Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Adverse drug reaction
- An unwanted or harmful response a patient has to a medicine that was given correctly.
- Anaphylaxis
- A severe, life-threatening allergic reaction needing immediate emergency treatment.
- Botulinum toxin
- A prescription-only injectable medicine used to relax muscles and soften lines, commonly known by brand names such as Botox.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009
- The rules that set out which incidents and deaths a registered provider must formally notify to the regulator.
- Clinical audit
- A structured check that compares what a service actually does against an agreed standard, makes changes, and then checks again to confirm improvement.
- Clinical governance
- The overall system a provider uses to keep its care safe and high quality and to keep improving it.
- Cooling-off period
- A set time between a consultation and a treatment that lets the patient reflect before deciding to go ahead.
- Cosmetic Practice Standards Authority (CPSA)
- The body that sets the clinical standards used to oversee non-surgical cosmetic treatments in the UK.
- Contemporaneous
- Written down at the time of the event or treatment, or as soon as possible afterwards, so the record is accurate.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law that controls how organisations collect, store and use people's personal information.
- Dermal filler
- An injectable gel, often based on hyaluronic acid, used to smooth lines or add volume to the face.
- 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 patient and their family when something goes wrong with their care.
- Energy-based device
- A treatment device that uses energy such as laser, light, radiofrequency or ultrasound to act on the skin or tissue.
- Evidence-based practice
- Providing care that is supported by good-quality research and recognised professional guidance.
- Fitness to practise
- Whether a registered professional has the skills, knowledge, health and conduct needed to do their job safely.
- Fit and Proper Persons
- A legal requirement that directors and senior leaders of a service are honest, trustworthy and suitable for their role.
- General Dental Council (GDC)
- The body that registers and regulates 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 pharmacy technicians in Great Britain.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The main set of rules a care provider must meet to deliver regulated care safely and well, enforced by the Care Quality Commission.
- High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)
- A treatment that uses focused sound waves to heat tissue beneath the skin, used for tightening and lifting.
- Hyaluronidase
- An emergency medicine used to dissolve hyaluronic-acid dermal filler, for example if a blood vessel becomes blocked.
- Incident
- Any event that caused, or could have caused, harm to a patient, member of staff, visitor or the organisation.
- Indemnity
- Insurance or equivalent cover that protects a practitioner and patients if a claim is made about their care.
- 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 to target pigment, redness or hair.
- Intravenous (IV)
- Given directly into a vein, for example a drip delivering fluids or vitamins.
- Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP)
- The voluntary register and standards body for practitioners who provide non-surgical cosmetic treatments in the UK.
- Just and learning culture
- A workplace where staff are treated fairly and supported to report mistakes so the organisation can learn, while still being accountable for reckless behaviour.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- The UK body that regulates medicines and medical devices and monitors their safety.
- Microneedling
- A skin treatment that uses fine needles to make tiny punctures and encourage the skin to repair itself.
- Near miss
- An event that could have caused harm but did not, by chance or because it was caught in time.
- Never event
- A serious, largely preventable patient safety incident that should not happen if the right safeguards are in place.
- Nominated Individual
- The senior person responsible to the regulator for supervising how a service is provided.
- Notifiable safety incident
- An incident serious enough that the law requires the provider to be open with the patient under the duty of candour.
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
- The body that registers and regulates nurses and midwives in the UK.
- PECR (Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003)
- The UK rules covering marketing by phone, email and text and the use of cookies and similar technology.
- Person-centred care
- Care that is shaped around the individual patient's needs, wishes and circumstances.
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)
- A treatment using a concentrated part of the patient's own blood, injected to encourage tissue repair.
- Polynucleotides
- Injectable substances used in aesthetic treatments to support skin repair and quality.
- Prescription-only medicine (POM)
- A medicine that may lawfully be supplied only on the instruction of an appropriate prescriber.
- Practising privileges
- An arrangement allowing an independent practitioner to work at a clinic they do not own, under agreed conditions.
- 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.
- RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013)
- The law requiring certain workplace injuries, diseases and dangerous events to be reported to the Health and Safety Executive.
- Risk register
- A live record of the things that could go wrong, how serious each is, what is being done about them and who is responsible.
- Root cause analysis (RCA)
- A structured investigation that looks for the underlying system causes of an event rather than blaming one person.
- Safe (key question)
- One of the regulator's five key questions, asking whether people are protected from avoidable harm.
- Safeguarding
- Protecting people's health, wellbeing and rights and keeping them safe from abuse, harm or neglect.
- Scope of practice
- The range of treatments and tasks a practitioner is trained, competent and authorised to carry out.
- Significant event analysis (SEA)
- A team review of a single notable event, good or bad, to understand what happened and what should change.
- 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).
- Sharps
- Needles, blades and other items that can cut or puncture the skin.
- SMART action
- An action that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound, so progress can be tracked.
- Statement of Purpose
- A required document describing who a service is, what it does and where, shared with the regulator.
- Thread lift
- A treatment that inserts dissolvable threads under the skin to lift and support sagging tissue.
- Triage
- Quickly assessing and sorting an issue by urgency or severity so the most serious gets attention first.
- 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, a serious complication that can occur if filler is injected into or compresses an artery.
- Whistleblowing (speaking up)
- Raising a concern about wrongdoing, risk or malpractice at work, protected by law.
- Yellow Card scheme
- The UK system for reporting suspected side effects of medicines and problems with medical devices to the regulator.