Glossary of Terms

All the terms you need to know in Health and Care.

  • 9 Protected Characteristics: Protected Characteristics are personal characteristics protected by law including: Age, Disability, Gender Reassignment, Marriage and Civil Partnerships, Pregnancy and Maternity, Race, Religion and Belief, Sex and Sexual Orientation.
  • AR: Authorised Representatives are Healthwatch Staffordshire Champions who have undergone specialised training to be able to undertake Enter & View visits at a range of locations.
  • Calidcott Guardian: A Caldicott Guardian is a senior person responsible for protecting the confidentiality of patient and service-user information and enabling appropriate information-sharing.
  • CAMHS: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services are specialist NHS services. They offer assessment and treatment when children and young people have emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties.
  • CCG: Clinical Commissioning Groups are responsible for implementing the commissioning roles as set out in the Health and Social Care Act, they commission Health and Social Care Services.
  • CEL: Community Engagement Leads help to represent the Healthwatch Staffordshire brand across the county. They undertake engagement activities in geographical areas and on specialist topics.
  • CIC: Community Interest Company is an organisation that uses it’s profits for public good.
  • CPAG: Clinical Priorities Advisory Group. CPAG makes recommendations to NHS England’s Directly Commissioned Services Committee on the commissioning of direct services.
  • CQC: Care Quality Commission was established in 2009 to regulate and inspect health and social care services in England. It was formed from three predecessor organisations.
  • CRM: Customer Relationship Management software allows us to easily provide information to our contacts, Members and Champions.
  • CSU: Commissioning Support Units support Clinical Commissioning Groups by providing business intelligence, health and clinical procurement services, as well as back-office administrative functions, including contract management.
  • Domiciliary Care: Help and care provided in the patients own home to enable them to live more independently.
  • ECS: Engaging Communities Staffordshire is the not for profit Community Interest Company that delivers the Healthwatch Staffordshire Contract.
  • Equality Delivery System: The Equality Delivery System is designed to support the NHS in providing fair services to patients.
  • HAG: Healthwatch Advisory Group. The HAG supports the Engaging Communities Staffordshire Board and provides guidance on Healthwatch priorities as part of ECS governance.
  • Healthwatch England: Healthwatch England is the national independent champion for consumers of Health and Social Care.
  • Investing in Volunteers: Investing in Volunteers (IiV) is the UK quality standard for good practice in volunteer management.
  • KPMG: KPMG is a leading provider of professional services including audit, tax and advisory services.
  • Mindful Employer: Mindful Employer represents our commitment to good practice and support when it comes to employees who declare mental health issues.
  • Monitor: Monitor is the sector regulator for health services in England, Monitor’s job is to make the health sector work better for patients.
  • MRS: Market Research Society is a research association that encourages best practice and ethics in research.
  • NHS England: NHS England oversees the budget, planning, delivery and day-to-day operation of the commissioning side of the NHS.
  • Orthotics: Orthotics is the medical specialitiy concerned with artificial devices that aid in the support of a jointed part of the body.
  • PHSO: Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman make final decisions on complaints against the NHS.
  • Q&A: Question and Answer.
  • Seldom Heard: Those who may experience barriers to accessing services and may otherwise not be represented.
  • SEWM: Social Enterprise West Midlands is a network for Social Enterprise organisations.
  • SSoTP: Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Partnership NHS Trust provides community health services and adult social care in Staffordshire and health services in Stoke-on-Trent.
  • TDA: Trust Development Authority provides support, oversight and governance for all NHS Trusts.
  • TSA: Trust Special Administrator is appointed by Monitor to take control of an NHS Trust’s affairs in cases of financial or service unsustainability.
  • UHNM: University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust provides services at both Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital sites.
  • You’re Welcome: You’re Welcome is the national initiative to develop quality criteria to ensure a “young person friendly” delivery of services.

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