Health Research
CHIRP Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting
Procedure
CHMS Council for Heads of Medical Schools; central health and
miscellaneous services
CHMU Central Health Monitoring Unit (obsolete)
CHOU Central Health Outcomes Unit
CHP Community Health Partnership (Scotland); Combined Heat
and Power
CHRC Community Health and Resource Centres
CHRE Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence
CHRE The Council of Healthcare Regulatory Excellence
CHS child health surveillance
CHS Community Health Services; Child Health Surveillance
CHSA Chest, Heart and Stroke Association
CI Clinical Indicator
CIA Chief Internal Auditor
CIC Common Information Core; Charitable Incorporated
Organisation
CIM Capital Investment Manual
CIMP Clinical Information Management Programme
CIMS Coalition for Improving Maternity Services
CINAHL Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health
CIO Confederation of Indian Organisations; Charitable
Incorporated Organisation; Chief Information Officer
CIP Cost Improvement Programme
CIP(S) Capital Investment Programme(s)
CIPC Centre for Innovation in Primary Care
CIPFA Chartered institute of Public Finance and Accountancy
CIS Clinical Information System
CISH Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by people
with mental illness
74 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

CISP Community Information Systems Project

CJC Commissioning Joint Committee
CJD Creutzfeld Jacob Disease
CKD Chronic Kidney Disease
CLA Commissioner for Local Administration (the ombudsman)
CLAPA Cleft Lip and Palate Association
CLDT Community Learning Disability Team
CLGMS Cash Limited General Medical Services
CLib Cochrane Library
CLIP Central-Local Information Partnership; Clinical
Improvements Database
CM community midwife
CMA Cost Minimisation Analysis
CMACE Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries
CMAJ Canadian Medical Association Journal
CMB Central Midwives Board
CMC Central Manpower Committee (no longer exists)
CMD Continuing Medical Development
CMDS contract/core minimum data set
CME continuing medical education
CMF Capital Modernisation Fund
CMHN community mental handicap nurse (obsolete)
CMHSD Centre for Mental Health Services Development, Kings
College London
CMHT Community mental health team
CML Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia
CMMS Case mix management system
CMO Chief Medical Officer; (DoH) Corporate Management
Board
CMP Civilian Medical Practitioner
CMPS Centre for Management and Policy Studies
CMR Computerised Medical Record
CMS Community Midwifery Service; clinical management
support; contract management system
CMT Corporate Management Team
CN charge nurse
CNM clinical nurse manager
CNO chief nursing officer
CNS clinical nurse specialist; community nursing service; central
nervous system
CNST Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 75

CO Cabinet Office; Course Organiser; Complains Of; Chief

Officer; Capital Out-turn
COAD Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease – usually called
COPD
COGIT Chief Officers’ Group of Information Technology
COGPED Committee of General Practice Education Directors
COI Central Office of Information
COIN Circulars on the Internet (e.g. all the Health Service
Publications available online as letters, regulations, circulars,
CMO updates, advance letters etc.; Clinical Oncology
Information Network)
COMA Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy (abolished
2000)
COMARE Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the
Environment
COMEAP Committee On the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants
COPC Community Oriented Primary Care
COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
COPDEND Conference of Postgraduate Dental Deans and
Directors of Education
COPE Committee on Publication Ethics
COPMED Conference of Postgraduate Medical Deans
COR Capital Out-turn & Receipts return
CORE Clinical Outcomes Research and Effectiveness
COREC Central Office for Research Ethics Committees
COSHH Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Legislation
(1994 Regulations)
COSLA Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
COT Committee on Toxicity
CP Community Plan; Cerebral palsy
CPA Care Programme Approach (patients needs for care are
assessed on a four point scale: Level 4 means that you are
dangerously ill and need supervision; Level 1 means that you
are not thought to need anything more than a bit of advice and
counselling); Comprehensive Performance Assessment; Clinical
Pathology Accreditation; critical path analysis
CPAG Child Poverty Action Group; Capital Prioritisation
Advisory Group
CPAP Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
CPC Cost Per Case
CPCCH Consultant Paediatrician in Community Child Health
76 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

CPCME Centre for Postgraduate and Continuing Medical

Education
CPCU Child Protection Co-ordination Unit
CPD continuing professional development
CPEP Clinical Practice Evaluation Programme
CPFA Charted Public Finance Accountant
CPH Certificate in Public Health
CPHL Central Public Health Laboratory
CPHM Certified Professional in Healthcare Materiel
Management
CPHMCH Committee Public Health Medicine and Community
Health
CPHVA Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association
– part of AMICUS
CPMP Committee for Proprietary Medical Products (EU)
CPN community psychiatric nurse
CPNA Community Psychiatric Nurses Association – now the
Mental Health Nursing Association
CPO chief pharmaceutical officer
CPOD Centre for Professional and Organisational Development
CPPIH Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health
(obsolete)
CPR Child Protection Register; cardiopulmonary resuscitation;
Capital Payments & Receipts return
CPS Child Protection Services
CPSM Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine
CPU Contracts & Purchasing Unit; central processing unit
CPWP Capital Programmes Working Party
CQC Care Quality Commission
CQI Continuous quality improvement
CQSW Certificate of Qualification of Social Work (abolished
1989)
CQUIN Commissioning for Quality and Innovation
CQUIN AQ Commissioning for Quality and Innovation Advancing
Quality
CRAG Clinical Research and Audit Group; Charging for
Residential Accommodation Guide – guidance for local
authorities on community care financial assessment; Clinical
Resource and Audit Group – the lead body within the Scottish
Executive Health Department promoting clinical effectiveness
in Scotland
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 77

CRAGPE Committee of Regional Advisers in General Practice

Education
CRAGPIE Committee of Regional Advisers in General Practice
Education
CRANE Craniofacial Anomalies Register
CRB Criminal Records Bureau
CRC Clinical Research Centre; Cancer Research Campaign
CRCF Conference of Royal Colleges and their Faculties
CRD Centre for Reviews and Dissemination
CRDB Care Record Development Board
CRDC Central Research and Development Committee
CRE Commission for Racial Equality (monitors the effects of the
Race Relations Act 1976)
CRED Clinical Governance/Education and R&D subgroup
CRES Cash Releasing Efficiency Savings
CRHP Council for the Regulation of Healthcare Professionals
(replaced by Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence
[CHRE])
CRIO Chief Registration & Inspection Officer – responsible for
the Health and Social Service Registration and Inspection
Units and Guidance-ad-Litem service
CRIR Committee for Regulating Information Requirements
CRMD Cochrane Review Methodology Database
CRT Community Rehabilitation Team; Cathode Ray Tube
CS Capital Strategy
CSA Child Support Agency; Common Services Agency; Clinical
Spine Application
CSAG Clinical Standards Advisory Group
CSASHS Common Services Agency for the Scottish Health
Service
CSBS Clinical Standards Board for Scotland
CSC Community Sector Coalition; Computer Sciences
Corporation
CSCI Commission for Social Care Inspection
CSD carbonated soda drinks
CSEC Corporate Specialist Education Committee
CSF Community Support Framework; Cerebro-spinal Fluid
CSM Committee on Safety of Medicines; Christian Socialist
Movement
CSMC Civil Service Management Committee
CSO Central Statistical Office; Civil Society Organisation (or NGO)
78 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

CSP Chartered Society of Physiotherapy; Children’s Services Plan

CSPG Central Support Protection Grant
CSR Comprehensive Spending Review
CSS Children’s Social Services; Certificate of Satisfactory Service;
Cascading Style Sheets
CSSD Central Sterile Services/Supplies Department; Central
Support Service Department
CSTC Corporate Specialist Training Committee
CSV Community Service Volunteers
CT computerised tomography
CTBSL Council Tax Benefit Subsidy Limitation
CTD close to death; circling the drain
CTG cardiotocography electronic measurement of foetal heart and
uterine contractions
CTN Charity Trustees Network
CTO Compulsory Treatment Order
CTPLD Community Team for People with Learning Disabilities
CU Casualties Union
CUA Cost-Utility Analysis
CUE Community Unit for the Elderly
CUV current use value
CVCP Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals
CVE Continuous Vocational Education
CVS Council for Voluntary Service; Cardiovascular system
CYA cover your arse
CYPF Children and Young People’s Fund
CYPS Children and Young People’s Services
CYPU Children and Young People’s Unit

D
D&T drugs and therapeutics
D&TP Drugs and Therapeutic Bulletin
DA distributable amount; district audit
DAAT Drug and Alcohol Team
DAN Disabled People’s Direct Action Network
DANS duty assessment nurses
DAP Deans Advisory Panel
DARE Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness
DART Drug and Alcohol Resistance Training
DASG Drugs and Alcohol Specific Grant
DASS Director of Adult Social Services
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 79

DAT digital audio tape; Disability Appeal Tribunal (obsolete);

Drugs Action Team
DATA Distress Awareness Training Agency
DB database
D/C discharge; discontinue
DCLG Department for Communities and Local Government
DCT Disabled Children’s Team
DCFS Directorate of Counter Fraud Services
DDA Disability Discrimination Act 1995; Disabled Drivers’
Association
DDD defined daily dose
DDPHRCS Diploma in Dental Public Health, Royal College of
Surgeons of England
DDRB Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body (also known as the
Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration)
DEB Dental Estimates Board
DEC Development and Evaluation Committee (replaced by NICE
in 2000)
DEFRA Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
DEL Departmental Expenditure Limit
DENS Doctor’s Educational Needs
DFBO design, finance, build and operate
DfEE Department for Education and Employment (now renamed
DfES)
DfES Department for Education and Skills
DFT Distance from Target (relating to HA’s financial allocation)
DFFP Diploma of Faculty of Family Planning
DFG Disabled Facilities Grant
DG5 The Public Health part of the European Union
DGH district general hospital
DGM district general manager
DH Department of Health (England) (see DoH)
DHA district health authority (obsolete April 2002)
DHSC Directorate of Health and Social Care (obsolete)
DHSS Department of Health and Social Security (later split into
DoH and DSS)
DHSSPS Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
DHT District Handicap Team
DI Director of Information
DIA Drug Information Association
DIAL Disablement Information and Advice Lines
80 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

DIC dead in car; disseminated intravascular coagulation

DID dissociative identity disorder
DIG Disablement Income Group
DIO district immunisation officer
DIPEx Database of Individual Patient Experiences
DIPG Drug Information Pharmacists Group
DIPHSM Diploma in Health Services Management
DipSW Diploma in Social Work
DIS Departmental Investment Strategy
DisCASS Disabled Citizens Advice and Support Service
DISP Developing Information System for Purchasers
DISS Disability Information Service Surrey
DLA Disability Living Allowance
DLCV drugs of limited clinical value
DLF Disabled Living Foundation
dm+d Dictionary of Medicines and Devices
DMARD disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug
DMC district medical committee
DMD Drug Misuse Database; Duchenne muscular dystrophy
DMF Disabled Motorists Federation
DMFT (number of ) decayed, missing, filled teeth
DMHE Department of Mental Health for the Elderly
DMO district medical officer (obsolete)
DMT Departmental Management Team
DMU directly managed unit
DN district nurse
DNA did not arrive; did not attend
DNA-CR Do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation
DNAR Do not attempt resuscitation
DNDRN Dementias and Neurodegenerative Disease Research
Network
DNGNet Disability Network Group
DNI do not intubate (similar to DNR)
DNR do not resuscitate
DNS director of nursing services
DNW Drugs North West
DOA date of accident (in A&E departments); date of admission;
dead on arrival
DOB date of birth
DoF Director of Finance
DOGPE Director of General Practice Education
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 81

