Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Adrenaline (epinephrine)
- An emergency medicine given to reverse a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).
- Adverse drug reaction
- An unwanted or harmful response to a medicine that was given correctly.
- Adverse event
- Any unexpected or unwanted occurrence linked to a treatment that harms, or could harm, a patient.
- Anaphylaxis
- A severe, life-threatening allergic reaction needing immediate emergency treatment.
- Biostimulatory injectable
- An injectable product that prompts the skin to make more of its own collagen over time, rather than simply filling a space.
- Botulinum toxin type A
- A prescription-only medicine injected to relax muscles and soften lines; sold under various brand names.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Cold chain
- Keeping vaccines and certain medicines within a safe temperature range from delivery to use.
- Contemporaneous record
- A note written at the time of, or immediately after, the event it describes, so it is accurate and reliable.
- Contraindication
- A reason why a particular treatment should not be given to a particular person.
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)
- The law for safely managing chemicals and other hazardous substances at work.
- Controlled drug
- A medicine whose supply, storage and records are tightly restricted by law because of its potential for misuse.
- Dermal filler
- An injectable gel, often based on hyaluronic acid, used to add volume or smooth the skin; usually regulated as a medical device.
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
- A criminal-records check showing whether a person is suitable to work with patients or vulnerable people.
- Duty of candour
- The legal duty to be open and honest with a person and their family when something goes wrong with their care.
- Environmental Protection Act 1990
- The law setting out duties for the safe handling and disposal of waste, including clinical and hazardous waste.
- Face-to-face consultation
- A meeting where the prescriber is physically present with the patient to examine and assess them before prescribing.
- Falsified medicine
- A fake or counterfeit medicine that misrepresents what it is, where it came from or its history, and may be unsafe.
- First-expiry-first-out
- A stock rule of using the items with the earliest expiry date first, so nothing is wasted.
- Fundamental standards
- The minimum standards of safety and quality below which care must never fall.
- General Dental Council (GDC)
- The body that registers and regulates dentists and dental professionals in the UK.
- General Medical Council (GMC)
- The body that registers and regulates doctors in the UK.
- General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
- The body that registers and regulates pharmacists and pharmacies in Great Britain.
- Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005
- The law controlling how hazardous waste, including some medicines waste, must be stored, moved and disposed of.
- Health and Safety (Sharps Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013
- The law requiring safe handling and disposal of needles and other sharp instruments in healthcare.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting out the fundamental standards that providers of regulated care must meet.
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012
- The main law governing how medicines for human use are licensed, sold, supplied and prescribed in the UK.
- Hyaluronic acid
- A naturally occurring substance used in many dermal fillers; it can be dissolved with the medicine hyaluronidase.
- Hyaluronidase
- A prescription-only medicine that dissolves hyaluronic-acid filler, used in emergencies such as a blocked blood vessel.
- Indemnity
- Insurance or equivalent cover that pays compensation to a patient if a practitioner's care causes harm.
- Independent prescriber
- A qualified professional legally allowed to assess a patient and decide what medicine to prescribe.
- Infection prevention and control (IPC)
- The measures used to stop infection spreading between patients, staff and visitors.
- Informed consent
- Agreement to treatment given freely after the risks, benefits and alternatives have been clearly explained.
- Intense pulsed light (IPL)
- A skin treatment that uses broad-spectrum light, often for pigmentation, redness or hair removal.
- Licensed indication
- A use of a medicine that has been officially approved by the medicines regulator.
- Local anaesthetic
- A medicine that numbs a small area of the body so a procedure can be carried out without pain.
- Medical device
- A product such as a dermal filler used for a medical purpose that works mainly by physical means rather than as a medicine.
- Medicines Act 1968
- An earlier UK law on the control of medicines, parts of which still apply alongside the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- The UK body that regulates medicines and medical devices and runs the Yellow Card reporting scheme.
- Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
- The law that classifies controlled drugs and restricts their possession and supply.
- Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001
- The regulations setting out how controlled drugs may lawfully be stored, recorded, supplied and destroyed.
- Near miss
- An event that could have caused harm but did not, by chance or because it was caught in time.
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
- The body that registers and regulates nurses and midwives in the UK.
- Patient Group Direction (PGD)
- A written instruction letting named staff supply or give a medicine to a group of patients without an individual prescription; it cannot be used for cosmetic botulinum toxin.
- Patient-specific direction (PSD)
- A written instruction from a prescriber to give a medicine to one named patient who has already been assessed.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Items such as gloves, aprons and masks worn to protect against harm or infection.
- Prescription-only medicine (POM)
- A medicine that may lawfully be supplied only on the instruction of an appropriate prescriber.
- Reconstitution
- Mixing a powdered medicine with the correct liquid to prepare it for use, exactly as the product instructions require.
- 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.
- Resuscitation Council UK
- The organisation that sets the UK's recognised guidance on resuscitation and the emergency treatment of conditions such as anaphylaxis.
- Risk assessment
- A structured check identifying what could cause harm and what is being done to prevent it.
- Sharps
- Needles, blades and other items that can cut or puncture the skin.
- Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC)
- The manufacturer's official document setting out how a licensed medicine should be used, dosed, stored and handled.
- Vascular occlusion
- A serious complication where filler blocks or presses on a blood vessel, risking tissue death or, rarely, blindness.
- Whistleblowing (speaking up)
- Raising a concern about wrongdoing, risk or malpractice at work, protected by law.
- Wholesale Dealer's Licence (Authorisation)
- An official authorisation allowing a company to lawfully buy and sell medicines in bulk to clinics and pharmacies.
- Yellow Card scheme
- The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency system for reporting suspected problems with medicines and medical devices.