Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Anaphylaxis
- A severe, life-threatening allergic reaction needing immediate emergency treatment.
- Autoclave
- A machine that uses pressurised steam to sterilise reusable instruments so they are safe to use again.
- Automated external defibrillator (AED)
- A portable device that checks the heart rhythm and can deliver an electric shock to restart the heart in a cardiac arrest.
- Blood-borne virus (BBV)
- An infection such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV that can be passed on through blood.
- 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.
- Competent person
- Someone with the skills, knowledge, training and experience needed to help the practice meet its health and safety duties.
- Consignment note
- A document that tracks hazardous or clinical waste from the practice to its final disposal.
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)
- The law for safely managing chemicals and other hazardous substances at work.
- Decontamination
- The combined process of cleaning, disinfecting and, where needed, sterilising equipment so it is safe to reuse.
- Display screen equipment (DSE)
- Computer screens, laptops and similar devices, the use of which is regulated to protect workers from eye strain and posture problems.
- Duty of candour
- The legal duty to be open and honest with a person and their family when something goes wrong with their care.
- Employers' Liability insurance
- Insurance that most employers must hold by law to cover claims from staff who are injured or made ill by their work.
- Fundamental standards
- The minimum standards of safety and quality below which care must never fall.
- Hazard
- Anything with the potential to cause harm, such as a trailing cable, a needle or a hazardous chemical.
- Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992
- The law setting out how employers must protect staff who regularly use computer screens and similar equipment.
- Health and Safety (Sharps Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013
- The law requiring healthcare employers to prevent and manage injuries from needles and other sharp instruments.
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
- The main law setting out employers' general duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of staff and others affected by their work.
- Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
- The national body responsible for regulating and enforcing workplace health and safety in Great Britain.
- Health and Safety Law poster
- A poster employers must display telling staff in plain terms what they and their employer must do about health and safety.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting the fundamental standards that providers of regulated health and care must meet.
- Healthcare assistant (HCA)
- A staff member who supports clinical care, for example taking blood or recording observations, under the direction of a nurse or doctor.
- Infection prevention and control (IPC)
- The measures used to stop infection spreading between patients, staff and visitors.
- Just culture
- An approach that encourages open reporting of mistakes and focuses on learning and system improvement rather than blame.
- Key questions
- The five areas the regulator uses to judge a service: is it safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
- Legionella
- Bacteria that can grow in water systems and cause a serious form of pneumonia if inhaled, so water systems must be managed to control it.
- Lone working
- Working by yourself without close or direct supervision, for example on a home visit or alone at reception.
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
- The law requiring employers to assess risks and put suitable health and safety arrangements in place.
- Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
- The law for reducing the risk of injury from lifting, lowering, carrying or moving loads at work.
- Near miss
- An event that could have caused harm but did not, by chance or because it was caught in time.
- Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF)
- The national approach setting out how health services should respond to and learn from patient safety incidents.
- Personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP)
- A tailored plan for safely evacuating a person who may need extra help to leave a building in an emergency.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Items such as gloves, aprons and masks worn to protect against harm or infection.
- Phlebotomy
- The procedure of taking a blood sample from a patient, usually from a vein in the arm.
- Portable appliance testing
- Routine safety checking of electrical equipment that plugs into a socket to confirm it is safe to use.
- Post-exposure prophylaxis
- Preventive treatment given soon after possible exposure to an infection, such as after a needlestick injury, to reduce the chance of becoming infected.
- Primary care network (PCN)
- A group of neighbouring general practices that work together to share staff and services for their local population.
- Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
- The law requiring work equipment to be suitable, safe, properly maintained and used only by trained people.
- Reasonably practicable
- Doing what is sensible to control a risk by weighing the size of the risk against the time, cost and effort of reducing it.
- Regulated activity
- A type of care or treatment the law requires a provider to register with the regulator to deliver.
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
- The main law on fire safety in workplaces, requiring a fire risk assessment and a named person responsible for fire safety.
- 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.
- Residual risk
- The level of risk that remains after control measures have been put in place.
- Responsible Person (fire safety)
- The person who holds legal responsibility for fire safety in a building under the fire safety law, usually the employer or person in control of the premises.
- 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.
- Safety data sheet
- A document from a supplier describing the hazards of a substance and how to store, handle and dispose of it safely.
- Sharps
- Needles, blades and other items that can cut or puncture the skin.
- Significant event analysis (SEA)
- A structured team review of a notable event, good or bad, to understand what happened and improve care.
- 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).
- Standard precautions
- The basic infection-control steps, such as hand hygiene and protective clothing, used with every patient to prevent the spread of infection.