DoH Department of Health

DOPS Direct Observation of Procedural Skills
DPB Dental Practice Board (obsolete)
DPC Data Protection Commissioner
DPGPE Director of Postgraduate GP Education
DPH Director of Public Health
DPI Disabled Peoples’ International
DPR Data Protection Registrar; directorate performance
review
DPTC Disabled Person’s Tax Credit (now abolished)
DRC depreciated replacement cost; Disability Rights
Commission
DRF direct revenue funding
DRG diagnosis/diagnostic related group
DRS Dental Reference Service
DSC Directory of Social Change; Disablement Service Centre
DSCA Defence Secondary Care Agency
DSCN Data Set Change Notice
DSD Decontamination Services Department
Dsh deliberate self harm
DSL Doctors’ Support Line
DSO Direct Service Organisation
DSON Detailed Statement of Need
DSPD dangerous and severe personality disorder
DSS decision support systems; Department of Social Security
(now the DWP)
DSU day surgery unit
DTA Development Trusts Association
DTB Drug and Therapeutic Bulletin
DTC Day Treatment Centre; Diagnostic and Treatment Centre;
Drug and Therapeutics Committee
DTD document type definition
DTF Diversity Task Force
DTI Department of Trade and Industry
DTNI daytime net inflow
DTTO Drug Testing and Treatment Order
DTP Diphtheria Tetanus Pertussis (a vaccine)
DUI driving under the influence
DV deo volente (God willing); dependent variable; domestic
violence; domiciliary visit (by consultant)
DVTA Dental Vocational Training Authority (obsolete)
82 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

DWA Disability Working Allowance (a benefit for people working

at least 16 hours a week who have a disability affecting their
working ability, now replaced by DPTC)
DWM dead white male
DWP Department for Work and Pensions

E
EAC estimated annual cost
EAG Expert Advisory Group
EAGA Expert Advisory Group on AIDS
EAN European article number
EAPN European Anti Poverty Network
EASR European age standardised rate (a measure of the incidence
of disease)
EBD emotional and behavioural difficulties
EBH evidence-based healthcare
EBL evidence-based learning
EBM evidence-based medicine
EBMH evidence-based mental health
eBNF The BNF on CD-ROM
EBOC evidence based on call
EBP evidence-based practice
EBS Emergency Bed Service (London)
EBV Epstein-Barr virus
EC European Community; Experience Corps
ECCA English Community Care Association
ECDL European Computer Driving Licence
ECN Emergency Care Network
ECP Emergency Care Practitioner
ECR Extra-contractual Referral (now replaced by OATS)
ECTS European credit transfer scheme
ED economic development; enumeration district (the smallest unit
for census data – about 200 homes)
EDA Erectile Dysfunction Association
EDI electronic data interchange (exchanging information
electronically, not including faxing)
EDIFACT Electronic Data Interchange for Administration,
Commerce and Transport (Electronic Data Interchange is a
particular structure which complies with ISO 9735; this is the
standard for EDI adopted by the NHS)
EDIT Elderly Dementia Intervention Team
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 83

EDP Education Development Plan; emotionally disturbed person

EDS Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
EDT Emergency Duty Team (Social Services Departments)
EEA European Economic Area
EEC European Economic Community
EFGCP European Forum for Good Clinical Practice
EFL external financing limit
EFM electronic foetal monitoring
EFMI European Federation for Medical Informatics
EFQM European Foundation for Quality Management
EGFR epidermal growth factor receptor; estimated glomerular
filtration rate
eGIF Electronic Government Interoperability Framework
EHMA European Healthcare Management Association
EHO environmental health officer
EHP Education and Health Partnership
EHR electronic health record
EHS extremely hazardous substance
EIA European Information Association
EL Executive Letter (has year and number with it)
eLIB Electronic Libraries Programme
ELP Essential Lifestyles Planning (person-centred planning tool
emphasising rhythms and routines of daily life used in Learning
Disability Services)
EM electronic mail (email)
EMA Education Maintenance Allowance; emergency medical
admission
EMAG Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant
EMAS Employment Medical Advisory Service
EMEA European Medicines Evaluation Agency
EMG electromyogram
EMI elderly mentally ill; elderly mentally infirm
EMIS Egton Medical Information System
EMLC European Midwives Liaison Committee
EMO Examining Medical Officer
EMR electronic medical record
EMS emergency medical services
EMW early morning wakening
EMWA European Medical Writers Association
ENB English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health
Visiting (obsolete)
84 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

ENDPB executive non-departmental public bodies

ENHPA European Network of Health Promotion Agencies
ENIL European Network on Independent Living
ENP emergency nurse practitioner
EO Employers’ Organisation
EOC Equal Opportunities Commission (set up under the Sex
Discrimination Act 1975 to monitor sex discrimination)
EP emergency planning; English Partnerships
EPACT Electronic Prescribing Analysis and Costs
EPCS Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services
EPH elderly persons’ home
EPHR electronic patient health record
EPICS Elderly Persons Integrated Care Scheme
EPO emergency planning officer
EPP Expert Patient Programme
EPR electronic patient record
EQUIP Education and Quality in Primary Care; Effectiveness and
Quality in Practice Group (within DoH, chaired by CMO and
CNO)
ERA-ETDA European Renal Association-European Dialysis and
Transplant Association
ERDIP Electronic Record Development Implementation
Programme
ERG electroretinogram
ERI Edinburgh Research and Innovation Limited
ERIC Estates Returns Information Collection
EROS Electronic Records in Office Systems
ERS External Reference Group (relating to NSFs)
ES educational supervisor; Employment Service
ESAT Emergency Services Action Team (obsolete)
ESF Education Standards Fund; European Social Fund
ESMI elderly severely mentally infirm or ill
ESOL English for speakers of other languages
ESP Economic and Social Partnership
ESRA European Society of Regulatory Affairs (now TOPRA)
ESRC Economic and Social Science Research Council
ESRI Economic and Social Research Institute (Ireland)
ESV Employer Supported Volunteering
ET environmental technologies; executive team
ETA estimated time of arrival
ETF Environment Task Force
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 85

ETP electronic transmission of prescription; Employer Training

Pilot
ETT endotracheal tube
EU European Union
EWC expected week of confinement
EWO educational welfare officer
EWTD European Working Time Directive
EYDCP Early Years Development and Childcare Plan
EYDP Early Years Development Partnership
EYPD Early Years and Play Department
EYST Early Years Surgical Training
EZ Employment Zone

F
FA Friedreich’s ataxia
FAB Family Action Benchill
FACS Fair Access to Care Services
FAM Fraud Awareness Month (an annual event)
FAQs frequently asked questions
FARR Fixed Asset Restatement Reserve
FAWN Funding Advice Workers Network
FBC full business case
FC factor cost; family credit (now replaced by tax credits); fixed
cost
FCAS Federation of Charity Advice Services
FCDL Federation for Community Development Learning
FCE finished consultant episode (see CCE)
FCS financial control system
FDA US Food and Drug Administration
FDIU foetal death in utero
FDL finance directorate letter
FDTL Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning
FE further education
FEC Further Education College
FEFC Further Education Funding Council (disbanded 2001,
replaced by the Learning and Skills Council)
FENTO Further Education National Training Organisation
FES Family Expenditure Survey
FESC Framework for Procuring External Support for
Commissioning
FFCE first finished consultant episode
86 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

FFP fresh frozen plasma

FHom Faculty of Homeopathy
FHR foetal heart rate
FHS Family Health Services (the primary healthcare providers,
including GPs, dentists, pharmacists and opticians)
FHSA Family Health Service Authority (role now taken over by
the Health Authority)
FHSAA Family Health Services Appeal Authority
FHSCU Family Health Services Computer Unit
FHT foetal heart tones
FIAC Federation of Independent Advice Centres
FIBD found in bed dead
FIG Food Initiatives Group
FIP financial information project
FIPO Federation of Independent Practitioner Organisations
FIS Family Income Supplement (became WFTC); Financial
Information Service (run by IPF); financial information system
FIT Focused Individualised Training
FITTA fixed-term training appointment
FIU Fraud Investigation Unit
FM facilities management
FMD foot and mouth disease
FMIP financial management information project
FMIS financial management information systems
FMP financial management programme
FMR functions and manpower review
FOM Faculty of Occupational Medicine of Royal College of
Physicians
FORD found on road dead
FP10 a prescription form
FPA Family Planning Association
FPC Family Planning Clinic; Family Practitioner Committee
(which was replaced by the FHSA)
FPharmM Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine
FPHM Faculty of Public Health Medicine
FPS Family Planning Services; Family Practitioner Services
FR financial regulation
FRED Financial Reporting Exposure Draft (draft FRS)
FRS Fellow of the Royal Society; Financial Reporting Standard
FRSH Fellow of the Royal Society of Health
FSA Financial Services Authority; Food Standards Agency
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 87

FSID Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths

FSM free school meals
FSO Forum Support Organisations
FSS Forensic Science Service
FSSA Federation of Surgical Speciality Associations
FSU Family Support Unit (now known as Family Unit – FU).
FT NHS foundation trust; full-time
FTC Federal Trade Commission
FTE full-time equivalent
FTP fitness to practice
FTR Foundation Training Report
FTSTA Fixed Term Specialty Training Appointment
FTTA Fixed Term Training Appointments
FU Family Unit (a mixture of residential and outreach service for
children and young people and their families); follow-up
FWATAG Flexible Working and Training Advisory Group
FWN further work needed
FY full year
FY1 Foundation Year 1
FY2 Foundation Year 2
FYC full-year cost
FYE full-year effect; full-year equivalent

G
GAAP Generally Accepted Accounting Practice
GAD Government Actuary’s Department
GAG getting ahead of the game
GAL guardian ad litem (usually an independent social worker)
GALRO Guardian Ad Litem Reporting Officer (these are
appointed to represent the best interests of the child)
GAPS Genetic Information and Patient Services
GATB Global Alliance for TB Drug Development
GATS General Agreement on Trade in Services
GBP pounds sterling (for people who don’t have a £ sign on their
computer, etc.)
GBS Guillain-Barré syndrome
G-CAT Government IT Catalogue
GCC General Chiropractic Council
GCS Glasgow Coma Score
GCSE General Certificate of Secondary Education
GDA guideline daily amount
88 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

GDC General Dental Council

GDP general dental practitioner; gross domestic product
GDS general dental services
GENECIS General Clinical Information System
GHG General Healthcare Group
GHQ General Health Questionnaire
GHS General Household Survey
GIDA Government Intervention in Deprived Areas
GIGO garbage in, garbage out
GIS Geographical Information System (computers designed to
create, manipulate, analyse and display geographical data)
GLACHC Greater London Association of Community Health
Councils
GLAD Greater London Association of Disabled People
GLADD Gay and Lesbian Association of Doctors and Dentists
GM Geiger-Muller; general manager
GMC General Medical Council
GMCDP Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People
GMO genetically modified organisms
GMP general medical practitioner; good medical practice
GMS general medical services
GMSC General Medical Services Committee
GNP gross national product
GNVQ General National Vocational Qualifications
GO Government Office for the Regions
GOC General Optical Council; Gynaecological Oncology Centre
GOK God only knows
GOMER get out of my emergency room (US slang for an
unwelcome patient)
GOP General Optical Council
GOS General Ophthalmic Service
GOSC General Osteopathic Council
GOSH Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children
GP general practitioner; Green Paper
GP2GP the transfer of electronic patient records from one GP to
another when a patient changes practices
GPAS General Practice Assessment Survey (produced by the
NPCRDC)
GPASS General Practice Administration System Scotland
GPC General Practitioners Committee
GPCC GP Commissioning Consultant
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 89

GPCG GP Commissioning Group (see HSC 1998/030)

