Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Adult at risk
- An adult with care and support needs who is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect and is unable to protect themselves.
- Anorexia nervosa
- An eating disorder in which a person keeps their weight very low by severely restricting what they eat, driven by an intense fear of gaining weight.
- Best interests
- A decision made for someone who cannot decide for themselves, choosing the option that is best for them.
- Binge-eating disorder
- An eating disorder involving recurrent episodes of eating large amounts of food with a sense of loss of control, usually without regular compensatory behaviours.
- Body mass index (BMI)
- A measure of weight relative to height, used as one factor when judging eligibility and risk; it is never used on its own.
- Bulimia nervosa
- An eating disorder marked by cycles of binge eating followed by behaviours to avoid weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting or misuse of laxatives.
- Care Act 2014
- The law setting out duties to protect and support adults at risk of abuse or neglect, including the local authority's duty to make safeguarding enquiries.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004
- The laws that set out how children and young people are safeguarded and how agencies must work together to protect them from harm.
- Clinical judgement
- The reasoned decision a trained clinician makes by weighing all the information about a particular patient, rather than relying on a single test or score.
- Compensatory behaviours
- Behaviours used to prevent weight gain after eating, such as self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics or medication, fasting or excessive exercise.
- Contemporaneous record
- A note written at the time an event happens, or as soon as possible afterwards, so the record is accurate and reliable.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law that governs how organisations collect, store and use people's personal information, working alongside the UK General Data Protection Regulation.
- Disordered eating
- Eating behaviours and attitudes that fall short of a diagnosed eating disorder but still cause clinical concern, such as severe dieting or recurrent binge eating.
- Duty of candour
- The legal duty to be open and honest with a person and their family when something goes wrong with their care.
- Eating disorder
- A mental health condition involving disturbed eating behaviour and an over-focus on weight and shape, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge-eating disorder.
- Electrolyte disturbance
- An imbalance of essential body salts such as potassium or sodium, which can become dangerous and affect the heart, often linked to vomiting or starvation.
- General practitioner (GP)
- A doctor based in the community who provides general medical care and coordinates referrals to other services.
- GLP-1 receptor agonist
- A class of weight-loss and diabetes medicine (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist) that reduces appetite and which can be sought or misused to support disordered eating.
- Informed consent
- Agreement to treatment or to sharing information, given freely after the risks, benefits and alternatives have been clearly explained.
- Mental capacity
- Whether a person can understand and make a particular decision for themselves at the time it needs to be made.
- Mental Capacity Act 2005
- The law that protects and supports people who may be unable to make particular decisions for themselves.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- The national body that produces evidence-based guidance on treatments and care for the health and care system in England.
- Near miss
- An event that could have caused harm but did not, either by chance or because it was caught in time.
- NICE guideline NG69
- The national clinical guideline on the recognition and treatment of eating disorders, used as the clinical reference for this procedure.
- Nominated Individual
- The senior person responsible to the regulator for supervising how a service is provided.
- Other specified feeding or eating disorders
- Eating disorders that cause significant distress or harm but do not fit the exact criteria for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge-eating disorder.
- Parental responsibility
- The legal rights and duties a parent or guardian has for a child, including making decisions about the child's care and welfare.
- 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 Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 requiring care and treatment to be provided safely and risks to be managed.
- Regulation 13 (Safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment)
- The part of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 requiring providers to protect people from abuse and improper treatment.
- Safeguarding
- Protecting people's health, wellbeing and rights and keeping them safe from abuse, harm or neglect.
- SCOFF questionnaire
- A short five-question screening tool for eating disorders, where two or more positive answers suggest a likely case and prompt fuller clinical assessment.
- Self-neglect
- When a person neglects their own health, hygiene or surroundings to a degree that puts their safety or wellbeing at serious risk.
- Single assessment framework
- The structure the regulator 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 or process is to 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.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main data-protection law governing how personal information is collected and used.
- Weight cycling
- A repeated pattern of losing and then regaining weight over time, sometimes called yo-yo dieting.