Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Accessible Information Standard
- A standard requiring health and care providers to give people information in a format they can understand and to meet their communication needs.
- Adverse reaction
- An unwanted or harmful response to a medicine or treatment.
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
- Independent mediation or adjudication used to settle a dispute without going to court, which private healthcare providers must tell complainants about.
- Anaphylaxis
- A severe, life-threatening allergic reaction needing immediate emergency treatment.
- Best interests
- A decision made for someone who cannot decide for themselves, choosing the option that is best for them.
- Botulinum toxin
- A prescription-only medicine, often known by brand names, injected to relax muscles and reduce wrinkles.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009
- The rules setting out the incidents and changes a registered provider must notify to the Care Quality Commission.
- Chemical peel
- A cosmetic treatment that applies a chemical solution to remove the top layers of skin and improve its appearance.
- Complainant
- The person who makes a complaint, or someone making it on their behalf with proper authority or consent.
- Contemporaneous record
- A note written at the time an event happens, or as soon as possible afterwards, so it is accurate and reliable.
- Cooling-off period
- A set time after agreeing to a treatment during which a person can reconsider before going ahead.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law that governs how organisations collect, store and use people's personal information.
- Dermal filler
- A gel-like substance injected under the skin to smooth lines or add volume.
- 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.
- Fitness to practise
- Whether a health professional has the skills, knowledge, health and character to do their job safely and effectively.
- Front-of-house staff
- Reception and customer-facing staff who are the first point of contact for people visiting the clinic.
- General Dental Council (GDC)
- The body that regulates dentists and dental care professionals in the United Kingdom.
- General Medical Council (GMC)
- The body that regulates doctors in the United Kingdom.
- General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
- The body that regulates pharmacists and pharmacy services in Great Britain.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The main rules setting out the standards providers of regulated health and care must meet, enforced by the Care Quality Commission.
- Hyaluronidase
- A medicine used to dissolve dermal filler, including in emergencies such as a blocked blood vessel.
- Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS)
- An independent body that reviews unresolved complaints about private healthcare providers who subscribe to its scheme.
- Informed consent
- Agreement to treatment given freely after the risks, benefits and alternatives have been clearly explained.
- Intense pulsed light (IPL)
- A light-based treatment used on the skin for purposes such as hair removal or reducing pigmentation.
- Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009
- The rules setting out the statutory complaints process for publicly funded health and social care.
- Locum
- A practitioner who works temporarily in place of another, for example to cover absence.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- The UK body that regulates medicines, medical devices and blood products to make sure they are safe.
- Mental capacity
- Whether a person can understand and make a particular decision for themselves at the time it needs to be made.
- Nominated Individual
- The senior person responsible to the regulator for supervising how a service is provided.
- Notifiable safety incident
- An unexpected event during care that caused, or could cause, death or significant harm, triggering the duty of candour.
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
- The body that regulates nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom.
- Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
- The independent body that investigates unresolved complaints about publicly funded health services and government departments in England.
- Person-centred care
- Care that is shaped around the 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.
- Provision of Services Regulations 2009
- The rules requiring service providers, including private clinics, to give clear information and to signpost dispute-resolution options.
- 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.
- Remote prescribing
- Prescribing a medicine without seeing the patient face to face, for example by telephone or video.
- Responsible Person
- The Registered Manager or nominated deputy who oversees the complaints process and ensures the rules are followed.
- Root-cause analysis
- A structured way of finding the underlying reason something went wrong so it can be prevented in future.
- Safeguarding
- Protecting people's health, wellbeing and rights and keeping them safe from abuse, harm or neglect.
- Service user
- A person who receives care or treatment from the service; in an aesthetic clinic, the patient or client.
- 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).
- Skin needling
- A cosmetic treatment using fine needles to make tiny punctures in the skin to encourage it to renew itself.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main data-protection law governing how personal information is collected and used.
- Vascular occlusion
- A blockage of a blood vessel, which can be a serious emergency after dermal-filler injection.
- Whistleblowing (speaking up)
- Raising a concern about wrongdoing, risk or malpractice at work, protected by law.
- Yellow Card scheme
- The UK system run by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for reporting suspected problems with medicines or medical devices.