GPEC GP Emergency Centre
GPFC General Practice Finance Corporation
GPFH General Practitioner Fundholder (obsolete)
GPIAG General Practice Airways Group
GPMSS General Practice Minimum System Specification
GPPS General Professional Practice of Surgery (manual that
replaces MBST)
GPR General Practice Registrar
GPWA GP Writers Association
GPWSI GPs with a special interest
GRE grant related expenditure (replaced by NRE)
GREA Grant Related Expenditure Assessment (replaced by
SSA)
GRIPP Getting Research Into Purchasing and Practice
GSCC General Social Care Council
GSI Government Secure Intranet
GSL General Sales List (a medicine which can be sold anywhere)
GSM Global System of Mobility
GSOH good sense of humour (as important in the health service as
on the lonely hearts pages)
GSW gunshot wound
GTAC Gene Therapy Advisory Committee
GTLRC Gypsy and Traveller Law Reform Coalition
GTN Government Telephone Network
GUCH Grown Up Congenital Heart Patients Association
GUI graphical user interface
GUM genito-urinary medicine (where STDs are treated)
GWC General Whitley Council

H
H&S health and safety
HA health authority; housing association
HaCCRU Health and Community Care Research Unit (based at
Liverpool University)
HAG Housing Association Grant
HAI hospital-acquired infection
HARP Hulme Action Research Project (works with people with
mental health problems)
HAS Health Advisory Service; human activity system
HASHD hypertensive arteriosclerotic heart disease
90 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

HASSASSA Health and Social Services and Social Security

Adjudication Act
HAT Housing Action Trust
HAWNHS Health at Work in the NHS
HAZ Health Action Zones (obsolete)
HB Health Board (in Scotland); Housing Benefit
HBAI households below average income
HBG Health Benefit Group
HC health circular; Healthcare Commission; Health Council;
Huntingdon’s chorea
HCA historic cost accounting; Home Care Assistant (social care
worker who provides domiciliary care; formerly known as home
helps); Hospital Caterers Association
HCAG Hospital Consultants Advisory Group (a steering body for
projects on work patterns for consultants)
HCAI healthcare associated infection
HCFA Health Care Financing Administration (the federal agency
that administers the Medicare, Medicaid and Child Health
Insurance Programs in the US)
HCG human chorionic gonadotrophin
HCHS hospital and community health services (hospital services,
ambulances and certain community health services such as
district nursing; these services are provided mostly by NHS
Trusts)
HCIA Health Care Information (an American company which
analyses health data; now part of Solucient)
HCS Holiday Care Service
HCSP Health Care Service for Prisoners
HCW Health Care Worker (provides nursing support in clinical
areas; NVQ qualified)
HDA Health Development Agency (obsolete; now the National
Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence [NICE]);
Huntington’s Disease Association
HDL high-density lipoprotein
HDM house dust mite
HDU High Dependency Unit (one step down from the ITU)
HE health education; higher education
HEA Health Education Authority (now replaced by the HAD);
Health Equity Audit
HEASIG High Ethnicity Authorities’ Special Issues Group
HEBS Health Education Board for Scotland
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 91

HEED Health Economic Evaluations Database

HEFC Higher Education Funding Council
HEFCE Higher Education Funding Council for England
HEFMA Health Estates and Facilities Management Association
HEI higher education institution
HEIF Higher Education Innovation Fund
HELMIS Health Management Information Service (Nuffield
Institute, Leeds)
HEO health education officer
HEP Health Education Partnership
HEPA high efficiency particulate air
HERO Higher Education and Research Opportunities in the
UK
HEROINE Health Electronic Resources Online in Northern
England
HES Hospital Episode Statistics; Hospital Eye Service
HEVU Health Education Video Unit
HFEA Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
HfHT Help for Health Trust (obsolete)
HFMA Healthcare Financial Management Association
HGAC Human Genetics Advisory Commission
HGC Human Genetics Commission
HHT hand-held terminal
HIA health impact assessment; Housing Improvement Agency
HIBCC Health Index Bar Code Council; Health Index Business
Communications Council
HImP Health Improvement Programme
HIP Health Investment Programme
HIPE Hospital In-Patient Enquiry Scheme
HIS health service indicators
HIS hospital information system
HISN High Individual Support Needs
HISS hospital information and support system
HIU Health Inequalities Unit
HIV human immunodeficiency virus
HIYE Health in Your Environment
HJSC Hospital Junior Staff Committee (of BMA)
HL7 Health Level 7 (a healthcare-specific communication
standard for data exchange between computer applications)
HLC Healthy Living Centre
HLF Heritage Lottery Fund
92 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

HLI Healthy Living Initiative

HLPI high level performance indicator
HM HNA Health Needs Assessment
HMIC Health Management Information Consortium
HMO health maintenance organisation (US); house in multiple
occupation
HMR hospital medical record
HMSO Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (now TSO)
HNI Housing Needs Index
HO Home Office; House Officer
HoN Health of the Nation White Paper on Prevention
HoNOS Health of the Nation Outcomes Scale
HOWIS Health of Wales Information Service (the official website
for NHS in Wales)
HP health promotion
HPA Health Protection Agency
HPC Health Professions Council
HPC Health Professions Council
HPE Health Promotion England (obsolete); higher professional
education
HPERU Health Policy and Economic Research Unit
HPH health-promoting hospital
HPMA Healthcare People Management Association
HPR health process re-design
HPSS Health Promotion Specialist Service; Health and Personal
Social Services
HPU Health Protection Unit
HR human resources (personnel)
HRD human resource development
HRD-MET Human Resources Directorate-Medical Education and
Development
HRG Healthcare Resource Group
HRQOL health-related quality of life
HSAC Health Service Advisory Committee (of HSE)
HSC Health Select Committee; Health and Safety Commission;
Health Service Circular (management letters from the DoH
replacing ELs, HSGs, FDLs and FHSLs); Health Service
Commissioner
HSCA Health and Social Care Authority (Northern Ireland)
HSCI Health Service Cost Index
HSCIC Health and Social Care Information Centre
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 93

HSCT Health and Social Care Trust (Northern Ireland)

HSDU hospital sterile and disinfection unit
HSE Health and Safety Executive
HSG health service guidance; Health Strategy Group; Housing
Support Grant
HSJ Health Services Journal
HSMC Health Services Management Centre (University of
Birmingham)
HSP Healthy Schools Programme; heart sink patient
HSPI Health Service Prices Index
HSPSCB High Security Psychiatric Services Commissioning
Board (obsolete)
HSSB Health and Social Services Board (Northern Ireland)
HSSC Health and Social Services Council (Northern Ireland)
HST higher surgical trainee (a senior registrar in old speak); higher
surgical training
HSTAT Health Services/Technology Assessment Text
HSV herpes simplex virus
HSW health and safety at work
HSWA Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
HTA Health Technology Assessment; Human Tissue Authority
HTAI Health Technology Assessment International
HTCS Hospital Travel Cost Scheme
HTH hope this helps
HTM high technology medicine
HV health visitor; home visit
HVA Health Visitors Association
HVHSC Human and Veterinary Healthcare Sectoral Consultation
(bringing together interested bodies in the public and private
sectors to draw up key principles concerning biotechnology and
genetically modified organisms)
HWI Healthy Workplace Initiative
HWRC Household Waste Recycling Centre

I
I&D incision and drainage
IADL instrumental activities of daily living
IAG information age government
IAGI intended average gross income (of GPs) (the total money
paid on average to GPs, i.e. inclusive of indirectly reimbursed
expenses)
94 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

IAMRA International Association of Medical Regulatory

Authorities
IANI intended average net income (of GPs) (the total money paid
on average to GPs, exclusive of indirectly reimbursed expenses)
IANR intended average net remuneration
IAPO International Alliance of Patients’ Organisations
IAVI International Aids Vaccine Initiative
IBD interest-bearing debt
IBMS Institute of Biomedical Science
IBNR incurred but not reported (clinical negligence liability)
IC Information Commissioner
ICA Invalid Care Allowance (now replaced by Carers Allowance)
ICAS Independent Complaints Advocacy Service
ICC Integrated Child Credit
ICD The WHO’s International Statistical Classification of
Diseases and Related Health Problems (now in its 10th
revision)
ICE Intercollegiate Examination
ICES Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences
ICFM Institute of Charity Fundraising Managers Trust
ICHS International Centre for Health and Society
ICIDH International Classification of Impairment, Activities and
Participation
ICN infection control nurse; integrated care network
ICP integrated care pathway; Integrated Care Pilots; intra-cranial
pressure
ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross
ICRS Integrated Care Records Service
ICT infection control team; information communication
technology
ICU intensive care unit
ICW Indigenous Community Worker; integrated clinical
workstation
ICWS integrated clinical workstation
ID2000 Indices of Deprivation 2000
IDA Improvement Development Agency
IDDM insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
IdeA Improvement and Development Agency
IDF International Diabetes Federation
IELTS International English Language Testing Service
IEMC Inter-Balkan European Medical Centre
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 95

I4H Information for Health

IFM Information for the Management of Healthcare
IFPMA International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers
Associations
IFRS International Financial Reporting Standards
IG information governance
IGSoC Information Governance Statement of Compliance
IHA Independent Healthcare Association of 600 independent
hospitals and homes
IHCD Institute of Health and Care Development
IHE Institute of Hospital Engineering; International Health
Exchange
IHEEM Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Estate
Management
IHF International Hospital Federation
IHM Institute of Healthcare Management
IHRIM Institute of Health Record Information and Management
IHSM Institute of Health Service Managers (now part of the
IHM)
IIP Investors in People (initiative)
ILA Individual Learning Account
ILAF Independent Local Advisory Forum
ILCOR International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation
ILD Index of Local Deprivation (replaced by IMD)
ILF Independent Living Fund
ILP Independent Living Project
ILSI International Life Sciences Institute
IM&T information management and technology
IMA Irish Medical Association
IMC Information Management Centre
IMCA independent mental capacity advocate
IMD Index of Multiple Deprivations
IMG international medical graduates
IMGE Information Management Group of NHS Executive
IMHO in my humble opinion; in my honest opinion
IMLS Institute of Medical Laboratory Sciences
IMR infant mortality rate
INASP International Network for the Availability of Scientific
Publications
INES International Network of Engineers and Scientists for
Global Responsibility
96 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

INSET in-service training

IOP Institute of Psychiatry
IoS Item of Service (something that GPs get paid for on a
itemised basis under the terms of the Red Book)
IP inpatient
IPF Institute of Public Finance
IPH Improvement Partnership for Hospitals
IPM Institute of Personnel Management
IPPC Integrated Pollution Prevention Control
IPPF International Planned Parenthood Federation
IPPR Institute for Public Policy Research
IPR independent professional review; individual performance
review; intellectual property rights
IPS Indicative Prescribing Scheme; Integrated Personnel System
IPU Information Policy Unit (DoH)
IQI Indicators for Quality Improvement
IRIS interactive resource information system
IRL Initial Resource Limit
IRO industrial relations officer
IRP Independent Reconfiguration Panel
IRR internal rate of return
IS Income Support (formerly Supplementary Benefit, before that
National Assistance, before that the Poor Law)
ISB Information Standards Board (NHS); Intercollegiate
Speciality Examinations Board; Invest to Save Budget
ISBN International Standard Book Number
ISCAP Integrating Surgical Curriculum and Practice
ISCP Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Project
ISD Information and Statistics Division (Scotland)
ISDD Institute for the Study of Drug Dependence
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network
ISE individualised sensory environment
ISG Information Services Group
ISIP Integrated Service Improvement Programme
ISO Infrastructure Support Organisation; International
Organization for Standardization
ISPOR International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and
Outcomes Research
ISQua International Society for Quality in Health Care
ISS International Sponsorship Scheme (formerly ODTS)
ISSM Institute of Sterile Services Management
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 97

IST Intensive Support Team

ISTAHC International Society of Technology Assessment in
Health Care
ISTC independent sector treatment centres
IT information technology
ITC independent treatment centre
ITN invitation to negotiate
ITS Independent Tribunal Service (now replaced by the Appeals
Service)
ITT invitation to tender
ITU intensive therapy/treatment unit
IUHPE International Union for Health Promotion and Education
IV independent variable; intravenous
IWL Improving Working Lives
IYF inter-year flexibility

