Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- ACE+ (Adult ADHD Clinical Diagnostic Scale)
- A structured interview used to help diagnose ADHD in adults; a supporting tool, not a diagnosis on its own.
- ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
- A condition affecting attention, activity levels and impulse control, usually beginning in childhood.
- Affect
- A person's observable emotional state, such as their mood and how they express it.
- ASRS (Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale)
- A short questionnaire a person completes about their own symptoms to help screen for ADHD.
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- A lifelong developmental condition affecting how a person communicates, interacts and experiences the world.
- Blood-borne virus (BBV)
- An infection such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV that can be passed on through blood.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Clinical audit
- A check that measures care against an agreed standard to find and act on areas for improvement.
- Collateral information
- Information about a person gathered from other sources, such as family, school records or another clinician, to support assessment.
- Comorbidity (coexisting condition)
- Another health condition a person has at the same time as the one being assessed.
- Conners (Conners' Rating Scales)
- A set of questionnaires used to assess ADHD symptoms and related behaviour, often completed by the person or an informant.
- Contemporaneous record
- A note written at the time of, or very soon after, the event it describes, so it is accurate and reliable.
- Continuing professional development (CPD)
- Ongoing learning and training that keeps a professional's knowledge and skills up to date.
- Controlled drug
- A medicine whose supply, storage and records are tightly restricted by law because of its potential for misuse.
- Differential diagnosis
- The process of weighing up other conditions that could explain a person's symptoms before settling on a diagnosis.
- DIVA-5 (Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults)
- A structured interview used to assess whether an adult meets the criteria for ADHD.
- DSM-5-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision)
- A widely used handbook setting out the agreed criteria for diagnosing mental health conditions.
- Duty of candour
- The legal duty to be open and honest with a person and their family when something goes wrong with their care.
- Equality Act 2010
- The law protecting people from discrimination based on characteristics such as age, disability, sex or race.
- False negative
- A test or assessment result that wrongly indicates a condition is absent when it is in fact present.
- False positive
- A test or assessment result that wrongly indicates a condition is present when it is in fact absent.
- Feigning
- Pretending to have, or deliberately exaggerating, symptoms, sometimes to obtain medication or another benefit.
- Freedom to speak up (whistleblowing)
- Raising a concern about wrongdoing, risk or poor practice at work, with protection from being treated unfairly for doing so.
- Functional impairment
- The way symptoms interfere with everyday life, such as work, study, relationships or self-care.
- General Medical Council (GMC)
- The body that registers and regulates doctors in the United Kingdom.
- Gillick competence
- A test of whether a child under 16 has enough understanding to consent to their own treatment without a parent.
- Good Medical Practice
- The General Medical Council's core guidance setting out the standards of conduct and care expected of doctors.
- GP (general practitioner)
- A family doctor who provides general medical care in the community.
- Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
- The body that registers and regulates a range of health and care professionals in the United Kingdom.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting out the fundamental standards that registered care providers must meet.
- ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases, Eleventh Revision)
- The World Health Organization's official system for classifying and coding diseases and health conditions.
- Informant report
- An account of a person's symptoms or behaviour given by someone who knows them well, such as a parent or partner.
- Informed consent
- Agreement to treatment given freely after the risks, benefits and alternatives have been clearly explained.
- Integrated Care Board (ICB)
- The local body responsible for planning and funding most health services in its area of England.
- Likelihood
- In a risk assessment, how probable it is that a particular harmful event will happen.
- 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.
- Mental state examination
- A structured assessment of a person's current thinking, mood, behaviour and perception.
- Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001
- The regulations governing how controlled drugs may be lawfully stored, supplied and recorded.
- Modality (of assessment)
- The method by which an assessment is delivered, such as in person, by video or by telephone.
- Near miss
- An event that could have caused harm but did not, by chance or because it was caught in time.
- NICE NG87
- The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline on diagnosing and managing ADHD.
- Nominated Individual
- The senior person responsible to the regulator for supervising how a service is provided.
- Notifiable safety incident
- An incident a provider is legally required to be open about and, where relevant, report, such as one causing serious harm.
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
- The body that registers and regulates nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom.
- Paediatrician
- A doctor who specialises in the medical care of babies, children and young people.
- Parental responsibility
- The legal rights and duties a parent has to make decisions about a child's upbringing and care.
- Pervasiveness
- Whether symptoms appear across more than one setting, such as at home, at work and in social situations.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- A mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a frightening or traumatic event.
- Prescriber
- A healthcare professional legally permitted to authorise medicines for a patient.
- Psychiatrist
- A doctor who specialises in diagnosing and treating mental health conditions.
- Psychosocial assessment
- An assessment of how psychological and social factors, such as relationships, work and environment, affect a person's health.
- Rating scale
- A questionnaire that scores symptoms to help support, but not replace, a clinical assessment.
- Regulated activity
- A type of care or treatment the law requires a provider to register with the regulator to deliver.
- Registered Manager
- The person registered with the regulator as responsible for the day-to-day running of a service.
- Residual risk
- The level of risk that remains after existing controls and safeguards have been taken into account.
- Risk assessment
- A structured check identifying what could cause harm and what is being done to prevent it.
- Secondary gain
- A benefit a person may obtain from being seen as unwell, such as access to medication or time off.
- Severity
- In a risk assessment, how serious the harm would be if a particular event happened.
- Shared care
- An arrangement where responsibility for a patient's treatment is split between a specialist and their general practitioner.
- Significant event analysis
- A structured review of a notable event to learn from it and improve care.
- 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.
- Standard operating procedure (SOP)
- A written set of step-by-step instructions for carrying out a routine task consistently and safely.
- Titration
- Gradually adjusting the dose of a medicine to find the level that works best with the fewest side effects.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main data-protection law governing how personal information is collected and used.