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NHS Lincolnshire
Cross O Cliff
Bracebridge Heath
Lincoln
LN4 2HN

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Glossary

Are you confused by all the NHS jargon? Here is a glossary of common terms that are used in NHS Lincolnshire.

 

 

A & E                                                   Accident and Emergency

 

Acute                                                    Describes a disease of rapid onset, sever symptoms and brief duration

 

Allied Health Professionals (AHP)            Clinical professionals, other doctors and nurses, eg midwives, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and paramedics

 

Angioplasty                                           Surgical procedure in which a balloon-tipped catheter 9thin tube) is inserted into a diseased, narrowed blood vessel; inflation of balloon stretches vessel opening, improving blood flow through it

 

Ante-natal services                                 Care provided to pregnant women before birth

 

Assistive Technology                              Technology that can make a particular function easier or possible to perform

 

Benchmark                                            Standard by which something can be measured or judged

 

Board                                                    Means the Chairman, officer and non-officer members of the PCT collectively as a body

 

Budget                                                  Means a resource, expressed in financial terms, proposed by the Board for the purpose of carrying out, for a specific period, any or all of the functions of the PCT.

 

Capital                                                  Spending on the acquisition of land and premises, and on the provision, adaption, renewal, replacement or demolition of buildings, equipment and vehicles.

 

Chairman of the Board                            Is the person appointed by the Secretary of State for Health to lead the Board and to ensure that it successfully discharges its overall responsibility for the PCT as a whole.

 

Chief Executive                                      Means the chief officer of the PCT.

 

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary               A long term disease of the lungs.

Disease

Commissioning                                      Process through which primary care trusts determine what services their local residents need from the NHS and where these services will be bought from.

 

Community Based Health Services          Services provided outside of a hospital setting, usually in clinics, surgeries or in the patient’s own home.

 

Community Centred Care                        Services provided in the community eg health visitors or district nurses.

 

Continuing Care                                     A general term used to describe a range of health and social care for patients with longer term illness, for example, older people or adults who are disabled.

 

Day Case or day surgery                        Day case patients receive care or treatment which can be carried out in a few hours to avoid staying in hospital overnight.

 

Diagnostic tests                                     Procedures and tests to diagnose a particular disease or condition (for example xays, ultrasound and blood tests).

 

Diagnostic and Treatment Centre             Centres providing out-patient consultation, theatre and treatment suites for patients requiring day surgery or diagnostic tests, thereby reducing waiting times to be settn at a local hospital.

 

Echocardiology                                      Non invasive diagnostic procedures that use ultrasound to study the structure and motions of the heart.

 

Elective Surgery                                     An operation for which the patient is given an appointment in advance.

 

Emergency Admission                           When a patient goes into hospital at short notice, also known as urgent admission and unplanned care.

 

Expert Patients Programme                    Self-management course giving people the confidence, skills and knowledge needed to manage their condition better and be more in control of their lives.

 

General Medical Services (GMS)             The core range of services provided by family doctors (GPs) and their staff.

 

Hub for Health                                        Single telephone number to contact professionals who can provide advice and direct people to their services which meets their needs.

 

Health Informatics                                  The range of Information Technology and information analysis skills and services required in the NHS.

 

Health Visitors                                       Primarily provide care to families with children under five.

 

In-patients                                             Patients admitted to a hospital bed.

 

Intermediate Care                                   Provided to a person in their home, allowing earlier discharge from hospital or preventing an admission to hospital. Care is provided by nurses, therapists and care assistants backed up by medical advice when needed.

 

Local Authorities                                    Statutory organisations providing local government services including County, Unitary, District, Borough, Town and Parish Councils.

 

Long Term Health Conditions                  An ageing population is one that suffers from more long term conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, lung disease, cancer, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease.  These conditions are generally incurable.

 

LIVES                                                   Lincolnshire Integrated Voluntary Emergency Service – one of the largest volunteer organisations in the UK providing a pre-hospital emergency care to any person or persons suffering from an acute medical problem or injury across the county of Lincolnshire.

 

Medicines Management                          The process of reviewing, prescribing and dispensing medicines to ensure patients are getting the best service and medicines for their illness.

 

Multi-disciplinary                                    Medical, nursing and other related professionals and non-medical staff such as Social Care Services and the Voluntary Secto5rs, working together as a team.

 

Musculoskeletal Interface Services          The umbrella under which clinical pathway services such as hip and knee pathway are situated.

  

NHS Trust                                             A statutory, self governing NHS organisation providing health services for the local population. They may also develop specialist services for a wider, regional population.

 

 

Obstetric Services                                  Surgical specialty dealing with the care of a woman and her offspring during pregnancy.

 

Orthopaedic                                           Branch of surgery concerned with the treatment of diseases, injuries and deformities of the bones, joints and muscles.

 

Out-patients                                          Those who visit specialist clinics.

 

Payment by Results                               National initiative introduced by the Department of Health requiring all PCTs to pay hospitals (or other providers of NHS health care) for every operation or treatment at prices (tariffs) which are consistent across the country.

 

Planned/Elective Care                            Patients are admitted on a known date for an in-patient stay or attend a booked out-patient appointment.

 

Practice-Based Commissioning               Group of GP’s working together to buy services on behalf of their local population.

 

Primary Care                                         First point of contact that most people have with the NHS, provided by doctors, nurses and other staff who work in surgeries, clinics, health centres and community hospitals.

 

Primary Care Trusts (PCTs)                    Freestanding legal body responsible for deciding what services their local residents need from the NHS and buying these services (commissioning) with public money from the most appropriate providers eg local specialist hospitals.

 

Referral                                                 Direction of a patient to another service for treatment, usually a specialist.

 

Rehabilitation                                         A process to help people acquire skills to realise their maximum potential following an accident or because of an illness or injury.

 

Secondary Care                                     Hospital or specialist care to which a patient is referred by their GP.

 

Stakeholders                                         All people who have an interest in the services provided in Lincolnshire.

 

Strategic                                               Future or long term plans or direction.