Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- ABCDE assessment
- A structured way of checking a seriously ill patient in order - Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability and Exposure - treating the most dangerous problems first.
- ACVPU
- A quick scale for checking how awake a patient is: Alert, new Confusion, responds to Voice, responds to Pain, or Unresponsive.
- Adrenaline
- An emergency medicine given to treat a severe allergic reaction and used during resuscitation.
- Anaphylaxis
- A severe, life-threatening allergic reaction needing immediate emergency treatment.
- Automated external defibrillator (AED)
- A portable device that checks the heart's rhythm and, if needed, delivers an electric shock to restart a normal heartbeat.
- Bag-valve-mask
- A hand-squeezed device with a mask used to push air or oxygen into the lungs of a patient who is not breathing properly.
- Cardiac arrest
- When the heart suddenly stops pumping blood, so the person becomes unresponsive and stops breathing normally.
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
- Emergency chest compressions and rescue breaths used to keep blood and oxygen moving when the heart has stopped.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Contemporaneous record
- Notes written at the time of the event, or as soon as possible afterwards, so they are accurate and reliable.
- Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR)
- A recorded decision that CPR should not be attempted if a particular patient's heart stops; it does not affect any other care they receive.
- Duty of candour
- The legal duty to be open and honest with a person and their family when something goes wrong with their care.
- Emergency Care and Treatment Plan
- A document recording a patient's wishes and clinical recommendations for emergency care, such as a ReSPECT form.
- Fundamental standards
- The minimum standards of safety and quality below which care must never fall.
- Good governance
- Having clear systems, oversight and records in place so a service runs safely and can show how it meets its legal duties.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting out the fundamental standards that providers of regulated care must meet, enforced by the Care Quality Commission.
- Hypoglycaemia
- An abnormally low level of sugar in the blood, which can make a person unwell and needs prompt treatment.
- National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2)
- A standard scoring tool that adds up a patient's vital signs to flag early how unwell they are and how urgently to respond.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- The national body that produces evidence-based guidance on treatments and good clinical practice.
- Notifiable event
- An incident a provider is legally required to report to the regulator, such as a death or serious injury.
- Oxygen saturation (SpO2)
- A measure of how much oxygen the blood is carrying, shown as a percentage and read using a pulse oximeter.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Items such as gloves, aprons and masks worn to protect against harm or infection.
- Pulse oximeter
- A small clip-on device, usually placed on a finger, that measures oxygen saturation and pulse rate.
- Recovery position
- A safe position on the side for an unconscious person who is breathing, helping to keep the airway clear.
- 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.
- Regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment)
- The rule requiring care and treatment to be provided in a safe way, including assessing and managing risks to patients.
- Regulation 17 (Good governance)
- The rule requiring providers to have effective systems to monitor, assess and improve the quality and safety of their service.
- ReSPECT form
- A widely used type of Emergency Care and Treatment Plan that records a patient's preferences and clinical recommendations for emergencies.
- Resuscitation Council UK
- The UK body that sets the recognised guidelines and training standards for cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
- Resuscitation trolley
- A mobile trolley (sometimes a grab-bag) holding the equipment and medicines needed to respond to a medical emergency.
- Risk assessment
- A structured check identifying what could cause harm and what is being done to prevent it.
- Royal College of Physicians
- The professional body for doctors that developed and maintains the National Early Warning Score 2.
- Safeguarding
- Protecting people's health, wellbeing and rights and keeping them safe from abuse, harm or neglect.
- SBAR
- A clear handover format - Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation - used to pass on patient information quickly and safely.
- Sepsis
- A life-threatening reaction to an infection in which the body damages its own tissues and organs; it is a time-critical emergency.
- Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
- A written, step-by-step procedure describing how a particular task should be carried out consistently and safely.
- Statement of Purpose
- A required document describing who a service is, what it does and where, shared with the regulator.
- Systolic blood pressure
- The higher of the two blood pressure numbers, measuring the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats.
- Track-and-trigger system
- A monitoring method that tracks a patient's vital signs and triggers a set response when they reach a worrying level.
- Venous access
- Placing a thin tube into a vein so fluids or medicines can be given directly into the bloodstream.
- what3words
- A location system that names every three-metre square on the map with three words, used to give the emergency services a precise address.