Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Accessible Information Standard (DCB1605)
- A standard requiring providers to identify, record and meet the communication and information needs of patients with a disability or sensory loss.
- Active navigation (direct booking)
- Booking a patient straight into another service or with another professional on their behalf, with their agreement.
- Care navigation
- A structured conversation that points a patient towards the most suitable service or professional for their need; it is not clinical advice.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Clinical triage
- A competent clinician assessing a request to decide how urgent it is and the best way, timescale and person to respond.
- Contemporaneous record
- A note written at the time of, or as soon as possible after, the event it describes.
- Controlled drug
- A medicine whose supply, storage and records are tightly restricted by law because of its potential for misuse.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law that sits alongside the UK GDPR and governs how personal information is handled.
- Did Not Attend (DNA)
- A booked appointment that the patient neither attended nor cancelled.
- Digital exclusion
- Being unable to use online services, for reasons such as lack of internet access, skills, confidence or a disability.
- Duty/triage clinician
- The clinician rostered for a session to review, prioritise and act on triaged patient requests.
- Equality Act 2010
- The law protecting people from discrimination based on characteristics such as age, disability, sex or race.
- Face-to-face
- An appointment where the patient and clinician meet in person rather than by phone or video.
- FAST
- A simple check for stroke - Face, Arms, Speech, Time to call 999 - prompting urgent emergency help.
- Fundamental standards
- The minimum standards of safety and quality below which care must never fall.
- GP (general practitioner)
- A doctor who provides general medical care for patients in the community.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting out the fundamental standards that registered care providers must meet, including person-centred care, safe care and treatment, and good governance.
- Healthcare assistant (HCA)
- A trained support worker who carries out clinical and care tasks under the supervision of a registered professional.
- Multidisciplinary team (MDT)
- The mix of clinical and non-clinical roles, such as nurses, pharmacists and therapists, to whom patients may be directed.
- Online consultation (OC)
- A digital form patients use to send administrative or clinical requests for the practice team to assess.
- Pharmacy First
- A scheme allowing community pharmacists to assess and treat certain common conditions without a doctor's appointment.
- Reasonable adjustments
- Changes a service makes so that disabled people can use it as easily as everyone else.
- Records Management Code of Practice
- National guidance on how long health and care records should be kept and how they should be managed and disposed of.
- Red flag
- A symptom or sign suggesting possible serious illness that needs immediate clinical attention.
- 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.
- Safeguarding
- Protecting people's health, wellbeing and rights and keeping them safe from abuse, harm or neglect.
- Safety-netting
- Clear advice telling a patient what to look out for and who to contact if their symptoms change or get worse.
- Secondary care
- Specialist hospital or community services that patients usually reach through a referral.
- Sepsis
- A life-threatening reaction to infection in which the body's response begins to damage its own tissues and organs.
- Signposting
- Telling a patient about an alternative service so they can choose to contact it themselves.
- 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).
- Social prescriber
- A worker who connects patients with non-medical support in the community, such as activities, advice or social groups.
- Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
- A written, step-by-step instruction for carrying out a task consistently and safely.
- Total triage
- A model in which every request is assessed and prioritised before any appointment or response is offered, so care is matched to need.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main data-protection law governing how personal information is collected and used.
- Urgent care telephone service
- A free phone and online service (such as 111) that assesses non-emergency urgent health needs and directs people to the right care.
- Urgent treatment centre
- A facility that treats injuries and illnesses that are urgent but not life-threatening, without a prior appointment.
- Urinary tract infection (UTI)
- An infection of the bladder, urethra or kidneys, often causing pain or a frequent need to pass urine.