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Glossary

 

The NHS sometimes uses words and acronyms that are particular to health and healthcare. Whilst we try to give clear and easily understood information, it is sometimes necessary to use specialist language.

We hope that this glossary will help to explain certain words and phrases but if you need further information, please contact us using the feedback form.

A

  
ABI Acquired Brain Injuries
ABPI Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry
ACRA Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation
AHP Allied Health Professionals
ALE Auditors Local Evaluation (p.34 Ann Report)
Angioplasty Coronary Angioplasty PCI and PTCA - a technique for treating coronary heart disease and angina
APO Autonomous Provider Organisation
AWP Any Willing Provider
   

B

  
BACR British Association for Cancer Research
   

C

  
CAA Comprehensive Area Assessment
CAGR Compound Annual Growth Rate (for population)
Caldicott Guardian A senior person responsible for protecting the confidentiality of patient and service use information and enabling appropriate information sharing
CAMHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
Care Pathways A method of organising all of the care a patient receives from the GP practice into hospital and back into the community
C.diff. Clostridium difficile - a healthcare-acquired infection
CHD Coronary Heart Disease
CLAHRC Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care
CNST Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts
Commisioning GPs Concordat A signed written agreement between two or more parties (nations) to perform some action
Contestability Widening the market to create more suppliers of public services - prevented through 'barriers to entry'
COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
CQC Care Quality Commission http://www.cqc.org.uk
CQUIN Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (payment framework)
   

D

  
DAAT Drug and Alcohol Action Team
DaVE Performance Management Group
DCYPB Disabled Children and Young People's Partnership Board (Northants Body)
DH Department of Health formed in 1988 from DHSS
   

E

  
EBD Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties
ECM Every Child Matters
EMAS East Midlands Ambulance Service
EMPHO East Midlands Public Health Observatory
EPP Expert Patient Programme
   

F

  
FESC Framework for procuring External Support for Commissioners
Foundation Trusts Provides care services for local people; run locally with greater freedom from central government
Francis Crick Born in Northants and died in 2004.  With John Watson discovered the structure of DNA
FUR Freed Up Resources
   

G

  
GP General Practitioner
   

H

  
HCAI Healthcare Acquired Infections
HCC Healthcare Commission
HES Hospital Episode Statistics
HMA Health Market Analysis
HSJ Health Service Journal
HPA Health Protection Agency
   

I

  
IAPT Improving Access to Psychological Therapies
IM&T Information Management & Technology
IMV Immunisation and Vaccination
IOG Improving Outcomes Guidance
   

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KGH Kettering General Hospital
   

L

  
LAA Local Area Agreement
LARC Long Acting Reversible Contraception
LIFT Local Improvement Finance Trust
LMC Local Medical Committee
LNR Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland
LTC Long Term Condition
   

M

  
Marginal Analysis Process of identifying the benefits and costs of different alternatives by examining the incremental effect on total cost caused by a very small (just one unit) change in the output or input of each alternative
Marginal Analysis 2 Marginal analysis supports decision-making or incremental changes to recources instead of one based on 'totals' or 'averages'
Marginal Analysis 3 http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/marginal-analysis.html
MIAMI Minor Injuries And Minor Illness
MPET Multi Professional Education and Training
MRSA Methicillin Resistent Staphylococcus Aureus (Healthcare Acquired Infection)
   

N

  
NAC National Advisory Council (Children's Mental Health)
NCC Northamptonshire County Council
NCG National Commissiong Group
NGH Northampton General Hospital
NHSLA NHS Litigation Authority
NHT Northamptonshire Healthcare Trust
NICE National Institute for Clinical Excellence
NIS National Indicator Set
NPSA National Patient Safety Agency
NSF National Services Framework
NSR Next Stage Review
NST National Support Team
   

O

  
ONOF Our NHS Our Future
   

P

  
PAC Pro-active Care - structured case management programme approach
PALS Patient Advice and Liaison Service
PAS Performance Appraisal System
PBC Practice Based Commissioning
PBMA Programme Budgeting and Marginal Analysis
PbR Payment by Results
PEC Professional Executive Committee's (now Clinical Cabinet)
Phlebotomy To puncture a vein for the purpose of withdrawing blood; having to do with Blood transfusion, diagnosis or experiment and treatment
Plurality of Provision Use of overseas facil and other providers to buy in services above those immediately available
PPCI Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Primary Care Primary care is the term for the health services that play a central role on the local community
Primary Care 2 GPs, pharmacists, dentists and midwives.  Every citizen should have the best possible access to these services
PROM Patient Reported Outcome Measures
   

Q

  
QOF Quality and Outcomes Framework
QSIP Quality and Safety Improvement Plan
   

R

  
RACI Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed
RPST Risk Pooling Sheme for Trusts (contributions decreased due to CNST outcome)
RTT Referral to Treatment
   

S

  
SARC Sexual Assault Referral Clinic
SEA Significant Event Auditing
Secondary Care service provided by medical specialists who generally do not have first contact with patients
SHA Strategic Health Authority
Social Marketing Systematic application of marketing along with other concepts and techniques to achieve specific behavioural goals, to improve health and to reduce inequalities
SSDP Strategic Service Development Plan
SSM Strategy and Systems Management
Sure Start The overall purpose of a Children's centre is to offer a place where children 0-5 years old and their families can have access to services and information
SUS Secondary Uses Service - the single source of comprehensive data to enable a range of reporting and analysis
SWAN Sex Workers Around Northamptonshire
   

T

  
Third Sector Voluntary and community groups, social enterprises, charities, co-operatives and mutuals
TIA Transient Ischaemic Attack causes symptoms similar to a stroke - but lasts less than 24 hours.  The most common cause is due to a blood clot.
TuPE The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations preserve employees' terms and consitions when a business or undertaking, or part of one, is transferred to a new employer

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Z