advocacy | Where an individual acts independently on behalf of, and in the interests of, patients/users who may feel unable to represent themselves in their contacts with a health care or other facility. |
carer | A person who looks after family, partners or friends in need of help because they are ill, frail or have a disability. The care they provide is unpaid. |
clinical governance | A framework through which NHS organisations are accountable for both continuously improving the quality of their services, and safeguarding high standards of care, by creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care will flourish. Management of clinical risk at an organisational level is an important aspect of clinical governance. Clinical risk management recognises that risk can arise at many points in a patient's journey, and that aspects of how organisations are managed can systematically influence the degree of risk. |
Clinical Standards Board for Scotland (CSBS) | The Clinical Standards Board for Scotland was a statutory body, established as a Special Health Board in April 1999. Its role was to develop and run a system of quality control of clinical services designed to promote public confidence that the services provided by the NHS met nationally agreed standards, and to demonstrate that, within the resources available, the NHS was delivering the highest possible standards of care". On 1 January 2003, CSBS was merged, along with four other clinical effectiveness bodies, to form NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS). See NHS Quality Improvement Scotland. |
CSBS | See Clinical Standards Board for Scotland. |
Family Health Service | The type of health service provided by GPs, dentists, opticians and community pharmacists. |
generic standards | Standards that apply to most, if not all, clinical services. |
HDL | See Health Department Letter. |
Health Council | Each NHS Board area has a Health Council, an organisation whose aim is to promote public consultation and participation in health-related matters. Sometimes referred to as a local Health Council. |
Health Department | See Scottish Executive |
Health Department Letter (HDL) | Health Department Letter (formerly known as Management Executive Letter - MEL), formal communications from the Scottish Executive Health Department to NHSScotland. |
legislation | Laws passed by a parliament. |
LHCC | See Local Health Care Co-operative. |
Local Health Care Co-operative (LHCC) | In Scotland, Local Health Care Co-operatives are voluntary groupings of GPs and other local health care professionals intended to strengthen and support the primary health care team in delivering local care. |
MEL | See Management Executive Letter. |
monitoring | The systematic process of collecting information on clinical and non-clinical performance. Monitoring may be intermittent or continuous. It may also be undertaken in relation to specific incidents of concern or to check key performance areas. |
NHS Board | NHS Boards replaced the separate board structures of Health Boards and NHS Trusts. The NHS Boards cover the same geographical area as the old Health Boards. The overall purpose of NHS Boards is to ensure the efficient, effective and accountable governance of the local NHS system, and to provide strategic leadership and direction for the system as a whole, focusing on agreed outcomes. |
NHSScotland | The National Health Service in Scotland. |
patient | A person who is receiving care or medical treatment. A person who is registered with a doctor, dentist, or other healthcare professional, and is treated by him/her when necessary. Sometimes referred to as a user. |
primary care | The conventional first point of contact between a patient and the NHS. This is the component of care delivered to patients outside hospitals and is typically, though by no means exclusively, delivered through general practices. Primary care services are the most frequently used of all services provided by the NHS. Primary care encompasses a range of family health services provided by family doctors, dentists, pharmacists, optometrists and ophthalmic medical practitioners. |
Scottish Executive Health Department (SEHD) | The Scottish Executive Health Department is responsible for health policy and the administration of NHSScotland. Website address:
www.show.scot.nhs.uk/sehd |
statutory | Enacted by statute; depending on statute for its authority as a statutory provision. Required by law. |
Trust | A Trust is an NHS organisation responsible for providing a group of healthcare services for the local population. An acute hospital Trust provides hospital services. A Primary Care Trust delivers primary care/community health services. Mental health services (both hospital and community based) are now usually provided by Primary Care Trusts. |