Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- A condition affecting attention, activity and impulse control, which in some people is treated with medication.
- Bridging prescription
- A short prescription issued to cover the gap until the next regular prescriber takes over, so the patient does not run out of medication.
- Cardiovascular
- Relating to the heart and blood vessels, for example pulse and blood pressure.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Coexisting illness (comorbidity)
- Another health condition a patient has at the same time as the one being treated.
- Commissioner
- The organisation that arranges and pays for healthcare services for a local population.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law that sits alongside the UK General Data Protection Regulation and governs how personal information is used.
- Diversion (of medication)
- When a prescribed medicine is passed to or used by someone other than the patient it was prescribed for.
- Fundamental standards
- The minimum standards of safety and quality below which care must never fall.
- General Medical Council (GMC)
- The body that registers doctors in the UK and sets the standards they must meet.
- General practitioner (GP)
- A community-based family doctor with whom a patient is registered for everyday medical care.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting out the fundamental standards that registered care providers must meet, enforced by the Care Quality Commission.
- Informed consent
- Agreement to treatment or information sharing given freely after the risks, benefits and alternatives have been clearly explained.
- Interim prescription
- A prescription provided at short notice to maintain supply when a gap in medication occurs or is about to occur.
- Maintenance dose
- The settled dose at which a patient's symptoms are controlled and no further routine dose changes are planned.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- The body that produces evidence-based guidance on treatments and care for use across health and care services.
- 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 Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline on diagnosing and managing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
- Notifiable event
- An incident a provider is legally required to report to the regulator, such as a death or serious injury.
- Re-referral
- Sending a patient back to the specialist service for renewed input when an agreed concern or threshold is reached.
- 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.
- Shared care
- An arrangement where a specialist service starts and stabilises treatment and the GP, having agreed in writing, takes over routine prescribing and monitoring while the specialist stays available for advice.
- Shared care agreement (SCA)
- The written document setting out who prescribes and monitors what, the medication and dose, review intervals and how to contact the specialist.
- Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
- A written step-by-step instruction describing how a particular task or process is to be carried out consistently and safely.
- Titration
- The process of gradually adjusting a medication's dose until the right balance of benefit and tolerability is reached.
- Tolerability
- How well a patient copes with a medicine, including whether its side effects are acceptable to them.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main data-protection law governing how personal information is collected and used.