Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Aerosol-generating procedure
- A clinical procedure that can create a fine spray of tiny airborne droplets capable of carrying infection.
- Alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR)
- A gel or liquid hand sanitiser used to clean hands quickly when they are not visibly dirty.
- Asepsis
- The state of being free from harmful germs, kept that way to prevent infection during a procedure.
- Aseptic Non Touch Technique (ANTT)
- A standard way of carrying out a procedure so that the parts that must stay sterile are never touched or contaminated.
- Autoclave
- A machine that uses pressurised steam to sterilise reusable instruments so they are safe to use again.
- Blood-borne virus (BBV)
- An infection such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV that can be passed on through blood.
- Cannulation
- Inserting a small tube into a vein to give fluids or medicines or to take 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.
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)
- The law for safely managing chemicals and other hazardous substances at work.
- Controlled Drug (CD)
- A medicine whose supply, storage and records are tightly restricted by law because of its potential for misuse.
- Core Skills Training Framework
- A national set of agreed standards describing the basic training, including infection control, that health and care staff should complete.
- Cytotoxic and cytostatic medicines
- Powerful medicines, such as some cancer drugs, that can damage living cells and so need special handling and disposal.
- Decontamination
- The combined process of cleaning, disinfecting and, where needed, sterilising equipment so it is safe to reuse.
- Doffing
- Taking off protective equipment safely and in the correct order to avoid contaminating yourself.
- Donning
- Putting on protective equipment correctly and in the right order before a task.
- FFP3 respirator
- A close-fitting face mask, individually fit-tested, that filters out very small airborne particles to protect the wearer.
- Fit testing
- A check to confirm a tight-fitting respirator mask properly seals to a particular person's face.
- Fundamental standards
- The minimum standards of safety and quality below which care must never fall.
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
- The main law setting out employers' and staff duties to keep the workplace safe and healthy.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations that set out the fundamental standards providers must meet to deliver care lawfully in England.
- Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010
- The law requiring doctors to report certain infectious diseases to public health authorities.
- Health Technical Memorandum (HTM)
- Official technical guidance on the safe design, use and maintenance of healthcare premises and equipment, including decontamination.
- Healthcare-associated infection (HCAI)
- An infection that a person catches as a result of healthcare treatment or contact with a care setting.
- Hepatitis B and hepatitis C
- Viral infections of the liver that can be spread through contact with infected blood.
- Hygiene Code
- The official code of practice on preventing and controlling infections that registered care providers are expected to follow.
- Infection prevention and control (IPC)
- The measures used to stop infection spreading between patients, staff and visitors.
- Integrated care board
- The local body responsible for planning and arranging publicly funded health services in an area.
- Legionella
- Bacteria that can grow in water systems and cause a serious form of pneumonia if inhaled in spray or mist.
- Mucous membranes
- The moist linings of the body, such as inside the mouth, nose and eyes, through which infection can enter.
- National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM)
- The recognised, evidence-based reference setting the expected standard for infection prevention and control practice in England.
- National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness
- The recognised national framework setting out how clean healthcare premises should be and how cleanliness is checked.
- Near miss
- An event that could have caused harm but did not, by chance or because it was caught in time.
- Needlestick injury
- An injury where a used needle or sharp accidentally pierces the skin, risking infection.
- Notifiable disease
- An infectious disease that doctors are legally required to report to public health authorities.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Items such as gloves, aprons and masks worn to protect against harm or infection.
- Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
- Medicine given soon after possible exposure to an infection, such as HIV, to reduce the chance of becoming infected.
- 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.
- Sharps
- Needles, blades and other items that can cut or puncture the skin.
- Significant event analysis
- A structured team review of an incident to understand what happened and learn how to prevent it recurring.
- 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 infection control precautions (SICPs)
- The basic infection-prevention measures, such as hand hygiene and protective equipment, used for every patient at all times.
- Transmission-based precautions (TBPs)
- Extra infection-control measures used on top of the basics when a patient has, or may have, an infection that spreads easily.
- UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
- The national body responsible for protecting the public from infectious diseases and other health threats.
- Venepuncture
- Taking a blood sample by inserting a needle into a vein.