Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Adrenaline
- The emergency medicine given to treat a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).
- 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.
- Botulinum toxin
- A prescription-only medicine, often used for anti-wrinkle treatments, that relaxes muscles by blocking nerve signals.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Chaperone
- A trained person present during an intimate examination to support and protect the patient and the clinician.
- Check-in (buddy) system
- An arrangement where a lone worker confirms they are safe to a named contact at set times, so an alarm is raised if they do not check in.
- Controlled Drug
- A medicine whose supply, storage and records are tightly restricted by law because of its potential for misuse.
- Cosmetic Practice Standards Authority (CPSA)
- The body that sets the clinical standards for safe cosmetic practice that the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners oversees.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law that governs how organisations handle people's personal information, sitting alongside the UK General Data Protection Regulation.
- Dermal filler
- An injectable gel, often hyaluronic acid, used to smooth lines or add volume to the face.
- Duty of candour
- The legal duty to be open and honest with a person and their family when something goes wrong with their care.
- Dynamic risk assessment
- The continuous on-the-spot judgement a lone worker makes about whether a situation is safe as it unfolds.
- Escalation procedure
- The pre-agreed steps a named contact takes when a worker misses a check-in or raises an alarm, ending in calling the emergency services.
- 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 pharmacies in the UK.
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
- The main UK law placing duties on employers to protect the health and safety of their workers and others affected by their work.
- Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
- The national body responsible for regulating and enforcing health and safety at work in Great Britain.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting out the fundamental standards a registered care provider must meet, enforced by the Care Quality Commission.
- Host clinic
- Premises run by another business where a practitioner rents or uses a room to treat their own patients.
- Hyaluronidase
- A medicine used to dissolve hyaluronic-acid dermal filler, including as an emergency treatment for a blocked blood vessel.
- INDG73
- The Health and Safety Executive's published guidance on managing the risks of working alone.
- Informed consent
- Agreement to treatment given freely after the risks, benefits and alternatives have been clearly explained.
- Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP)
- The voluntary register and standards body for practitioners who provide non-surgical cosmetic treatments in the UK.
- Locum
- A practitioner who works temporarily to cover for, or alongside, the regular team.
- Lone worker
- Anyone who works by themselves without close supervision and without a colleague immediately available to help.
- Lone-worker alarm
- A dedicated device or phone application that lets a worker raise an alarm discreetly, often sharing their location with a monitored response service.
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
- The regulations requiring employers to assess workplace risks and put arrangements in place to control them.
- Manual handling
- Lifting, moving or supporting loads or people by hand, which can cause injury if done unsafely.
- Medical aesthetics
- Non-surgical cosmetic treatments delivered by trained practitioners, such as injectables and skin procedures.
- Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations 1973
- The law setting out how certain Controlled Drugs must be stored securely.
- Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001
- The law governing how Controlled Drugs may lawfully be possessed, supplied and recorded.
- Near miss
- An event that could have caused harm but did not, by chance or because it was caught in time.
- Needlestick injury
- A wound caused by a needle or other sharp item, which can risk passing on a blood-borne infection.
- Nominated Individual
- The senior person responsible to the Care Quality Commission for supervising how a service is provided.
- Notifiable event
- An incident a provider is legally required to report to the regulator, such as a death or serious injury.
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
- The body that registers and regulates nurses and midwives in the UK.
- Occupational health
- A service that supports and advises on the health and wellbeing of staff in relation to their work.
- PECR
- The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, the rules covering electronic marketing and similar communications.
- Practising privileges
- An arrangement allowing an external practitioner to work at a provider's premises under agreed terms.
- Prescription-only medicine (POM)
- A medicine that may lawfully be supplied only on the instruction of an appropriate prescriber.
- Registered Manager
- The person registered with the Care Quality Commission 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 Care Quality Commission to deliver.
- Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR)
- The law requiring certain workplace injuries, diseases and dangerous events to be reported to the Health and Safety Executive.
- Risk assessment
- A structured check identifying what could cause harm and what is being done to prevent it.
- Safeguarding
- Protecting people's health, wellbeing and rights and keeping them safe from abuse, harm or neglect.
- Sharps
- Needles, blades and other items that can cut or puncture the skin.
- Single assessment framework
- The structure the Care Quality Commission uses to judge a service, built around quality statements and five key questions (safe, effective, caring, responsive, well-led).
- So far as is reasonably practicable
- The legal standard requiring an employer to weigh a risk against the time, cost and effort of controlling it, and to take all reasonable measures unless they are grossly disproportionate to the risk.
- Statement of Purpose
- A required document describing who a service is, what it does and where, shared with the regulator.
- 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 during filler treatment is an emergency because it can cut off the blood supply to skin or other tissue.
- Vasovagal collapse
- A faint caused by a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure, often triggered by pain, fear or the sight of a needle.
- Whistleblowing (speaking up)
- Raising a concern about wrongdoing, risk or malpractice at work, protected by law.