Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Adverse drug reaction
- A harmful or unintended response to a medicine taken at a normal dose.
- Anticoagulant
- A medicine that reduces the blood's ability to clot, sometimes called a blood thinner.
- Antihypertensive
- A medicine used to lower high blood pressure.
- Arrhythmia
- An abnormal heart rhythm, where the heart beats too fast, too slowly or irregularly.
- Atrial fibrillation
- A common type of irregular and often fast heart rhythm that can raise the risk of stroke.
- Bariatric surgery
- Weight-loss surgery, such as a gastric band or bypass, used to treat severe obesity.
- Body mass index (BMI)
- A measure of body weight in relation to height, used to gauge whether a person is underweight, a healthy weight or overweight.
- Cardiovascular
- Relating to the heart and blood vessels.
- Cardiovascular assessment
- A structured check of a person's heart and circulation history, measurements and tests to decide whether treatment is safe.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Contraindication
- A specific situation or condition in which a treatment should not be used because it could be harmful.
- Contemporaneous record
- A note made at the time of, or very soon after, the event it describes.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law that governs how organisations collect, store and use people's personal information.
- Decompensated heart failure
- A sudden worsening of heart failure where the heart can no longer pump well enough to meet the body's needs.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG)
- A simple test that records the heart's electrical activity to check its rhythm and detect problems.
- Fundamental standards
- The minimum standards of safety and quality below which care must never fall.
- General Medical Council (GMC)
- The body that registers and regulates doctors in the United Kingdom.
- General practitioner (GP)
- A doctor based in the community who provides general medical care and coordinates a patient's overall health.
- General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
- The body that registers and regulates pharmacists and pharmacies in Great Britain.
- GLP-1 / GIP-GLP-1 receptor agonist
- A class of medicines used for weight management and type 2 diabetes that reduce appetite and can affect heart rate and blood pressure.
- HbA1c
- A blood test that shows average blood glucose (sugar) levels over the previous two to three months.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting out the fundamental standards that providers of regulated health and care services must meet.
- Heart failure
- A long-term condition in which the heart cannot pump blood around the body as well as it should.
- Hypercholesterolaemia
- A higher than normal level of cholesterol in the blood, which raises cardiovascular risk.
- Hypertension
- Persistently raised blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Hypertensive urgency
- Very high blood pressure that needs prompt treatment but without immediate signs of organ damage.
- Hypoglycaemia
- An abnormally low level of glucose (sugar) in the blood.
- Hypotension
- Abnormally low blood pressure, which can cause dizziness or fainting.
- Independent prescriber
- A qualified health professional legally permitted to prescribe medicines on their own clinical judgement.
- Informed consent
- Agreement to treatment given freely after the risks, benefits and alternatives have been clearly explained.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- The UK body that regulates medicines and medical devices and monitors their safety.
- Medullary thyroid carcinoma
- A rare type of thyroid cancer that is relevant when deciding whether certain weight-loss medicines are safe to use.
- mmHg (millimetres of mercury)
- The unit used to measure blood pressure.
- Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2
- A rare inherited condition that increases the risk of certain tumours, including thyroid cancer.
- Myocardial infarction
- A heart attack, caused when blood flow to part of the heart muscle is blocked.
- 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.
- Nominated Individual
- The senior person responsible to the regulator for supervising how a service is provided.
- Orthopnoea
- Breathlessness that occurs when lying flat and is eased by sitting or standing up.
- Palpitations
- An awareness of the heart beating, which may feel fast, irregular or unusually strong.
- Pancreatitis
- Inflammation of the pancreas, which can be triggered or worsened by some medicines.
- Peripheral arterial disease
- Narrowing of the arteries that reduces blood flow to the limbs, usually the legs.
- Pharmacist independent prescriber
- A pharmacist who is qualified to prescribe medicines on their own clinical judgement.
- QRISK3
- A validated calculation that estimates a person's risk of heart disease or stroke over the next ten years.
- QT interval / QT prolongation
- A measure of part of the heart's electrical cycle; when prolonged it can raise the risk of a dangerous heart rhythm.
- Red flag
- A symptom or finding that signals possible serious illness and prompts treatment to be withheld and urgent review.
- 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.
- Single assessment framework
- The structure the regulator uses to judge a service, built around quality statements and five key questions (safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led).
- Supervising clinician
- The named, suitably qualified clinician who keeps overall clinical responsibility for a patient's treatment and monitoring.
- Syncope
- A temporary loss of consciousness, commonly known as fainting.
- Tachycardia
- An abnormally fast resting heart rate, generally over 100 beats per minute.
- Transient ischaemic attack
- A brief interruption of blood supply to the brain, sometimes called a mini-stroke, with symptoms that resolve quickly.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main data-protection law governing how personal information is collected and used.
- Unstable angina
- Chest pain from the heart that occurs unpredictably or at rest and may signal an imminent heart attack.
- Valvular disease
- A condition in which one or more of the heart valves does not work properly.
- Very-low-calorie diet (VLCD)
- A diet providing very few calories (typically under 800 per day) that needs careful medical monitoring.
- Yellow Card scheme
- The UK system for reporting suspected side effects of medicines and problems with medical devices to the regulator.