J
J judge (in law reports)
JAMA Journal of the American Medical Association
JANET Joint Academic Network
JCB Joint Commissioning Board
JCC Joint Consultative Committee; Joint Consultants Committee
JCCO Joint Council for Clinical Oncology
JCE Joint Commissioning Executive
JCHMT Joint Committee for Higher Medical Training
JCHST Joint Committee for Higher Surgical Training
JCPTGP Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training in General
Practice
JCVI Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation
JDC Junior Doctors Committee
JE job evaluation
JEMS Journal of Emergency Medicine
JEWP Job Evaluation Working Party
JFC Joint Formulary Committee
JFSSG Joint Food Safety and Standards Group
JHU Joint Health Unit
JIF Joint Investment Fund (Scotland)
JIGSAW project designed to reduce the need for hospital beds; co-
ordinated by GMAS
JIP Joint Investment Plan (what you have to write in your BSVP
group)
98 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

JISC Joint Information Systems Committee

JIT just in time (supplies delivery)
JLDS Joint Learning Disability Service (runs CLDTs)
JNC(J) Joint Negotiating Committee (on junior doctors terms and
conditions of service)
JPAC Joint Planning Advisory Committee (replaced by SWAG)
JRCT Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
JRF Joseph Rowntree Foundation
JRG Joint Review Group
JSA Job Seeker’s Allowance
JSE Joint Strategy Executive
JSG Joint Strategy Group
JSOG Joint Senior Officers Group

K
KED Kendrick extrication device
KF King’s Fund
KFOA King’s Fund Organisational Audit
KI key indicator (social services)
KIGS key indicators, geographical system
KISS keep it simple stupid
KSF Knowledge and Skills Framework (part of Agenda for
Change)
KTD Kendrick traction device
KTP Knowledge Transfer Partnership
KVO keep veins open

L
LA local authority
LAA Local Area Agreement; Local Authority Association
LAC Local Authority Circular; Local Authority Company; looked
after children
LACOTS Local Authorities Co-ordinating Body on Food and
Trading Standards
LAD Local Authority District
LAF Local Advisory Forum
LAFS Local Authority Financial Settlement
LAG local advisory group
LAL local authority letter
LAN local area network
LAP local area partnership; local action plan
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 99

LAPIS Locality and Practice Information System

LARIA Local Authorities Research and Intelligence Association
LAS Locum Appointment Service; London Ambulance Service
LASA London Advice Services Alliance
LASFE Local Authorities’ Self-Financed Expenditure
LASS Local Authority Social Services
LASSL Local Authority Social Services Letter
LAT locum appointment for training
LATF Local Asthma Taskforce
LATS London Academic Training Scheme (part of LIZEI)
LAWDC Local Authority Waste Disposal Company
LCFS Local Counter Fraud Specialist
LCMG local communications user group
LD learning difficulties; Liberal Democrat; local democracy
LD/MH learning difficulties/mental handicap
LDA Local Development Agency; London Development Agency
LDAF Learning Disabilities Award Framework
LDC Local Dental Committee (the statutory body of GDPs that
represents dental practices in the local area)
LDP Local Delivery Plan
LDSAG Local Diabetes Service Advisory Group
LEA Local Education Authority
LEC Local Enterprise Company
LEI Local Employment Initiative
LEL lower explosive limit
LEO Leading Empowered Organisations
LETS Local Exchange Trading Scheme
LFS Labour Force Survey
LGA Local Government Association
LGBT lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
LGC Local Government Chronicle
LGFR Local Government Finance Report
LGFS Local Government Financial Settlement; Local
Government Financial Statistics
LGHA Local Government & Housing Act 1989
LGIB Local Government International Bureau
LGIU Local Government Information Unit
LGMB Local Government Management Board
LGPS Local Government Pension Scheme
LHB local health boards (Wales)
LHC Local Health Council
100 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

LHCC Local Health Care Co-operative (Scottish variety of PCG)

LHG Local Health Group (a sort of Welsh PCG)
LHP Local Health Plan
LHSCG Local Health and Social Carte Group (Northern Ireland)
LIF Local Initiatives Fund
LIFT Local Improvement Finance Trust
LIG local implementation group
LIMS laboratory information management systems
LINC Library and Information Commission (obsolete)
LINks Local Involvement Networks
LIO Local Implementation Officer; Local Infrastructure
Organisation
LIP Local Implementation Plans
LIS library information system; Local Implementation Strategy
LISI Low Income Scheme Index (measure of deprivation based on
claims for exemption from prescription charges on grounds of
low income)
LIT Local Implementation Team
LIZ London Initiative Zone
LIZEI London Implementation Zone Education Initiative
LLL lifelong learning
LLSC Local Learning and Skills Council
LLTI limiting long-term illness
LMC Local Medical Committee (statutory local committee for all
GPs in the area covered by the health authority)
LMCA Long-term Medical Conditions Alliance
LMWAG Local Medical Workforce Advisory Groups (formed in
1996 to co-ordinate postgraduate medical education between
groups of trusts; there are five or six in each NHS Region)
LNC Local Negotiating Committee
LNRS Local Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy
LOBNH lights on but nobody home
LOS length of stay (a measure of activity in hospital wards)
LPC Local Pharmaceutical Committee (a committee of
pharmacists)
LPfIT London Programme for IT
LPI labour productivity index
LPM litres per minute
LPS Local Pharmaceutical Services
LPSA Local Public Service Agreement
LR legitimate relationship
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 101

LRD Labour Research Department

LREC Local Research Ethics Committee
LRR Local Reference Rent
LRS Local and Regional Services
LSC Learning & Skills Council; Legal Services Commission
LSCG Local Specialised Commissioning Group
LSCS lower segment Caesarean section
LSHTM London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
LSP local service provider(s); local strategic partnership
LSVT Large Scale Voluntary Transfer
LTA long-term agreement
LTC long-term condition
LTM Learning to Manage Health Information
LTP Local Transport Plan
LTPS Liability to Third Parties Scheme
LTSA long-term service agreement
LTVS long-term ventilatory support
LURG local user representative group
LWPG Local Winter Planning Group
LYS life years saved

M
MA Maternity Allowance
MAA Medical Artists Association of Great Britain
MAAG Medical Audit Advisory Group; Multi-disciplinary Audit
Advisory Group
MAAQ Multidisciplinary Audit and Quality Group (replaced by
the ACTS)
MAB Metropolitan Asylums Board (obsolete)
MAC Medical Advisory Committee
MACA Mental After Care Association
MADEL Medical and Dental Education Levy
MADEN Medical and Dental Education Network
MAF Management Accountancy Framework
MAGGOT medically able, go get other transportation
MALDA Multi-agency Learning Disability Assessment
MANCAS Manchester Care Assessment Schedule
MAP management action plan
MaPSaF Manchester Patient Safety Framework
MAR2C Matching Resources to Care (a mental health information
system for caseload monitoring devised to study cases of serious
102 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

mental illness; IT can compare data from Social Services,

Health Services and the voluntary sector)
MARMAP Multi-agency Risk Management Assessment Process
MARP Multi-agency Risk Assessment Panel (decides whether
mentally ill people are dangerous)
MAS minimal access surgery
MASC Medical Academic Staff Committee; Medical Advisors
Support Centre
MAST Multi-agency Support Team
MASTA Medical Advisory Services for Travellers Abroad
MAT Medical Appeal Tribunal
MAVIS Mobility Advice and Vehicle Information Service
MBA Master of Business Administration
MBTI Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Myers-Briggs Personality
Type Inventory)
MC Medicines Commission
MCA Medicines Control Agency; motorcycle accident
MCCD Medical Certificate of Cause of Death
MCI mass casualty incident
MCN managed clinical network
MCO managed care organisation
MCP male chauvinist pig (obsolete?); medical care practitioner
MCRG Medical Career Research Group
MCSP Member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
MDA Medical Devices Agency
MDAP Multi-Deanery Appointment Process
MDD Medical Devices Directorate
MDDUS Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland
MDG Management Development Group (Scotland); Muscular
Dystrophy Group
MDI metered dose inhaler
MDM medical decision making
MDO mentally disordered offender
MDR multiple drug resistant
MDS minimum data set
MDT mobile data terminal; multi-disciplinary team
MDU Medical Defence Union
ME Management Executive
MEC Management Education for Clinicians; Management
Executive Committee
MEDITEL GP information system
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 103

MEDLARS Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System

MEDS Medical Deputising Service
MEE Medical Education for England
MEL Management Executive Letter (Scotland)
MENCAP Royal Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and
Adults
MEQ modified examination question
MeReC bulletin published by the National Prescribing Centre on
evidence based therapeutics
MERV Medical Emergency Response Vehicle
MESB Medical Education Standards Board
MeSH Medical Subject Headings
MESOL Management Education Scheme by Open Learning
MFF market forces factor
MFS market forces supplement
MGA Myasthenia Gravis Association
MGRG Management Guidance Review Group
MHA Mental Health Act 1983
MHAC Mental Health Act Commission
MHC major histocompatability complex
MHE Mental Health Enquiry
MHG Mental Health Grant
MHIG Mental Health Information Group
MHIS Mental Health Information Strategy
MHMDS Mental Health Minimum Data Set
MHPAF Mental Health Performance Assessment Framework
MHPSS Manchester Health Promotion Specialist Service
MHRA Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency
MHRT Mental Health Review Tribunal (convened to hear appeals
against detention under the MHA)
MHT Mental Health Task Force
MIA Medical Insurance Agency
MIDIRS Midwife Information and Resource Service
MIE Medical Informatics Europe
MIG Medical Information Group
MIMMS Major Incident Medical Management and Support
MIMS Monthly Index of Medical Specialties
MINAP Myocardial Infarction National Audit Project
MIND organisation of mental health users
MINI Mental Illness Needs Index
Mini-CEX Mini Clinical Evaluation Exercise
104 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

Mini-PAT Peer Assessment Tool (360-degree)

Mini-PBA Procedure-based Assessment (single procedure)
MIQUEST A method of extracting information from GP computer
systems
MIS management information systems
MISG Mental Illness Specific Grant (government subsidy to
supplement spending by local authorities on social care for
mentally ill people living in the community)
MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology; minimally invasive
therapy
MITAG Medical Information and Technology Advisory Group
MIU minor injuries unit
MLA medical laboratory assistant; Museums, Libraries and
Archives Council
MLA Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)
MLCF Medical Leadership Competency Framework
MLD mild learning disability
MLSO Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer
MMC Modernising Medical Careers
MMR measles, mumps, rubella
MMS Medical Management Services
MMSAC Medical Manpower Standing Advisory Committee
(representatives from BMA, Royal Colleges, Regional
Manpower committees, Medical Research Council and Council
of Deans)
MNC Modernising Nursing Careers
MO Medical Officer
MOD Ministry of Defence
MOH Medical Officer of Health (a predecessor of the DPH)
MOI mechanism of injury
MOP Mobile Optical Practice
MOR Millennium Operating Regime
MoU memorandum of understanding
MPA Masters in Public Administration; Medical Prescribing
Adviser
MPC Medical Practices Committee (abolished 2002)
MPDS Medical Priority Dispatch System
MPET Multi-professional Education and Training levy
MPIG minimum practice income guarantee
MPS Medical Protection Society; Modernising Public Services
Group
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 105

