Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Albumin:creatinine ratio (ACR)
- A urine test that detects small amounts of protein, used to check for early kidney damage.
- Amiodarone
- A heart-rhythm medicine that needs regular monitoring because it can affect the thyroid, liver and lungs.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD)
- A long-term condition in which the kidneys gradually work less well over time.
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- A long-term lung condition that makes breathing difficult, usually caused by smoking.
- Clinical coding
- Recording a diagnosis or activity in the patient record using a standard code so it can be searched and counted.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law that governs how organisations collect, store and use people's personal information.
- Disease register
- A searchable list of patients recorded as having a particular long-term condition, used to plan and monitor their care.
- Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD)
- A medicine used to control conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, requiring regular blood monitoring because of its side effects.
- DNA (did not attend)
- A record that a patient missed a booked appointment without cancelling it.
- Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)
- A blood-test result that estimates how well the kidneys are filtering, used to stage kidney disease.
- Failsafe
- A backstop process that catches patients who remain overdue a review or monitoring so that nobody is missed.
- Full blood count
- A common blood test that measures red cells, white cells and platelets to check general health.
- General Medical Council (GMC)
- The body that registers doctors in the UK and sets the standards they must follow.
- General Medical Services (GMS) contract
- A standard national contract under which many general practices provide primary medical services.
- HbA1c
- A blood test showing average blood sugar over the past two to three months, used to monitor diabetes.
- High-risk medicine
- A medicine that needs defined blood or other monitoring to be used safely, such as methotrexate, lithium or amiodarone.
- Housebound patient
- A patient who cannot attend the practice and is reviewed and monitored at home.
- Lithium
- A medicine used in some mental health conditions that needs regular blood monitoring because the safe and harmful doses are close together.
- Long-term condition
- A health condition that cannot currently be cured and is managed over time, such as diabetes or asthma.
- Methotrexate
- A disease-modifying medicine used for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis that requires regular blood monitoring.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- The body that produces evidence-based guidance on treatments and care for health and social care in England.
- Near miss
- An event that could have caused harm but did not, by chance or because it was caught in time.
- Non-medical prescriber
- A trained health professional, such as a nurse or pharmacist, who is qualified to prescribe medicines.
- Phlebotomy
- The taking of a blood sample for testing.
- Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF)
- A national scheme that rewards general practices for managing long-term conditions to defined standards.
- Recall
- The process of inviting a patient to attend for a review that is due.
- Records Management Code of Practice
- National guidance setting out how long health and care records should be kept and how they should be managed.
- 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.
- Renal function
- How well the kidneys are working, measured through blood and urine tests.
- 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.
- Secondary care
- Specialist hospital or clinic services that a patient is usually referred to, rather than the general practice.
- Shared-care agreement
- A written arrangement setting out how a hospital specialist and the general practice share responsibility for prescribing and monitoring a medicine.
- Spirometry
- A breathing test that measures how much air a person can move in and out of their lungs.
- Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
- A written, step-by-step instruction setting out how a particular task is to be carried out consistently.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main data-protection law governing how personal information is collected and used.