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National Care Standards: Independent Specialist Clinics
Annex A
Glossary
Anaesthesia
Loss of feeling or sensation. This can be anaesthesia of a limited area of the body (local anaesthesia) or the whole body (general anaesthesia). Different drugs and techniques are required for each type of anaesthesia.
Care or clinic record
The document used by all clinic staff which will have your personal details and will also be used to plan, record and evaluate your treatment.
Carer
A person who looks after children, family, partners or friends in need of help because they are vulnerable or are ill, frail or have a disability. The care they provide may be unpaid.
Clinical effectiveness
The extent to which specific clinical interventions (treatments), when used for a particular patient or population, do what they are intended to do - that is, maintain and improve health and secure the greatest possible health gain from available resources.
Clinician
A health professional, such as physician, psychiatrist, nurse or medical scientist, engaged in care of patients as distinct from one working in other areas (for example, research).
Consent form
A form that details the treatment to be carried out by a named healthcare professional which you sign to authorise the treatment.
Contingency arrangements
This refers to the policy that the clinic has in place to deal with your needs if there is any disruption to the normal, routine arrangements made to care for you before, during or after your treatment.
Cooling-off period
A period of time for reflection between making your decision and paying for and proceeding with treatment.
Cosmetic surgery
Surgery to improve the appearance of an individual or correct an outstanding feature resulting from congenital abnormalities, injury, disease or from the natural ageing process.
Cosmetic treatment
Treatment to improve the appearance of an individual, such as collagen injections, fine line removal injections and facial peels.
Diet treatment
In most cases, dietary treatments will refer to the management of people attending independent clinics to lose weight. However, some clinics may also provide advice for people with other conditions which may be controlled or managed through dietary change. The information in the standards relating to dietary treatments covers both these situations.
Disclosure Scotland
A new Disclosure Bureau was established within the Scottish Criminal Record Office for the purpose of issuing certificates under Part V of the Police Act 1997. This new service is known as Disclosure Scotland and will be responsible for issuing three levels of certificates to be known as Basic disclosures, Standard disclosures and Enhanced disclosures. The aim of the new Disclosure Scotland service is to enhance public safety and to help employers and voluntary organisations in Scotland to make safer recruitment decisions.
GDC
General Dental Council. The main aim of the GDC is to protect patients by:
maintaining high standards of dental education;
setting high standards of dental practice and conduct;
requiring dentists to take part in continuing professional development to keep their knowledge and skills up to date; and
taking action if there is doubt about whether a dental professional should be allowed to continue practising dentistry.
The GDC also maintains an up-to-date register of all qualified dentists.
Website:
www.gdc-uk.org
GMC
General Medical Council. The main aim of the GMC is to protect patients by:
promoting high standards of medical education, including continuing education;
fostering good medical practice, including issuing guidance on this and other issues (for example, ethics); and
dealing firmly and fairly with doctors whose fitness to practise is in doubt.
The GMC also maintains up-to-date registers of all qualified doctors.
Website:
www.gmc-uk.org
IHA
Independent Healthcare Association. The IHA represents the spectrum of organisations involved in the independent health and social care sector.
Website:
www.iha.org.uk
IR(ME)R
The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations. These regulations apply to any use of ionising radiation for the treatment or diagnosis of patients.
Independent clinic
Premises in, or from which, a registered medical or dental practitioner provides private (that is, non-NHS) services.
Infection control
Programmes of disease surveillance, designed to investigate, prevent and control the spread of infections and the micro-organisms which cause them.
Intense pulse light source
A non-coherent, non-laser flash lamp light source. Its use includes treatment of facial birthmarks and leg veins and for hair removal.
Laser
Laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. The term is used to mean the machine which produces the intense beam of light. Lasers are classified according to the risk to people associated with the intense beam of light produced ranging from low risk for those used in CD players to higher risk for those used in medical treatments. The term laser in these standards refers to class 3B and 4 lasers, and also Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) sources, used in treatments.
Laser treatment
Use of a laser to achieve selective destruction or some alteration in a target site on the body (for example, cornea - for eyesight improvement; tattoo, birthmark, excess hair and scar removal) without damaging surrounding tissue. In these standards, the definition is extended to include intense pulse light sources.
MHRA
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. An Executive Agency of the Department of Health that protects and promotes public health and patient safety by ensuring that medicines, healthcare products and medical equipment meet appropriate standards for safety, quality, performance and effectiveness and are used safely.
Website:
www.mhra.gov.uk
Medication
A substance administered for treatment purposes.
NMC
Nursing and Midwifery Council. This organisation was set up by Parliament to ensure nurses, midwives and health visitors provide high standards of care to their patients and clients. To achieve its aims, the NMC maintains a register of qualified nurses, midwives and health visitors, sets standards for education, practice and conduct, provides advice for nurses, midwives and health visitors and considers allegations of misconduct or unfitness to practise.
Website:
www.nmc-uk.org
Patient care record
A multi-disciplinary record of all care assessment and treatment, including the medical component.
Pharmaceutical
Relating to drugs or medicines.
Professional indemnity insurance
Insurance against loss or damage as a consequence of a professional's work.
Public liability insurance
Insurance against loss or damage suffered by the public as a consequence of negligence or inappropriate action.
Resuscitation
Restoration to life or consciousness of one who has collapsed or stopped breathing.
Risk management
A systematic approach to the management of risk, to reduce: loss of life; financial loss; loss of staff availability; loss of reputation; and to enhance safety. See also the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Services
Any treatments, consultations, medicines or products provided by the clinic. In summary, anything for which the clinic makes a charge.
Service user
An individual who is buying the service for themselves. In some cases the service user may be a relative who is buying the service on behalf of an individual.
Side effects
Any unwanted, non-therapeutic effect of any treatment.
SIGN
SIGN stands for Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, which was formed in 1993. SIGN is a collaborative network of clinicians, other health care professionals, and patient organisations. SIGN's objective is to improve the quality of health care for patients in Scotland through the development and dissemination of national guidelines containing recommendations for effective practice based on current evidence.
Website:
www.sign.ac.uk
Treatment
The application of medicines, surgery or therapy to a patient.
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