MPT maximum part time

MPU Medical Practitioners Union
MRC Medical Research Council
MREC Multi-centre Research Ethics Committee
MRFIT Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial
MRI magnetic resonance imaging
MRO Medical Records Officer
MRP Minimum Revenue Provision (part of capital control
framework)
MRSA methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
MSAC Maternity Services Advisory Committee
MSD Merck Sharp & Dohme Ltd
MSDS Material Safety Data Sheet
MSEB Medical Standards Education Board (replacing JCPTGP
and STA)
MSF union for skilled and professional workers, including many
NHS employees (formerly ASTMS, now joined
into AMICUS; Medicine Sans Frontières; multi-source
feedback)
MSGP-4 National Study of Morbidity in General Practice
MSI Marie Stopes International
MSLC Maternity Services Liaison Committee (brings together
professions involved in maternity services with laypeople to
agree procedures and monitor their effectiveness as they appear
to individual women)
MSP Member of the Scottish Parliament
MSPCG Most Sparsely Populated Councils Group
MSU medium secure unit; short for MSSU
MTA Management Team Assistant
MTAS Medical Training Application Service
MTFP Medium Term Financial Plan
MTO Medical Technical Officer
MUSCLE Multi-Station Clinical Examination
MV Millennium Volunteer
MWC Mental Welfare Commission
MWCS Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
MWEP Medical Workforce Expansion Programme
MWF Women’s Medical Federation
MWSAC Medical Workforce Standing Advisory Committee
(working for the education committee of the GMC on
appraising doctors and dentists in training for SCOPME
106 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

and on general clinical training during the pre-registration

year)
MWSAG Medical Workforce Standing Advisory Group

N
N3 New National Network (Broadband)
N&MC Nursing and Midwifery Council
NA Nursing Auxiliary
NAAS National Association of Air Ambulance Services
NAB National Assistance Board (1948–66)
NAC National Abortion Campaign
NACAB National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux
NACC National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease
NACEPD National Advisory Council on Employment of People
with Disabilities
NACGP National Association of Commissioning GPs
NACPME National Advice Centre for Postgraduate Medical
Education
NACRO National Association for the Care and Resettlement of
Offenders
NACT National Association of Clinical Tutors
NACVS National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service
NAFHP National Association of Fundholding Practices (obsolete)
NAGPT National Association of GP Tutors
NAGS NICE Appraisal Groups
NAGST National Advisory Group for Scientists and Technicians
NAHAT National Association of Health Authorities and Trusts
(obsolete)
NAHCSM National Association of Health Care Supplies Managers
NAHSSO National Association of Health Service Security Officers
NAHWT National Association of Health Workers and Travellers
NALHF National Association of Leagues of Hospital Friends
NANOS North American Neuro-Opthalmology Society
NANP National Association of Non-Principals (now NASGP)
NANT National Appraisal of New Technologies
NAO National Audit Office
NAPC National Association of Primary Care (formed from the
embers of Fundholding National Association to represent
interests of PCGs)
NAPMECA National Association of Postgraduate Medical
Education Centre Administration
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 107

NAPP National Association for Patient Participation

NAPS National Anti-Poverty Strategy (Ireland)
NAS National Autistic Society
NASEN National Association for Special Educational Needs
NASGP National Association of Sessional GPs (representing
Locums, Freelance GPs and Salaried GPs, i.e. Non Principals)
NASP National Application Service Provider
NASS National Asylum Support Service
NATN National Association of Theatre Nurses; National
Association of Training Nurses
NatPaCT National Primary and Care Trust (development
programme)
NAVB National Association of Volunteer Bureaux
NAVHO National Association of Voluntary Help Organisations
NAW National Assembly for Wales
NAWO National Alliance of Women’s Organisations
NBA National Blood Authority (England)
NBAP National Booked Admissions Programme
NBG lacking evidence of effectiveness
NBI National Beds Inquiry
NBS National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting
for Scotland (obsolete)
NBTS National Blood Transfusion Service (obsolete)
NBV net book value
NCAA National Clinical Assessment Authority
NCAS National Clinical Assessment Service (formerly NCAA
National Clinical Assessment Authority)
NCASP National Clinical Audit Support Programme
NCBV National Coalition for Black Volunteering
NCC National Consumer Council
NCCA National Centre for Clinical Audit (now absorbed into
NICE); National Community Care Alliance
NCCG Non-Consultant Career Grade
NCCHTA National Co-ordinating Centre for Health Technology
Assessment
NCCSDO National Co-ordinating Centre for NHS Service
Delivery and Organisation Research and Development (at the
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)
NCE National Confidential Enquiry; net current expenditure
NCEPOD National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome
and Death (formerly CEPOD)
108 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

NCG National Commissioning Group

NCH National Children’s Home, now known as Action For
Children
NCI National Captioning Institute
NCI National Confidential Inquiry; NHS Centre for
Involvement
NCIL National Centre for Independent Living
NCIS National Criminal Intelligence Service
NCISH National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide
by people with Mental Illness
NCL National Civic League
NCMO National Casemix Office
NCSC National Care Standards Commission (abolished 2004)
NCSSD National Counselling Service for Sick Doctors
NCT National Childbirth Trust
NCV National Centre for Volunteering (obsolete)
NCVCCO National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisations
NCVO National Council for Voluntary Organisations
NCVQ National Council for Vocational Qualifications
NCVYS National Council for Voluntary Youth Services
ND New Deal
NDC National Disability Council; New Deal for Communities
NDPB non-departmental public body
NDPHS National Disabled Persons Housing Service
NDT National Development Team for People with Learning
Disabilities
NDTMS National Drug Treatment Monitoring System
NDU Nurse Development Unit
NDYP New Deal for Young People
NEAT new and emerging applications of technology
NED non-executive director
NEET not in education, employment or training
NEJM New England Journal of Medicine
NeLH National Electronic Library for Health
NERC Natural Environment Research Council
NES NHS Education for Scotland
NESTA National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts
NET new and emerging technologies
NF Nuffield Foundation
NFA no fixed address
NFAP National Framework for Assessing Performance
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 109

NFI National Fraud Initiative

NFP not-for-profit
NFR not for resuscitation
NFW no further work
NGfL National Grid for Learning
nGMS New General Medical Services (contract)
NGO non-governmental organisation
NHAIS National Health Authority Information Systems
NHD notional half day (consultants)
NHF National Heart Forum
NHFA Nursing Homes Fees Agency
NHIS National Health Intelligence Service
NHLI National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College
NHS CFH NHS Connecting for Health
NHS CRS NHS Care Records Service
NHS EED NHS Economic Evaluation Database
NHS EHU NHS Ethnical Health Unit
NHS FAM NHS Fraud Awareness Month
NHS IMC NHS Information Centre
NHS KSF NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework
NHS LIFT NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust
NHS PSA NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency
NHS QIS NHS Quality Improvement Scotland
NHS National Health Service
NHS(S) National Health Service in Scotland
NHS/N3 replaced the private NHS communications network
NHSnet
NHSAC National Health Service Appointments Commission
NHSAR National Health Service Administrative Register
NHSBSA NHS Business Services Authority
NHSBSP NHS Breast Screening Programme
NHSCA NHS Consultants Association
NHSCCA NHS and Community Care Act (1990)
NHSCCC NHS Centre for Coding and Classification
NHSCR NHS Central Register
NHSCSF NHS Counter Fraud Service
NHSCSFMS NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management
Service
NHSCTA NHS Clinical Trials Adviser
NHSE NHS Estates; NHS Executive (abolished 2002)
NHSFT NHS Foundation Trust
110 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

NHSI NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement

NHSIA NHS Information Authority (abolished 2005)
NHSIII NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement
NHSL NHS Logistics
NHSLA NHS Litigation Authority
NHSmail NHS email and directory service
NHSME National Health Service Management Executive
(Scotland)
NHSME NHS Management Executive (in England; now called
the NHSE)
NHSMEE NHS Medical Education England
NHSnet Intranet for the NHS
NHSOE NHS Overseas Enterprises
NHSP NHS Partners
NHSPA NHS Pensions Agency (now merged as part of the NHS
Business Services Authority, NHSBSA)
NHSPA NHS Pensions Authority
NHSS NHS Scotland; NHS Supplies; National Healthy Schools
Standard
NHSSMS NHS Security Management Service
NHST NHS Trust
NHSTD NHS Training Directorate; NHS Training Division
NHSTF NHS Trust Federation
NHSTU NHS Training Unit
NHSU National Health Service University (obsolete)
NI National Insurance
NIA Northern Ireland Assembly
NIACE National Institute of Adult and Continuing Education
NIAS Northern Ireland Ambulance Service
NIC National Insurance Contribution; net ingredient cost (the
basic price of a drug)
NICARE Northern Ireland Centre for Health Care Co-operation
and Development
NICE National Institute for Clinical Excellence; National Institute
for Health and Clinical Excellence; Northern Institute for
Continuing Education
NICEC National Institute for Carers and Educational Counselling
NICON NHS Confederation in Northern Ireland
NICS Northern Ireland Civil Service
NICU Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
NICVA Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 111

NIH National Institute of Health; Nuffield Institute for Health

(Leeds)
NIHR National Institute for Health Research
NIHSS Nosocomial Infection National Surveillance Scheme
NILO National Investment and Loans Office
NIMHE National Institute for Mental Health in England
NINo National Insurance Number
NISW National Institute of Social Work (obsolete)
NJC National Joint Council
NLC (DoH) National Leadership Council
NLDB National Leadership Development Bodies
NLH National Library for Health
NLIAH National Leadership and Innovation Agency for
Healthcare (Wales)
NLM National Library of Medicine
NLN The National Leadership Network for Health and Social
Care
NLOP NPfIT Local Ownership Programme
NMAC National Medical Advisory Committee
NMAP Nursing Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals
(Internet resource)
NMC Nursing and Midwifery Council
NMDS nursing minimum data set
NMEfIT North, Midlands and East Programme for IT
NMET Non-medical Education and Training
NMIS Nurse Management Information System
NMS National Minimum Standards
NNH number needed to harm
NNT number needed to treat
NOF National Opportunities Fund
NOMDS National Organ Matching and Distribution Service (see
UHTSSA)
NOMIS National Online Manpower Information Service
NOP National Opinion Polls
NOS National Occupation Standards
NP Non-Principal
NPA National Pharmaceutical Association
NPAT National Patients’ Access Team
NPC National Prescribing Centre (based in Liverpool; formerly
known as MASC; publishes MeReC Bulletin which is
distributed to all GPs on request); net present cost
112 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

NPCRDC National Primary Care Research and Development

Centre (based in the University of Manchester)
NPfIT National Programme for IT (in the NHS)
NPG Modernising Health and Social Services: National Priorities
Guidance
NPHS National Public Health Service (Wales)
NPHT Nuffield Provincial Hospitals Trust
NPIS National Poisons Information Service
NPL National Physical Laboratory
NPN National PALS Network
NPRB Nurses Pay Review Body
NPSA National Patient Safety Agency
NPT near patient testing
NPV net present value
NR nearest relative
NRAC NHS Scotland Resource Allocation Committee
NRC National Regionalisation Consortium
NRCI national reference cost index
NRE non-recurring expenditure
NRES National Research Ethics Service
NRLS National Reporting and Learning Service
NRPB National Radiological Protection Board
NRR National Research Register
NRS Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy
NRT nicotine replacement therapy
NSC National Screening Committee (UK)
NSCAG National Specialist Commissioning Advisory Group
(succeeded by The National Commissioning Group, NCG)
NSCG The National Specialised Commissioning Group
NSEC National Smoking Education Campaign
NSF National Schizophrenia Fellowship (now called Rethink);
National Service Framework; National Stakeholder Forum
NSFMH National Service Framework – Mental Health
NSMI National Sports Medicine Institute (UK)
NSPCC National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
NSRC National Schedule of Reference Costs
NSS National Services Scotland
NSTS NHS Strategic Tracing Service
NSU non-specific urethritis (common STD)
NSV National Supplies Vocabulary
NTA National Treatment Agency
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 113

