Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
- A condition affecting attention, activity levels and impulse control that can continue into adulthood.
- Atomoxetine / guanfacine
- Non-stimulant medicines used to treat ADHD when a stimulant is unsuitable or not preferred.
- Best interests
- A decision made for someone who cannot decide for themselves, choosing the option that is best for them.
- Caldicott Guardian
- The senior person responsible for protecting the confidentiality of people's health and care information.
- Capacity (mental capacity)
- Whether a person can understand and make a particular decision for themselves at the time it needs to be made.
- Cardiovascular monitoring
- Checking the heart and circulation (such as blood pressure and pulse) because ADHD stimulants can affect them.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Chaperone
- A trained person present during an intimate examination to support and protect the patient and the clinician.
- Collateral history
- Background information gathered from someone other than the patient, such as a family member or school, to support assessment.
- Contemporaneous record
- A note written at the time of, or immediately after, the event it describes.
- Controlled drug (CD)
- A medicine whose supply, storage and records are tightly restricted by law because of its potential for misuse.
- Court of Protection
- The court that makes decisions about the property, finances, health and welfare of people who lack mental capacity.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law that sets the rules for handling people's personal information, working alongside the UK GDPR.
- Data Protection Officer (DPO)
- The person who advises an organisation on following data-protection law and handling personal information correctly.
- Deputy
- A person appointed by the Court of Protection to make certain decisions for someone who lacks mental capacity.
- Diversion (of medicines)
- When prescribed medication is passed on, sold or used by someone other than the patient it was intended for.
- DIVA-5 / QbTest / Conners
- Recognised tools and questionnaires used to help assess and diagnose ADHD.
- Donee of a Lasting Power of Attorney
- A person legally chosen to make decisions on someone's behalf if that person loses capacity to decide.
- Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
- The government body responsible for driver licensing, which must be told about certain medical conditions and treatments.
- 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, sometimes done before starting ADHD medication.
- General Medical Council (GMC)
- The body that registers doctors in the UK and sets the standards they must follow.
- General practitioner (GP)
- A family doctor who provides everyday medical care and can take part in shared-care prescribing.
- Gillick competence
- The standard for judging whether a child under 16 understands enough to consent to their own treatment.
- Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA)
- A trained advocate appointed to represent a person who lacks capacity and has no one else suitable to consult.
- Informed consent
- Agreement to treatment given freely after the risks, benefits and alternatives have been clearly explained.
- Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)
- A legal document letting a person appoint someone to make decisions for them if they lose mental capacity.
- Least restrictive option
- The choice that achieves the necessary aim while interfering as little as possible with a person's rights and freedom.
- Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS)
- A legal framework, replacing earlier safeguards, for authorising care arrangements that deprive a person of their liberty.
- Mental Capacity Act 2005
- The law that protects and supports people who may be unable to make particular decisions for themselves.
- Methylphenidate / lisdexamfetamine / dexamfetamine
- Stimulant medicines, classed as controlled drugs, commonly used to treat ADHD.
- Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001
- The law setting out how controlled drugs may lawfully be prescribed, supplied, stored and recorded.
- Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board
- A court ruling that means patients must be told about the risks they personally would consider significant.
- Nominated Individual
- The senior person responsible to the regulator for supervising how a service is provided.
- Office of the Public Guardian
- The body that registers and oversees Lasting Powers of Attorney and court-appointed deputies.
- Parental responsibility
- The legal rights and duties a parent or carer has to make decisions about a child's upbringing and care.
- Records Management Code of Practice
- National guidance on how long health and care records should be kept and how they should be managed.
- Registered Manager
- The person registered with the regulator as responsible for the day-to-day running of a service.
- Regulation 11 (Need for consent)
- The rule requiring that care and treatment are only given with the consent of the person concerned (or a lawful proxy).
- Safeguarding
- Protecting people's health, wellbeing and rights and keeping them safe from abuse, harm or neglect.
- Schedule 2 controlled drug
- A category of controlled drug, including many ADHD stimulants, subject to strict prescribing and record-keeping rules.
- Shared care
- An arrangement where a specialist and a GP agree in writing to share responsibility for a patient's 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).
- Special-category data
- Sensitive personal information, such as health details, that data-protection law gives extra protection.
- Titration
- Gradually adjusting a medicine's dose to find the level that works best with the fewest side effects.
- Two-stage test
- The method in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 for deciding whether someone can make a particular decision.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main data-protection law governing how personal information is collected and used.
- Valid consent
- Agreement to care that is given voluntarily, with enough information, by someone who has the capacity to give it.