Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Adequate assessment
- An assessment thorough enough, for the medicine and the patient concerned, to reach a safe prescribing decision.
- Antimicrobial stewardship
- Using antibiotics and similar medicines carefully and only when needed, so they keep working and resistance does not build up.
- Antimicrobials
- Medicines that treat infections, including antibiotics, antifungals and antivirals.
- Best interests
- A decision made for someone who cannot decide for themselves, choosing the option that is best for them.
- Blood pressure monitoring
- Regularly measuring the pressure of blood in the arteries to check that a medicine is safe and working.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Contemporaneous record
- A note made at the time of, or immediately after, the event it describes, rather than written up later from memory.
- Contraindication
- A reason a particular medicine should not be given to a particular person, because it would be unsafe for them.
- Controlled drug (CD)
- 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 must be handled.
- Diversion
- When medicine intended for one person is passed on, sold or used by someone else.
- Formulary
- The agreed list of medicines a service is allowed to prescribe.
- Gabapentinoids
- A group of medicines (such as gabapentin and pregabalin) used for nerve pain and epilepsy that can be misused and cause dependence.
- General Medical Council (GMC)
- The body that registers doctors in the UK and sets the standards they must follow.
- General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
- The body that registers pharmacists and pharmacies in Great Britain and sets the standards they must follow.
- General practitioner (GP)
- A doctor based in the community who provides everyday medical care and usually holds a patient's main medical record.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The law setting out the fundamental standards that registered health and care providers must meet, enforced by the Care Quality Commission.
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012
- The main UK law governing how medicines are authorised, prescribed, supplied and sold.
- Indication
- The medical reason a particular medicine is being prescribed.
- Informed consent
- Agreement to treatment given freely after the risks, benefits and alternatives have been clearly explained.
- Interaction (drug interaction)
- When one medicine changes the effect of another, which can make treatment less effective or cause harm.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- The UK body that regulates medicines and medical devices and issues safety advice about them.
- Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
- The UK law that classifies controlled drugs and makes their unlawful supply or possession a criminal offence.
- Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001
- The rules setting out how controlled drugs may lawfully be prescribed, supplied, stored and recorded.
- Multiple-supplier pattern
- When a patient gets, or tries to get, the same or similar medicine from more than one prescriber or service, which can be a sign of misuse.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- The body that produces evidence-based guidance on treatments and care for use across health and social care.
- Near miss
- An event that could have caused harm but did not, by chance or because it was caught in time.
- Non-medical independent prescriber
- A trained nurse, pharmacist or other health professional, who is not a doctor, but is qualified to prescribe medicines in their own right.
- Off-label use
- Prescribing a licensed medicine for a purpose, dose or group of patients not covered by its official licence, where this is clinically justified.
- Opioids
- Strong painkillers related to morphine that carry a high risk of dependence, misuse and overdose.
- Prescriber
- A doctor or non-medical independent prescriber who takes clinical responsibility for authorising a prescription within their area of competence.
- Prescription-only medicine (POM)
- A medicine that may lawfully be supplied only on the instruction of an appropriate prescriber.
- 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 part of the 2014 regulations that requires care and treatment to be provided in a safe way, including the safe use of medicines.
- Remote prescribing
- Issuing a prescription for a patient who is not physically present, after assessing them by online questionnaire, telephone, video or other digital means.
- Safeguarding
- Protecting people's health, wellbeing and rights and keeping them safe from abuse, harm or neglect.
- Safety-netting
- Clear advice telling the patient what to expect, what warning signs to watch for, and when and how to seek further help.
- Shared care
- An arrangement where responsibility for a patient's treatment is shared between a specialist or service and the patient's regular doctor, under an agreed plan.
- Signposting
- Directing a patient to another, more appropriate service or source of help.
- Single assessment framework
- The structure the Care Quality Commission uses to judge a service, built around quality statements and five key questions (safe, effective, caring, responsive, well-led).
- Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
- A written, step-by-step instruction setting out how a particular task must be carried out consistently and safely.
- Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC)
- The official document for a medicine that sets out its licensed uses, dosing, contraindications, warnings and cautions.
- Superintendent pharmacist
- The senior pharmacist legally responsible for the safe running of a registered pharmacy business.
- Telehealth
- Providing health care at a distance using technology such as telephone, video or online tools.
- Triage
- Assessing patients to decide how urgent their needs are and what type of care or clinician they require.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main data-protection law governing how personal information is collected and used.
- UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
- The national body responsible for protecting the public from infectious diseases and other health threats.
- Unlicensed medicine
- A medicine that does not have an official UK licence for the use intended, which a prescriber may use only when clinically justified.