Health and Social Services Glossary of Acronyms

This glossary was intended to help lay people to understand what people in health and social care are talking about when they use acronyms. It has a regional bias towards Manchester, but jargon in the rest of the UK is not very different.  I have tried to include Scottish, Irish, and Welsh terms. I must thank Mervyn Monks of South Gloucestershire LINk who contributed a substantial collection of new acronyms. I have, I am afraid, stopped updating the list, as Google seems to work well enough for terms that are in current use.

Terms included are mostly those discussed by managers and politicians (usually because they cost money) or which you may find included in medical notes.  If you are looking for information about a medical condition you might like to try UK Self Help, which has a very good list of helpful organisations, mostly run by people by people with personal experience of the condition. They are also very helpful in understanding exactly what people mean when they use unfamiliar words.

It would be better if people spell out exactly what they mean, at least the first time round, but they don’t, so I hope this list will help. If you are on the receiving end of incomprehensible documents supposedly produced for the public or for users of services please complain. Managers can get help if they can’t manage to communicate with ordinary mortals.

Some of the explanations in the glossary are a bit quick and dirty, so may give an inaccurate picture, particularly of complex organisations. Some are doctors’ slang or offensive – or both – but as you may find them in your notes I make no apology for including them. And a few are internet terms, but they get everywhere these days

You can find other glossaries on the Internet. This one is designed for lay people interested in the British National Health Service and welfare state. Most of the others are designed for professionals. Acronyms And Initialisms For Health Information Resources compiled by Marie-Lise Antoun is the most impressive multilingual list, but hers, like this one, is not longer updated.  Allglossary has 1702 glossaries listed in 242 Categories, and Acronym Finder claims to have 186,000 entries in its database. There is also Acrofinder. So this is pretty modest by comparison. For clinical stuff BioMedSearch seems a pretty comprehensive database. The Guardian has produced a useful list of NHS jargon and acronyms.

Plain English

There are a number of organisations which will help official organisations to communicate clearly.

• Fowlers’ work, The King’s English
• Guardian style guide
• Plain English Campaign
• The Plain Language Association
• The Word Centre
• Bad Language: The Use and Abuse of Official Language

Health and Social Services Glossary of Acronyms

Symbols

# Fracture

+ve Positive

-ve Negative

3Ns Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health NHS Trust (obs)

A

A & A Advice and Advocacy

A & D Anxiety and Depression

A & E    Accident and Emergency Department Casualty – as seen on TV, but usually less exciting

A & S Avon and Somerset

A & RC Audit and Risk Committee

A & SLRF Avon & Somerset Local Resilience Forum

A/O Alert and Oriented

A4A Awards for All

AA        Attendance Allowance Benefit for people over 65 who need personal care

or Accountancy Age

or Alcoholics Anonymous

or Advanced Access

AAA Annual Accountability Agreement

or Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

AAC Advisory Appointments Committee

or Avon Audit Consortium

or Advisory Appointments Committee

AAGBI Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland

AAMS Association of Air Medical Services (US)

AAO American Academy of Opthalmology

AAOS American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons

AAOx3 Awake, Alert, Oriented x 3 [person/place/time]

AAP Area Action Plan

AARP Ambulance Analogue Radio Project

AAT Association of Accounting Technicians

AAU Acute Assessment Unit

AB Antibiotic

ABC Activity-Based Costing

or Acceptable Behaviour Contract

or Acute balance of care

or Appointment Business Case

ABG Arterial Blood Gases

ABHI Association of British Healthcare Industries

ABI Area-Based Initiative or

Association of British Insurers

ABM Activity-Based Management

ABN Association of British Neurologists

ABPI Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry

ABS Adult Basic Skills

a c ante cibos – before food

AC AnteCubital vein or fossa

or Anterior Cephalic vein

or Audit Commission

ACA Area Cost Adjustment (part of the SSA)

or Auxiliary Care Assistant

or Ambulance Care Assistant

ACAC Area Clinical Audit Committee

ACAD Ambulatory Care and Diagnostic Centre

ACAS Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service

ACBS Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances

ACC Adjusted Credit Ceiling (part of capital control framework)

or Adult Community Care

or Ambulatory Care Conditions

or Age Concern Cymru

ACCA Association of Chartered Certified Accountants

ACCE Association of County Chief Executives

ACCEA Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards

ACD Active Compression-Decompression

ACDA Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards (obs)

ACDF Active Communities Development Fund

ACDC Ambulatory Care and Diagnostic Centre

ACDM – Association of Clinical Data Managers

ACDP Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens

ACE Angiotensin Converting Enzyme is a sort of hormone in the kidney which controls the body’s fluid/salt balance and has a major role in maintaining blood pressure

or Arts Council of England

ACEO Association of Chief Education Officers

ACEVO Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations

ACF Association of Charitable Foundations

ACG Annual Capital Guideline (part of Local Government capital control framework)

or Annual Carers Grant

ACHCEW Association of Community Health Councils for England and Wales (obsolete)

ACHMS Asian Community Mental Health Services

ACIE Association of Charity Independent Examiners

ACIG Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Information Group

ACL Aggregate Credit Limit (part of capital control framework)