NTAC NHS Technology Adoption Centre

NTN National Training Number
NTO National Training Organisation
NTT nuchal translucency thickness (screening method for Down’s
syndrome)
NTTRL National Tissue Typing Reference Laboratory
NVP newly vulnerable person
NVQ National Vocational Qualification
NWCS Nation Wide Clearing Service (all trusts must submit data
about admitted patient care which is then forwarded to
HAs)
NWIPP National Workforce Information and Planning
Programme
NWN NHS-wide networking
NWSI Nurse with a Special Interest
NYCDOHMH New York City Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene

O
O&M organisation and methods
OAPS Objective Assessment of Professional Skills
OAT Out of Area Treatment (the replacement for ECR)
OBC outline business case
OBD occupied bed day
OBS output based specification
OCD obsessive compulsive disorder
OCMO Office of the Chief Medical Officer (Wales)
OCN Open College Network
OCPA Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments
OCR optical character reader; optical character recognition
OCS order communication system; Organisational Codes
Service
OD once daily; organisational development; outside diameter;
overdose
ODA Operating Department assistant; Overseas Development
Agency; Overseas Doctors Agency
ODO Operating Department orderly
ODP Operating Department practitioner
ODPM Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
ODTS Overseas Doctors Training Scheme (of appropriate Royal
College)
114 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and

Development
OEL occupational exposure limit
Ofsted Office for Standards in Education
OGC Office for Government Commerce
OH occupational health
OHAG Oral Health Advisory Group
OHE Office of Health Economics (London)
OHN Our Healthier Nation (Cm3852, www.ohn.gov.uk)
OHS Occupational Health Service
OIC Officer in Charge
OIE Office International des Epizooties
OIHCP Office for Information on Health Care Performance
OISC Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner
OJEC Official Journal of the European Community
OME Office of Manpower Economics
OMNI Organising Medical Networked Information
OMP Ophthalmic Medical Practitioner
OMV open market value
OMVEU open market value in existing use
ONS Office for National Statistics (the result of a merger in
April 1996 of the Central Statistical Office and the Office of
Population Censuses and Surveys)
OO optometrist
OOH out of hours
OOP Out of Programme
OOPC Out of Programme for career break
OOPE Out of Programme for experience
OOPR Out of Programme for research
OOPT Out of Programme for clinical training
OP outpatient
OPAC Online Public Access Catalogue
OPCS Office of Population, Census and Surveys (system for
classifying disease and treatment; now Office for National
Statistics, ONS)
OPD Outpatient Department
OPHIS Office for Public Health in Scotland
OPM Office of Public Management
OR operation research (a scientific method which uses models of
a system to evaluate alternative courses of action with a view to
improving decision making)
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 115

OSB Other Services Block (now replaced by EPCS)

OSC Overview and Scrutiny Committee (local authority)
OSCE Observed Structured Clinical Examination
OSCHR Office for the Strategic Coordination of Health Research
OSDLS Open Source Digital Library System
OST Office of Science and Technology
OT occupational therapist; occupational therapy
OTC over the counter (medicines not requiring a prescription)
OU Open University
OVE occlusive vascular event
OWAM Organisation with a Memory
OWW One World Week
OXERA Oxford Economic Research Associates

P
P&T professional and technical
PA Patients Association (patient’s mechanism to communicate
with medical services); personal assistant; physician assistant
(US); Police Authority
PABX Public Area Branch Exchange
PAC Public Accounts Committee
PACE Police & Criminal Evidence Act 1984; Promoting Action
on Clinical Effectiveness; Property Advisers to the Civil Estate
PACS Picture Archiving and Communication System
PACT Placing, Assessment and Counselling Team; Prescribing
Analysis and Costs (GPs get regular PACT reports from the
PPA giving details of their recent prescribing, comparing them
with local and national averages)
PAD peripheral arterial disease
PAF Performance Assessment Framework; Public Audit Forum
PAGB Proprietary Association of Great Britain
PALS Patient Advice and Liaison Service
PAMIS Parliamentary Monitoring and Intelligence Service
PAMP pathogen associated molecular pattern
PAMs professions allied to medicine (physiotherapists,
occupational therapists, etc.)
PAR programme analysis and review
PARN Professional Associations Research Network
PAS Patient Administration System (a main hospital database);
physician-assisted suicide
PASA Purchasing and Supply Agency
116 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

PASG pneumatic anti-shock garment

PAT Personnel Accountability Tag; Policy Action Team
PAYE pay as you earn
PBA Procedure Based Assessment (may be in parts; see
Mini-PBA)
PBC practice-based commissioning; Public Benefit Corporation
PBL problem-based learning
PBMA programme budgeting and marginal analysis
PbR payment by results
PBR Pre-Budget Report
PBRS Public Benefit Recording System
PBx Private Branch Exchange (type of internal telephone
network)
PC Patients’ Council; Parish Council; personal computer;
politically correct; primary care; public convenience
PCA patient controlled analgesia (usually a morphine pump)
PCAG Primary Care Audit Group (i.e. multi-disciplinary)
PCAPs Primary Care Act Pilots (the NHS (Primary Care) Act
1997 allowed NHS Trusts, NHS employees, qualified bodies
and suitably experienced medical practitioners to submit
proposals to provide general medical services under a contract
with the health authority)
PCC primary care centre
PCG Primary Care Group (obsolete, see HSC 1998/230)
PCHR Personal Child Health Record
PCIP Primary Care Investment Plan
PCL Provision for Credit Liabilities
PCMCN Peninsula Cardiac Managed Clinical Network
PCO primary care organisation (generic term for PCT in England,
Health and Social Services Board in Northern Ireland, Local
Health Board in Wales and Primary Care Division within Area
Health Board in Scotland)
PCP person-centred planning; personal communication profile
PCRC Primary Care Resource Centre
PCRTA Primary Care Research Team Assessment
PCS Public and Commercial Services Union
PCS/E Patient Classification System/Europe
PCT primary care trust
PDC public dividend capital (a form of long-term government
finance on which the NHS trust pays dividends to the
government. PDC has no fixed remuneration or repayment
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 117

obligations, but in the long term the overall return on PDC is

expected to be no less than on an equivalent loan)
PDD pervasive development disorder; prescribed daily dose (the
average daily dose which is actually prescribed)
PDF Partnership Development Fund
PDO property damage only
PDP personal development plan; practice development plan
PDR Personal Development Review
PDS Parkinson’s Disease Society; Personal Demographics Service;
Personal Dental Services
PDSA plan, do, study, act
PE physical examination; pulmonary embolism
PEA pulseless electrical activity
PEAT Patient Environment Action Team
PEC Professional Executive Committee
PECS Picture Exchange Communication System
PEDC Potential Elderly Domiciliary Clients (part of SSA)
PEDW Patient Episode Database Wales
PEG percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy
PEM prescription event monitoring
PES Public Expenditure Survey
PESC Public Expenditure Survey Committee (obsolete)
PESR Potential Elderly Supported Residents (part of SSA)
PET positron emission tomography
PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
PETS Paediatric Emergency Transfer Service
PEWP Public Expenditure White Paper
PF Patients’ Forum
PFC patient-focused care; Professional Fees Committee
PFI Private Finance Initiative (now replaced by PPP)
PfIT Programmes for IT
PFMA Practice Fund Management Allowance (Allowance given
to GP fundholders to manage their allocation. The allowance is
primarily spent upon staff and equipment.)
PFU Private Finance Unit
PGCME Postgraduate and Continuing Medical Education
PGD Patient Group Directions; Postgraduate Dean
PGEA Postgraduate Education Allowance
PGMDE Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education
PGY3 Postgraduate Year 3 (= ST1)
PHA Public Health Alliance (now part of UKPHA)
118 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

PHAB physically disabled and able-bodied

PHANYC Public Health Association of New York City
PHC primary healthcare
PHCDS public health common data set
PHCSG Primary Health Care Specialist Group
PHCT Primary Health Care Team
PHeL Public Health Electronic Library
PHIS Public Health Institute of Scotland
PHL Public Health Laboratory
PHLS Public Health Laboratory Service
PHO Public Health Observatory
PHOENIX Primary Healthcare Organisations Exchanging New
Ideas for Excellence
PHP public health practitioner
PHPU Public Health Policy Unit
PHRRC Public Health Research and Resource Centre (at the
University of Salford)
PHSS Personal Health Summary System
PI parallel imports; performance indicator
PIA Partnership in Action; patient impact assessment; personal
injury accident
PICKUP Professional, Industrial and Commercial Updating
PICS Platform for Internet Content Selection
PICU Paediatric ICU; Psychiatric ICU
PIDA Public Interest Disclosure Act
PIF Patient Information Forum
PIG Policy Implementation Groups; professional interest group;
Promoting Independence Grant
PIL patient information leaflet
PIMS product information management system
PIN personal identification number; prior identification notice
PIU Performance and Innovation Unit
PLAB Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board
PLICS patient-led information and costing systems
PLP personal learning plan
PLPI Product Licence Parallel Import
PLT Protected Learning Time
PM project management
PMA Personal Medical Attendant (what insurance companies etc.
call a doctor who writes a report for them)
PMCPA Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 119

PMD Performance Management Directorate

PMD Prescribing Monitoring Document
PMETB Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board
PMF Performance Management Framework
PMI private medical insurance
PMLD Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities
PMR physical medicine and rehabilitation; progressive muscle
relaxation
PMS personal medical service; post marketing surveillance;
Primary Medical Services Contract
PND post-natal depression
PNL Prior Notification List (of patients for screening)
POC point of care
POCT point of care testing
PODS patient’s own drugs
POINT Publications on the Internet (Department of Health)
POISE Procurement of Information Systems Effectively (The
standard procedure followed for procurement of information
systems.)
POLIS Parliamentary Online Indexing Service
POLST Physicians Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment
POM prescription-only medicine
POMR problem-oriented medical records
POPPs Partnerships for Older People Projects
POPUMET Protection of Persons Undergoing Medical
Examination (regulations)
POSIX Portable Operating System Interface
POU Pulmonary Oncology Unit (chest cancers)
POVA Protection of Vulnerable Adults from Abuse
PPA Prescription Pricing Authority (costed all prescriptions
dispensed in England in order to pay chemists for the costs of
the drugs etc. they dispense; now done by NHSBSA)
PPBS Planning, Programming & Budgeting System
PPC promoting patient choice
PPDP Practice Professional Development Plans
PPDR Practice Profession Development and Revalidation
PPE personal protective equipment
PPF Priorities and Planning Framework
PPG Planning Policy Guidance; Principal Police Grant
PPI Patient and public involvement; proton pump inhibitor
PPIF Patient and public involvement forum (replaced by LINks)
120 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

PPM planned preventative maintenance

PPO preferred provider organisation
PPP Private Patients Plan; public private partnership
PPPFC Private Practice and Professionals Fees Committee
PPPP Public-Private Partnership Programme (aka 4Ps)
PPRD programme for provisionally registered doctors
PPRS Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme
PPU Private Patients Unit
PQ parliamentary question; post qualification
PQASSO Practical Quality Assurance System for Small
Organisations
PR per rectum; public relations (no known connection?)
PRA preventing and responding to aggression
PRB Pay Review Body
PREPP Post Registration Education and Preparation for Practice
(nurses)
PRHO Pre-Registration House Officer
PRIAE Policy Research Institute on Ageing and Ethnicity
PRIMIS Primary Care Information Services
PRINCE Projects in Controlled Environments (a standard project
management methodology used in all NHS Information
systems projects)
PRO Public Record Office
PRODIGY Prescribing RatiOnally with Decision-support In
General-practice studY
PRP performance-related pay
PRT personal risk training
PRU Police Resources Unit (part of Home Office)
PSA prostate-specific antigen; public service agreement
PSBR Public Sector Borrowing Requirement
PSC Public Sector Comparator
PSFD Public Sector Financing Deficit
PSG Prescribing Strategy Group
PSHE Personal Social and Health Education
PSI Policy Studies Institute (London)
PSIS Personal Spine Information Service
PSL period of study leave (GPs can apply in accordance with
paragraph 50 of the Statement of Fees and Allowances for
financial assistance in connection with a period of study leave to
undertake postgraduate education, which will result in benefit
to the GP, primary care in particular and the NHS)
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 121

