Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Apology
- An expression of sorrow or regret for harm or distress that has occurred; in law it is not, by itself, an admission of legal liability.
- Best interests
- A decision made for someone who cannot decide for themselves, choosing the option that is best for them.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Compensation Act 2006
- The law which confirms, in section 2, that saying sorry or offering redress after something goes wrong is not in itself an admission of legal fault.
- Contemporaneous record
- A written record made at the time of an event, or as soon as possible afterwards, so it is accurate and reliable.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law that controls how organisations collect, store and use people's personal information.
- Duty of candour
- The duty to be open and honest with a patient and their family when something goes wrong with their care.
- General Medical Council (GMC)
- The body that registers and regulates doctors in the UK.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting out the fundamental standards that care providers must meet, including the duty of candour in Regulation 20.
- Mental capacity
- Whether a person can understand and make a particular decision for themselves at the time it needs to be made.
- Moderate harm
- Harm that needs a moderate increase in treatment and is significant but not permanent.
- Near miss
- An event that could have caused harm but did not, by chance or because it was caught in time.
- Notifiable safety incident
- An unintended or unexpected incident during care that a health professional reasonably thinks could have caused, or did cause, death or a defined level of harm, triggering the statutory duty of candour.
- Notifiable event
- An incident a provider is legally required to report to the regulator, such as a death or serious injury.
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
- The body that registers and regulates nurses and midwives in the UK.
- Professional duty of candour
- The personal duty each registered health professional has to be open and honest with patients and their employer when something goes wrong.
- Prolonged psychological harm
- Psychological harm a patient has suffered, or is likely to suffer, for a continuous period of at least 28 days.
- Regulated activity
- A type of care or treatment the law requires a provider to register with the regulator to deliver.
- Registered Manager
- The person registered with the regulator as responsible for the day-to-day running of a service.
- Relevant person
- The patient, or where the patient has died, lacks capacity or is a child, the person lawfully acting on their behalf.
- Safeguarding
- Protecting people's health, wellbeing and rights and keeping them safe from abuse, harm or neglect.
- Severe harm
- A permanent reduction in a person's physical, sensory, movement, mental or psychological functions caused directly by an incident.
- Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
- A written, step-by-step instruction setting out how a particular task or process should be carried out consistently.
- Statutory (organisational) duty of candour
- The legal duty owed by the provider organisation, as opposed to the separate duty owed by each individual professional.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main data-protection law governing how personal information is collected and used.