Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Adherence
- The extent to which a patient takes a medicine exactly as it was prescribed.
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- A condition affecting attention, activity levels and impulse control, often treated with stimulant medicines.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Contemporaneously
- Recorded at the time something happens, or as soon as possible afterwards, so the record is accurate and reliable.
- 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 legally responsible for the safe management and use of controlled drugs, to whom related concerns are reported.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law that governs how organisations collect, store and use people's personal information.
- Dexamfetamine
- A stimulant medicine used to treat ADHD; it is a Schedule 2 controlled drug.
- Diversion
- When a medicine prescribed for one patient is passed to someone else or used illicitly, for example sold, shared or given away.
- Formulation
- The particular form a medicine comes in, such as an immediate-release or modified-release tablet or capsule.
- GP (general practitioner)
- A family doctor who provides general medical care and often shares responsibility for a patient's ongoing treatment.
- 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.
- Lisdexamfetamine
- A stimulant medicine used to treat ADHD; it is a Schedule 2 controlled drug.
- Local intelligence network
- A group that shares information between organisations to spot and respond to concerns about how controlled drugs are being managed or used.
- Methylphenidate
- A stimulant medicine commonly used to treat ADHD; it is a Schedule 2 controlled drug.
- Misuse
- Using a medicine in a way other than prescribed, such as taking too much or using it for a non-medical effect.
- Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
- The main UK law controlling drugs that are liable to be misused, including how they may be supplied and possessed.
- Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001
- The regulations that classify controlled drugs into schedules and set the rules for prescribing, storing and keeping records of them.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- The national body that produces evidence-based guidance on treatments and care, including ADHD guideline NG87.
- Near miss
- An event that could have caused harm but did not, by chance or because it was caught in time.
- Non-medical prescriber
- A trained healthcare professional, such as a nurse or pharmacist, who is qualified to prescribe medicines without being a doctor.
- Reconciliation
- Comparing how much medicine has been prescribed and supplied against how much should have been used, to spot any unexplained difference.
- Red flag
- A warning sign or pattern that prompts closer clinical attention, here to the possibility of diversion or misuse.
- Registered manager
- The person registered with the regulator as responsible for the day-to-day running of a service.
- Regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment)
- The part of the Care Quality Commission's regulations requiring care and treatment to be provided safely and to avoid avoidable harm.
- Responsible prescriber
- The clinician with prescribing responsibility for a patient, who decides on the medicine, quantity, interval and whether to continue it.
- 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 with strict legal requirements for prescribing, recording and storage, which includes ADHD stimulants.
- Shared care
- An arrangement where responsibility for a patient's treatment is agreed and divided between two prescribers, such as a specialist and a GP.
- Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
- A written, step-by-step instruction setting out how a particular task or process should be carried out consistently and safely.
- Stimulant
- A type of medicine that increases activity in parts of the brain, used as a first-line treatment for ADHD.
- The Controlled Drugs (Supervision of Management and Use) Regulations 2013
- The regulations requiring organisations to have systems and an accountable officer to oversee the safe use of controlled drugs.
- Titration
- Gradually adjusting the dose of a medicine, usually at the start of treatment, to find the amount 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.