PSM Professions Supplementary to Medicine

PSNC Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee
(represents chemists in negotiations with the DoH)
PSNCR Public Sector Net Cash Requirement
PSND Public Sector Net Deficit
PSNI Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland
PSRCS Police Standard Radio Communication System
PSS Personal Social Services
PSSRU Personal Social Services Research Unit
PSU Prescribing Support Unit
PSX Public Service Expenditure
PT part-time
PTCA percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty
PTL Patient Targeting List
PTS Patient Transport Services
PTSD post-traumatic stress disorder
PU prescribing unit (developed to take account of elderly patients’
greater need for medication; patients over 65 count as 3 PUs
and those under 65 as one)
PUNS patient’s unmet needs
PVC prime vendor contract
PVS persistent vegetative state
PWLB Public Works Loans Board
PYE part-year effect

Q
QA quality assurance
QAA Quality Assurance Authority
QABME Quality Assurance of Basic Medical Education
QALY quality adjusted life year
QC quality control; quick connect
QCA Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
QMAS Quality Management and Analysis System
QOF Quality and Outcomes Framework
QOL quality of life
QR quick release
QSW Qualified Social Worker
QUANGO quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation

R
R&D research and development
122 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

R&S recruitment and selection

RA regional advisor; Regional Assembly; research associate;
revenue account; rheumatoid arthritis
RA(SG) Revenue Account (Specific Grants)
RAB Resource Accounting and Budgeting
RADAR Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation
RAE Research Assessment Exercise
RAFT Regulatory Authority for Fertility and Tissue
RAG Research Allocation Group (NHS Executive)
RAGE Radiotherapy Action Group Exposure
RAM Risk Allocation Matrix
RAO Referral and Advice Officer (first point of contact for
inquiries about Social Services)
RAP Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care in Adult
Personal Social Services
RAPt Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust
RARM Remote and Rural Medicine
RARP Resource Allocation Resource Paper
RASP Resource Allocation and Service Planning
RATE Regulatory Authority for Tissue and Embryos
RAWP Resource Allocation Working Party (the working party
devised a method of distributing resources to health authorities
equitably in relation to need, which was used from 1977 to
1989; the system has been superseded by weighted capitation
payments)
RB Representative Body (BMA)
RBAC role-based access control
RBE relative biological effectiveness
RBMS Referral Booking and Management System
RCA root cause analysis; Royal College of Anaesthetists
RCC Rural Community Council
RCCO revenue contributions to capital outlay
RCCS Reid Clinical Classification System; revenue consequences
of capital schemes
RCGP Royal College of General Practitioners
RCH Residential Care Home
RCM Royal College of Midwives
RCN Royal College of Nursing
RCO Refugee Community Organisations
RCOG Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
RCOphth Royal College of Ophthalmologists
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 123

RCP Royal College of Physicians

RCPath Royal College of Pathologists
RCPCH Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
RCPE Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
RCPHIU Royal College of Physicians Health Informatics Unit
RCPiLab Royal College of Physicians Information Laboratory
RCPSG Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
RCPsych Royal College of Psychiatrists
RCR Royal College of Radiologists
RCS Royal College of Surgeons
RCSE Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
RCSLT Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
RCT randomised control trial
RCU Regional Co-ordination Unit
RDA Regional Development Agency; Rural Development Area
RDBMS Relational Database Management System
RDC Rural District Council (obsolete except in former UK
colonies); Rural Development Commission
RDF Resource Description Framework
RDN Resource Discovery Network
RDPGPE Regional Director of Postgraduate General Practice
Education
RDRD Regional Director of Research and Development
RDS respiratory distress syndrome
RDSU Research and Development Support Unit
RDU Regional Dialysis Unit
REA Regional Education Adviser
REACH Research and Education for Children in Asthma; Retired
Executives Action Clearing House
REAL Research, Education, Audit, Libraries
REC Racial Equality Council; Research Ethics Committee
REDG Regional Education and Development Group
RES Regional Economic Strategy
RFA Requirements for Accreditation (GP computers)
RFC request for comment
RFDS Royal Flying Doctor Service
RG Registrar-General
RGD Revenue Grants Distribution
RGD(RG) Revenue Grants Distribution (Review Group)
RGN Registered General Nurse
RGPEC Regional General Practice Education Committee
124 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

RHA Regional Health Authority (obsolete)

RHB Regional Hospital Board (obsolete)
RHI Regional Head of Information
RHV Registered Health Visitor
RIDDOR Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous
Occurrences Regulations
RIG Radiologically inserted gastrostomy (feeding tube)
RINN recommended international non-proprietary name
RIPA Royal Institute of Public Administration
RIPHH Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene
RIS Radiology Information System
RITA E Extended RITA
RITA Record of Individual (In-training) Training Assessment
RIU Regulatory Impact Unit
RJDC Regional Junior Doctors Committee
RLG NHS Regional Librarians Group
RLQ right lower quadrant
RLS restless legs syndrome
RM resource management
RMA refuse[s] medical assistance
RMC Regional Manpower Committee (obsolete)
RMI resource management initiative
RMN Registered Mental Nurse
RMO Resident Medical Officer; responsible medical officer
RN Registered Nurse
RNCC Registered Nursing Care Contribution
RNHA Registered Nursing Home Association
RNIB Royal National Institute for the Blind
RNID Royal National Institute for Deaf People
RNMH Registered Nurse for the Mentally Handicapped
RO NHS Regional Office; revenue out-turn
ROC Retained Organs Commission (obsolete); return on capital
ROCE return on capital employed
ROCR Review of Central Returns
ROE Regional Office for Europe (WHO)
ROS return on sale
ROSPA Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
RoW Rights of Women
RP Reporting Party
RPC Regional Planning Conference (often now part of Regional
Assembly)
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 125

RPGD Regional Postgraduate Dean

RPHTF Regional Prison Health Task Force
RPPG Regional Policy Planning Guidance
RPSGB Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
RR relative risk
RRMS relaxing and remitting multiple sclerosis
RS Rescue Squad
RSC Royal Society of Chemistry
RSCG Regional Specialised Commissioning Group
RSCN Registered Sick Children’s Nurse
RSH Royal Society of Health
RSI rapid sequence induction; repetitive strain injury; Rough
Sleepers Initiative
RSIN Rural Stress Information Network
RSM Royal Society of Medicine
RSS Royal Statistical Society
RSU Regional Secure Unit; Rough Sleepers Unit
RSVP Retired and Senior Volunteers Programme
RSW Residential Social Work
RTA road traffic accident
RTF Regional Task Force
RTIA Receipts Taken Into Account (part of capital control
framework)
RVSN Regional Voluntary Sector Network
RxList Internet Drug Index

S
SABA supplied air breathing apparatus
SAC Specialist Advisory Committee (of the Royal Colleges)
(oversee higher medical training)
SACDA Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards
SACN Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition
SAD seasonal affective disorder
SAED semi-automatic external defibrillator
SaFF Service and Finance Framework (document setting out
commissioning intentions for the following year)
SAGNIS Strategic Advisory Group for Nursing Information
Systems
SAHC Scottish Association of Health Councils
SALT speech and language therapist
SAMH Scottish Association of Mental Health
126 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

SAMM Safety Assessment of Marketed Medicines (guidelines)

SAP Single Assessment Process
SAPHE Self-assessment in Professional and Higher Education
(1996–99)
SAR search and rescue; subjective analysis return
SARS severe acute respiratory syndrome
SAS Scottish Ambulance Service; Staff and Associate Specialists;
standard accounting system; Supplier Attachment Scheme
SASM Scottish Audit of Surgical Mortality
SAT Service Action Team
SAZ Sport Action Zone
SBS Small Business Service
SBU Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care
SCA Supplementary Credit Approval (part of capital control
framework)
SCBA self-contained breathing apparatus
SCBU Special Care Baby Unit
SCCD Standing Conference on Community Development
SCD sickle cell disease
SCF Safer Communities Fund; Save the Children Fund; Scottish
Council Foundation
SCG Specialised Commissioning Group
ScHARR School of Health and Related Research (University of
Sheffield)
SCHIN Sowerby Centre for Health Informatics at Newcastle
SCI Self Certificate for first week of an Illness
SCID severe combined immune deficiency
SCIE Social Care Institute for Excellence
SCIEH Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health
SCM Specialist in Community Medicine
SCMH Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health
SCMO Senior Clinical Medical Officer
SCODA Standing Conference on Drug Abuse
SCOPE Society for People with Cerebral Palsy
SCOPME Standing Committee on Postgraduate Medical and
Dental Education
SCORPME Standing Committee on Regional Postgraduate
Medical Education
SCOTH Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health
SCP Shared Care Protocol; Short Course Programme; single
capital pot; Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists; Spinal
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 127

Column Point (position on pay-scale); Surgical Care

Practitioner
SCPMDE Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental
Education
SCR Social Care Region; Summary Care Record
SCS Senior Civil Service
SCT supervised community treatment; Society of County
Treasurers
SCVO Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations
SCVS Scottish Council for Voluntary Service
SDA Service Delivery Agreement; Severe Disability Allowance
(obsolete); Sex Discrimination Act
SDO Service Delivery Organisation
SDP Service Delivery Practice (NHS web database); Sub-
Divisional Partnership; Severe Disability Premium
SDS Spine Directory Services
SDU service delivery unit
SEA significant event audit
SEAC Spongiform Encephalopathy Committee (advises HMG on
BSE)
SEACAG South East Ambulance Clinical Audit Group
SEC Specialist Education Committee; Standards and Ethics
Committee
SEG socio-economic group
SEHD Scottish Executive Health Department
SEMI severe and enduring mental illness
SEN special educational needs; State Enrolled Nurse
SEO Society of Education Officers
SEPHO South East Public Health Observatory
SERNIP Safety and Efficiency Register of New Interventional
Procedures run by the Medical Royal Colleges
SERPS State Earnings Related Pension Scheme
SEU Sentence Enforcement Unit; Social Exclusion Unit
SFA Statement of Fees and Allowances (the GP’s Red Book)
SFDF Scottish Food and Drink Federation
SFF Service and Finance Framework (document setting out
commissioning intentions for the following year)
SFI Social Fund Inspector; Standing Financial Instructions
(financial procedures and framework for the Health
Authority)
SG staff grade
128 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

SG1 (2; 3) Sector Group 1 etc. (part of CLP covering best value)
SGHT Standing Group on Health Technology
SGML Standard General Mark-up Language
SGPC Scottish General Practitioners Committee (part of the
BMA)
SGR Scientists for Global Responsibility
SGUMDER Standing Group on Undergraduate Medical and
Dental Education and Research
SHA Socialist Health Association; special health authority;
strategic health authority
SHACE Strategic Health Authority Chief Executive
SHACIO Strategic Health Authority Chief Information Officer
SHAPE Strategic Health Asset Planning and Evaluation
SHARE Scottish Health Authorities Revenue Equalisation
SHAS Scottish Health Advisory Service
SHEPS Society of Health Education and Health Promotion
Specialists
SHIFT Substitution of Hospital and other Institutional-focused
Technology
SHMO Senior Hospital Medical Officer
SHO Senior House Officer (obsolete)
SHOT serious hazards of transfusion
SHOW Scottish Health on the Web
SHRINE Strategic Human Resources Information Network
SHTAC Scottish Health Technology Assessment Centre
SI Statutory Instrument
SIA Spinal Injuries Association
SIDS sudden infant death syndrome
SIFT Service Increment for Teaching (cash to hospitals for
training medical students)
SIFTR Service Increment for Teaching and Research (the costs
of undergraduate medical and dental education and research
in teaching hospitals is met through SIFTR; it is intended to
prevent some NHS trusts being at a disadvantage in cost terms
by having to include these elements in contract prices)
SIG special interest group
SIGN Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network
SIMS Standardised Incident Management System
SING Sexuality Issues Network Group
SIS Statistical Information Service (run by IPF); Supplies
Information Service
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 129

