Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Advanced electronic signature
- A secure digital signature linked to the prescriber that shows an electronic prescription is genuine and has not been changed.
- Amenorrhoea
- The absence of periods.
- Body mass index (BMI)
- A measure of weight relative to height, used to identify whether a person is underweight, a healthy weight or overweight.
- British Menopause Society (BMS)
- The UK specialist society for healthcare professionals working in menopause care, which publishes clinical guidance.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and adult social care services in England.
- College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (CoSRH)
- The professional body for sexual and reproductive healthcare, formerly the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, which publishes contraception guidance.
- Consequence (C)
- How serious the harm would be if a hazard led to an incident, scored from 1 to 5.
- Continuous combined HRT
- HRT in which oestrogen and progestogen are taken every day without a planned monthly bleed.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law that sits alongside the UK GDPR and governs how personal information must be handled.
- Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA)
- A check carried out before using a system or process to identify and reduce risks to people's personal data.
- Duty of candour
- The legal duty to be open and honest with patients when something goes wrong with their care that causes, or could cause, significant harm.
- Endometrial protection
- Giving a progestogen alongside oestrogen to stop the womb lining thickening, which can lead to hyperplasia or cancer.
- Equality Act 2010
- The law that protects people from discrimination and requires reasonable adjustments for disabled people.
- General Medical Council (GMC)
- The body that registers and regulates doctors in the UK.
- General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
- The body that regulates pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and registered pharmacies in Great Britain.
- General practitioner (GP)
- A family doctor who holds a patient's main medical record.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting out the fundamental standards that registered providers of health and social care must meet.
- Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority
- The bodies that regulate independent healthcare services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively.
- High level principles for good practice in remote consultations and prescribing
- Ten shared principles agreed by UK healthcare regulators that all prescribers should follow when consulting or prescribing remotely.
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Medicines containing oestrogen, usually with a progestogen, used to relieve menopause symptoms and protect long-term health.
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012
- The main UK law controlling how medicines are made, advertised, prescribed and supplied.
- Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
- The UK regulator for data protection and information rights.
- Levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS)
- A small device placed in the womb that releases a progestogen; the 52 mg device can provide contraception and endometrial protection.
- Likelihood (L)
- How probable it is that a hazard will cause harm, scored from 1 to 5.
- Liveness verification
- An online check that the person presenting identification is real and present, not a photograph or recording.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- The UK regulator of medicines and medical devices, which runs the Yellow Card scheme.
- Mental Capacity Act 2005
- The law setting out how to assess whether a person can make a decision and how to act in their best interests if they cannot.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- The national body that publishes evidence-based guidance on health and care in England.
- NICE NG12
- NICE guideline Suspected cancer: recognition and referral, which sets out when to refer people with possible cancer symptoms.
- NICE NG23
- NICE guideline Menopause: identification and management, the main national guidance on menopause care and HRT.
- Nominated Individual
- The senior person responsible to the Care Quality Commission for supervising how the regulated activity is managed.
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
- The body that registers and regulates nurses, midwives and nursing associates in the UK.
- Off-label use
- Using a licensed medicine or device in a way not covered by its licence, for example for longer than the licensed duration.
- Patient safety incident
- Any unintended or unexpected event that did or could have led to harm to a patient receiving care.
- Premature ovarian insufficiency
- Loss of normal ovarian function before the age of 40.
- Records Management Code of Practice (2023)
- National guidance on how long health and care records should be kept and how they should be managed.
- Red flag
- A symptom or sign that may indicate serious illness and needs urgent assessment.
- Regulated activity
- A type of care or treatment that the law requires a provider to be registered with the Care Quality Commission to deliver.
- Residual risk
- The risk that remains after controls and further actions are in place.
- Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG)
- The professional body for doctors specialising in women's reproductive health, pregnancy and childbirth.
- Sequential HRT
- HRT in which a progestogen is taken for part of each month, usually causing a monthly withdrawal bleed.
- Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP)
- A government protocol that allows a pharmacist to supply an alternative medicine during a serious shortage without contacting the prescriber.
- Standard operating procedure (SOP)
- A written step-by-step instruction for carrying out a task consistently and safely.
- Subtotal hysterectomy
- Removal of the womb that leaves the cervix in place, so a progestogen is still needed with oestrogen.
- Suspected cancer pathway
- An urgent referral route for people whose symptoms could indicate cancer.
- Transdermal
- Absorbed through the skin, for example HRT patches, gels or sprays.
- Transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
- A temporary interruption of blood supply to the brain causing stroke-like symptoms that resolve; a warning sign of stroke and a medical emergency.
- Transvaginal ultrasound
- An internal ultrasound scan used to measure the thickness of the womb lining.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main data protection law governing how personal information is collected, used and kept secure.
- Unscheduled bleeding
- Vaginal bleeding on HRT that does not follow the expected bleeding pattern for the regimen.
- Venous thromboembolism (VTE)
- A blood clot in a vein, such as a deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.
- Yellow Card scheme
- The MHRA system for reporting suspected side effects of medicines.