Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Adverse drug reaction
- An unwanted or harmful response to a medicine that is taken at a normal dose.
- Atomoxetine
- A non-stimulant medicine used to treat ADHD; it is not a controlled drug.
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- A condition affecting attention, activity levels and impulse control that can persist from childhood into adult life.
- Best interests
- A decision made for someone who cannot decide for themselves, choosing the option that is best for them.
- British National Formulary (BNF)
- The standard reference guide to medicines used in the UK, giving doses, cautions and prescribing advice.
- Caldicott Guardian
- The senior person responsible for protecting the confidentiality of people's health and care information.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Centile
- A way of comparing a measurement, such as a child's height or weight, against the typical range for others of the same age.
- Cold chain
- Keeping vaccines and certain medicines within a safe temperature range from delivery to use.
- Comorbidity
- A second health condition that a person has at the same time as the main condition being treated.
- Contraindicated
- A situation in which a particular medicine or treatment should not be used because it could be harmful.
- Controlled drug (CD)
- A medicine whose supply, storage and records are tightly restricted by law because of its potential for misuse.
- Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer (CDAO)
- The senior person with legal responsibility for the safe management and use of controlled drugs in an organisation.
- Controlled Drugs Local Intelligence Network (CDLIN)
- A local network that shares information and concerns about the safe use of controlled drugs between organisations.
- Controlled drugs register
- The official record in which every receipt, supply and running balance of a controlled drug must be logged.
- Controlled Drugs (Supervision of Management and Use) Regulations 2013
- The law setting out how organisations must oversee the safe management and use of controlled drugs.
- Decontamination
- The combined process of cleaning, disinfecting and, where needed, sterilising equipment so it is safe to reuse.
- Denaturing kit
- An approved kit that renders a controlled drug unusable so it can be safely and legally destroyed.
- Dexamfetamine
- A stimulant medicine used to treat ADHD; it is a Schedule 2 controlled drug.
- Diversion
- The illegal movement of a prescribed medicine to someone it was not prescribed for, or for misuse.
- Duty of candour
- The legal duty to be open and honest with a person and their family when something goes wrong with their care.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG)
- A simple test that records the heart's electrical activity to check how it is working.
- General Medical Council (GMC)
- The body that registers doctors in the UK and sets the standards they must meet.
- General practitioner (GP)
- A family doctor who provides everyday medical care in the community and often coordinates a patient's wider treatment.
- Gillick competence
- A test of whether a child under 16 has enough understanding to consent to their own treatment without a parent.
- Guanfacine
- A non-stimulant medicine used to treat ADHD; it is not a controlled drug.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting out the fundamental standards that providers of regulated care must meet.
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012
- The main UK law governing how medicines for human use are authorised, sold and supplied.
- Informed consent
- Agreement to treatment given freely after the risks, benefits and alternatives have been clearly explained.
- Lisdexamfetamine
- A stimulant medicine used to treat ADHD; it is a Schedule 2 controlled drug.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- The UK body that regulates medicines and medical devices and monitors their safety.
- Medicines optimisation
- Making sure patients get the best possible outcomes from their medicines, safely and with as little waste as possible.
- Mental capacity
- Whether a person can understand and make a particular decision for themselves at the time it needs to be made.
- Mental Capacity Act 2005
- The law that protects and supports people who may be unable to make particular decisions for themselves.
- Methylphenidate
- A stimulant medicine used to treat ADHD; it is a Schedule 2 controlled drug.
- Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
- The law that controls dangerous or harmful drugs and classifies them according to their potential for harm.
- Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001
- The regulations that set out how controlled drugs may lawfully be prescribed, supplied, stored and recorded.
- Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations 1973
- The law setting out how higher-risk controlled drugs must be securely stored.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- The body that produces evidence-based guidance on treatments and care for the health and care system.
- Near miss
- An event that could have caused harm but did not, by chance or because it was caught in time.
- NICE Guideline NG87
- The national guideline on the diagnosis and management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
- Nominated Individual
- The senior person responsible to the regulator for supervising how a service is provided.
- Non-medical prescriber (NMP)
- A nurse or pharmacist who has qualified to prescribe medicines within their area of competence.
- Person-centred care
- Care that is shaped around an individual's needs, preferences and wishes.
- Prescription-only medicine (POM)
- A medicine that may lawfully be supplied only on the instruction of an appropriate prescriber.
- Primary care
- Everyday community-based health services, such as general practice, that are usually a patient's first point of contact.
- QT interval
- A measurement of the heart's electrical cycle; some medicines can lengthen it and affect heart rhythm.
- Quality statement
- A short statement describing what good care looks like, used by the regulator to judge a service.
- Registered Manager
- The person registered with the regulator as responsible for the day-to-day running of a service.
- Regulated activity
- A type of care or treatment the law requires a provider to register with the regulator to deliver.
- Safeguarding
- Protecting people's health, wellbeing and rights and keeping them safe from abuse, harm or neglect.
- Safety-netting
- Telling a patient what to look out for and what to do if their condition changes or does not improve.
- Schedule 2 controlled drug
- A higher-risk controlled drug subject to the strictest rules for prescribing, storage and record-keeping.
- Schedule 3 controlled drug
- A controlled drug with strict prescription rules but generally lower storage requirements than Schedule 2.
- Shared-care agreement
- A written agreement setting out how a specialist and a patient's GP will share responsibility for prescribing and monitoring.
- Single assessment framework
- The structure the regulator uses to judge a service, built around quality statements and five key questions (safe, effective, caring, responsive, well-led).
- Stimulant
- A type of medicine that increases activity in parts of the brain and is commonly used to treat ADHD.
- Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC)
- The official document for a medicine that gives prescribers detailed information on its safe and effective use.
- Tachycardia
- A faster than normal resting heart rate.
- Titration
- Starting a medicine at a low dose and adjusting it gradually to find the most effective and best-tolerated dose.
- Yellow Card Scheme
- The UK system for reporting suspected side effects of medicines and problems with medical devices to the regulator.