SISTC Selection into Surgical Training Centres

SITF Social Investment Task Force
SLA Service Level Agreement
SLI specific learning incident
SLIPS Safety and Leadership for Interventional Procedures and
Surgery
SLS Selected List Scheme (for drugs which are restricted to
particular conditions)
SMA spinal muscular atrophy
SMAC Standing Medical Advisory Committee
SMART specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, timed (of
objectives)
SMAS Substance Misuse Advisory Service
SMC Scottish Medicines Consortium (a sort of Scottish NICE)
SMI severe mental impairment (people with SMI do not have to
pay Council Tax)
SMO Senior Medical Officer
SMP Statutory Maternity Pay
SMR standardised morbidity ratio; standardised mortality ratio
SN staff nurse
SNAFU situation normal, all fouled up
SNMAC Standing Nursing and Midwifery Advisory Committee
SNOMED Systematised Nomenclature of Human and Veterinary
Medicine
SNP Scottish Nationalist Party; single nucleotide polymorphism
(a marker of genetic difference)
SNTN Scottish National Training Number
SO Standing Orders
SOAP Shipley Ophthalmic Assessment Service
SOCITM Society of Information Technology Managers
SODoH Scottish Department of Health (obsolete)
SofS Secretary of State
SOHHD Scottish Home Office and Health Department (obsolete)
SON Statement of Need
SOP Standard Operational Procedure
SoS Secretary of State
SOSIG Social Science Information Gateway
SP strategic plan
SPA Scottish Prescribing Analysis; Small Practices Association;
structured professional activities
SPAIN Social Policy Ageing Information Network
130 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

SPC Summary of Product Characteristics

SPfIT Southern Programme for IT
SPG (NHS) Security Policy Group
SPIN Sandwell Public Information Network
SPP Statutory Paternity Pay
SpR Specialist Registrar
SPRAT Sheffield Peer Review Assessment Tool
SPS Standard Payroll System
SpT Specialist Trainee
SPV special purpose vehicle; Statement of Personal Values
SQC Service Quality Committee
SQP suitably qualified person
SR Senior Registrar (obsolete); Sister; Society of Radiographers;
Spending Review
SRB Single Regeneration Budget
SRD State Registered Dietician
SRE Sex and Relationship Education
SRG Stakeholder Review Group
SRSAG Supra Regional Services Advisory group
SS spreadsheet
SSA Standard Spending Assessment
SSAP Statement of Standard Accounting Practice (now being
replaced by FRS)
SSARG Standard Spending Assessment Reduction Grant
SSAT Social Security Appeal Tribunal
SSC Sector Skills Council; Shared Services Centre
SSCF Safer and Stronger Communities Fund
SSD Social Services Department
SSDP Strategic Service Development Plan
SSHA Society of Sexual Health Advisers
SSI Social Services Inspectorate Transferred to Commission for
Social Care Inspection 2004; Standard Spending Indicator
(part of SSA)
SSIP Strategic Service Implementation Plan,
SSIS Social Services Information System
SSM Special Study Module; System Status Management
SSP Statutory Sick Pay; Sub-regional Strategic Partnership
SSR Service Strategy and Regulation
SSRADU Social Services Research and Development Unit
SSRG Social Services Research Group
SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 131

STA Specialist Training Authority of Royal Colleges

STAR Short Term Assessment and Rehabilitation Team (social
services teams which provide up to four weeks of care for
people leaving hospital and residential homes and returning
home)
STAR-PU Specific Therapeutic Group Age-Sex Related
Prescribing Unit
StBOP Shifting the Balance of Power
STC Specialty Training Committee (of local postgraduate dean)
STEIS Strategic Executive Information System
STEP Surgeons in Training Education Programme
STG Special Transitional Grant (DoH money given to Social
Services to change to Community Care; now defunct)
StN Student Nurse
STP short-term programme
StR Specialty Registrar
STR Structured Training Report
STrAP Speciality Training Assessment Process (sometimes
STRAP)
STSS Short Term Support Services (planned residential respite
care for people with learning disabilities)
SU Strategy Unit (Cabinet Office); Students Union
SUI serious untoward incident
SURE Service User Research Enterprise
SUS Secondary Uses Service
SWAG Specialist Workforce Advisory Group (a group focused on
the number of doctors required to provide the service)
SWG Service Working Group; Settlement Working Group;
Specialty Working Group
SWOT An analysis of strengths, weakness, opportunities and
threats (usually relates to organisations but could apply equally
to an individual)

T
T&CS terms and conditions of service (see also TCS)
T&O Trauma and Orthopaedics
TAB Team Assessment of Behaviour
TAG Technical Advisory Group
TALOIA there’s a lot of it about
TAP Trainee Assistant Practitioner
TATT tired all the time
132 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

TBA to be announced; to be arranged

TC total communication; Town Council
TCBL Temporary Capital Borrowing Limit (part of capital control
framework)
TCI to come in
TCP Total Commissioning Project
TCS terms and conditions of service (see also T&CS)
TDHC The Doctors Healthcare Company
TEACCH Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related
Communication Handicapped Children
TEC Training and Enterprise Council (obsolete)
TEETH tried everything else, try homoeopathy
TEL Trust Executive Letter
TICK teamwork, integrity, courage, knowledge
TIE Theatre In Education
TIP Trust Implementation Plan (Scotland)
TIS Technical Information Services
TLA three-letter abbreviation (acronym like this one)
TMB too many birthdays
TME total managed expenditure
TME Trust Management Executive
TNA training needs analysis
TOD took own discharge
TOIL time off in lieu
TOPRA The Organisation for Professionals in Regulatory Affairs
TOPS Termination of Pregnancy Service
TOPSS Training Organisation for Personal Social Services
TPC Teenage Pregnancy Co-ordinator
tPCTs Teaching PCTs
TPD Training Programme Director
TPP Total Purchasing Project
TPQ Threshold Planning Quantity
TPU Teenage Pregnancy Unit
TQM total quality management
TR Technical Release (term used by Audit Commission)
TRBL Temporary Revenue Borrowing Limit (part of capital
control framework)
TRiP Turning Research into Practice
TRIPS Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights
TRO time ran out
TSC Technical Sub-Committee
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 133

TSE Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies

TSG Transport Supplementary Grant
TSO The Stationery Office (formerly HMSO)
TSP Training Support Programme
TSS Total Standard Spending
TSSU Theatre Sterile Supplies Unit
TtT Train The Trainers (sometimes as TTT)
TUBE totally unnecessary breast examination
TUPE Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment)
Regulations 1981
TV transfer value
TWG Technical Working Group

U
UA Unitary Authority (a council which carries out all the
functions in its area)
UASC unaccompanied asylum-seeking children
UASSG Unlinked Anonymous Surveys Steering Group
UB Unemployment Benefit (now JSA)
UCAS Universities College Admission Service
UEL upper explosive limit
UEMS European Union of Medical Specialists
UGM Unit General Manager
UKADCU UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordination Unit (formerly Drugs
Co-ordination Unit)
UKAN United Kingdom Advocacy Network
UKCC United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery
and Health Visiting (abolished 2002); UK Cochrane Centre
UKCHHO UK Clearing House on Health Outcomes (Leeds)
UKCRC UK Clinical Research Collaboration
UKCRN UK Clinical Research Network
UKDIPG UK Drug Information Pharmacists Group
UKHFAN UK Health for All Network
UKOLN The UK Office for Library and Information Networking
UKPFO The UK Foundation Programme Office
UKPHA UK Public Health Alliance
UKTSSA UK Transplant Support Service Authority
UKXIRA UK Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority
ULC unit labour cost (staff cost required to provide a given unit of
activity)
ULTRA Unrelated Live Transplant Regulatory Authority
134 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

UMLS Unified Medical Language System

UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
UNISON Trades Union for public sector workers, incorporating
COHSE, NALGO and NUPE
UPA Underprivileged Area (a measure of deprivation; 0 is the
mean for England)
URL Universal (or Uniform) Resource Locator (on Internet)
UTD Unit Training Director
UTG Unified Training Grade (now SpR)
UTH University Teaching Hospital

V
VA voluntary action; voluntary-aided; Vote Account
VAMP a GP information system supplier user group
VB Volunteer Bureau
VC variable cost; voluntary-controlled
VCO(s) Voluntary and Community Organisation(s)
VCS Voluntary and Community Sector
VCT Voluntary Competitive Tendering
VDRFAMP Vascular Disease Risk Factor Assessment and
Management Process
VFM value for money
VFMU Value for Money Unit
VHI Voluntary Health Insurance (Ireland)
VOCOSE Voluntary, Community and Social Economy
VPE Virtual Private Exchange (type of internal telephone
network)
VSA volatile substance abuse
VSC Voluntary Service Co-ordinator
VSNTO Voluntary Sector National Training Organisation
VSO Voluntary Sector Option (New Deal); Voluntary Service
Overseas
VSPG Voluntary Sector Policy and Grants
VSpR Visiting Specialist Registrar
VTE venous thromboembolism
VTN Visiting Training Number
VTR Vocational Training Record
VTS Vocational Training Scheme (the mandatory scheme
of structured experience and training in hospitals and the
community for doctors planning a career in general practice)
 USEFUL HEALTH-RELATED ACRONYMS 135

W
WAA Working Age Agency
WADEM World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine
WAHAT Welsh Association of Health Authorities and Trusts
WAIS wide area information server
WAN wide area network
WAT Workforce Action Team
WBA workplace-based assessment
WCH Wales Centre for Health
WCVA Wales Council for Voluntary Action
WDC Workforce Development Confederation
WeBNF web-accessible BNF
WEST Winter and Emergency Services Team
WF Work Foundation (formerly Industrial Society)
WFP Working for Patients
WFTC Working Families Tax Credit (now replaced by Tax Credits)
WGSMT Working Group on Specialist Medical Training
WHCSA Welsh Health Common Services Agency (obsolete; now
part of Welsh Health Estates)
WHDI Welsh Health Development International
WHE Welsh Health Estates
WHO World Health Organization
WiC Walk in Centre
WIGS women in grey suits
WIH work in hand
WIMS Works Information Management System
WIsH Welsh Innovations in Healthcare
WIST Women in Surgical Training Scheme
WM workload measure (e.g. OBD, LOS, FCE)
WMA World Medical Association
WMQI West Midlands Quality Observatory
WNAB Workforce Numbers Advisory Board
WNC Women’s National Commission
WO Welsh Office
WONCA World Organisation of National Colleges Academies
and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family
Physicians
WP White Paper; word processor
WP10 Working Paper 10 (now NMET)
WPA Western Provident Association
136 NHS JARGON EXPLAINED

WPBA workplace-based assessments

WRC Women’s Resource Centre
WRT Workforce Review Team
WRVS Women’s Royal Voluntary Service
WTC Working Tax Credit
WTD Working Time Directive
WTEP whole time equivalent posts
WTEs whole-time equivalents (the total of whole-time staff, plus
the whole time equivalent of part-time staff, which is obtained
by dividing the hours worked in a year by part-timers by the
number of hours in the whole-time working year)
WTI Waiting Time Initiative
WU Women’s Unit

Y
YCS young chronic sick
YDU Young Disabled Unit
YHYCYS Your Health, Your Care, Your Say
YOT Youth Offender Team

Z
ZBB Zero-Base Budgeting