ACLS Advanced Coronary Life Support

ACM   Assessment and Care Management – Social Services community care purchaser division

or Additional Case Manager

ACME Advisory Committee on Medical Establishment (Scotland)

or Alliance for Continuing Medical Education

ACMHS Asian Community Mental Health Services

ACMT Advisory Committee on Medical Training

ACNI Age Concern Northern Ireland

AcoP Accounting Code of Practice

ACORN A Classification Of Residential Neighbourhoods

ACP American College of Physicians

or Advanced Care Planning

ACPC Area Child Protection Committee

ACR Albumin Creatinine Ratio

ACPO Association of Chief Police Officers

ACRA Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (obs)

ACRE Action with Communities in Rural England

ACS Association of Charity Shops

or Acute Coronary Syndrome

or Ambulance Car Service

or Age Concern Scotland

ACSES Association of Council Secretaries & Solicitors

ACT Assertive Community Treatment

or Advice & Complaints Team

ACTAF Association of Community Trusts and Foundations Now Community Foundation Network

ACTH Adenocorticotrophic hormone

ACTS Agency for Community Team Support

ACTR Additional Cost of Teaching and Research (in Scotland)

ACU Active Community Unit (part of the Home Office)

ACWCN Avon, Glos, Wilts Cardiac Network

ADA Americans with Disabilities Act

ADASS Association of Directors of Adult Social Services

ADC Automatic Data Capture

or Avon Decontamination Collaborative

ADCU Anti-Drugs Co-ordination Unit

ADD Attention Deficit Disorder

ADG Ambulatory Development Group

ADH Additional Duty Hours

or antidiurectic hormone

ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ADI Acceptable Daily Intake

ADL Activities of daily living – measures of independence in being able to perform personal care and other basic daily tasks; for example eating, washing, dressing, getting in and out of bed, climbing stairs etc

ADMS Assistant Director of Medical Services

ADNS Assistant Director of Nursing Services

ADOC Avon Director On Call

ADP Automatic Data Processing

or adenosine 5′ pyrophosphate

ADPH Association of Directors of Public Health

ADQ Average Daily Quantity Average amount of a medication prescribed for an adult in England

ADR adverse drug reaction

ADS     Attribution Data Set – A list of patients on GP lists in March 1998 which matches patients by age and sex to practices and to census enumeration districts

ADSL Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

ADSS  Association of Directors of Social Services (obs)

ADSU Automatic Distress Signal Unit

AE air entry – part of the examination of the chest

AEA Action on Elder Abuse

AED Automatic External Defibrillator

AEF Aggregate External Finance

AEGIS Aid to the Elderly in Government Institutions

AELS Advanced Endocrinological Life Support

AEN Additional Educational Needs (part of SSA)

AEPP Avonwide Emergency Preparedness Policy

AF Atrial Fibrillation

or Area Forum

AFAIAA As Far As I Am Aware

AFB acid-fast bacillus

AFC Agenda for Change

A f ME Action for ME

AFOM Associate of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine

AFPP Association for Perioperative Practice

AFR Annual Financial Return

or Annual Frequency Rate

AFRA Annual Fire Risk Assessment

AFRS Avon Fire & Rescue Service

AfS Action for Sustainability

AFWG Allocation Formula Working Group (part of Home Office)

AGC Audit & Governance Committee

AGM Annual General Meeting

or Assistant General Manager

AGMA Association of Greater Manchester Authorities

AGMETS Advisory Group on Medical and Dental Education, Training and Staffing

AGREE Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation in Europe

AGUM Association for Genitourinary Medicine

AGW Avon Gloucestershire & Wiltshire

AGWS Avon, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire & Somerset

AHA Associate of the Institute of Hospital Administrators

or Area Health Authority (defunct)

AHC Avon Health Committee

or Annual Health Check

or Area Housing Committee

or After Housing Costs

AHCPA Association of Health Centre and Practice Administrators

AHERC Avon Health Executive Resilience Group

AHHRM Association of Healthcare Human Resource Management Personnel Directors Union

AHP Allied health professional

AHRQ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

AHS Acute Hospital Services

or Adult Hearing-Aid Services

AICD Automatic Internal Cardiac Defibrillator

AIDS  Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

AIF Area investment frameworks

AIM Advanced Informatics in Medicine

or Association of Independent Multifunds (obsolete)

AIMS Association for Improvements in Maternity Services

AIMTC Avon Information & Management Technology Centre

AIOPI – Association of Information Officers in the Pharmaceutical Industry now the Pharmaceutical Information and Pharmacovigilance Association (PIPA)

AIQ Available In Quarters

aka Also Known As

ALA Association of Local Authorities Now part of the LGA

ALAC Artificial Limb and Appliance Centre

ALARM Association of Local Authority Risk Managers

ALATS Association of Local Authority Treasurer’s Societies

ALC Antiviral Logistics Cell

ALD Adult with Learning Difficulties

ALE Auditors Local Evaluation

ALERT Acute Life threatening Events – Recognition & Treatment

ALF Activity-Led Funding

ALG Association of London Government

ALI Adult Learning Inspectorate (abolished April 2007)

ALM Action Learning for Managers

ALMO Arms Length Management Organisation

alos Average Length of Stay

ALPHA Access to Learning for the Public Health Agenda

ALS Advanced Life Support

ALSOB Alcohol Like Substance On Breath

ALT /SGPT liver function tests

ALW Adult Learners’ Week

AMA American Medical Association

or Against Medical Advice

AMBEX Ambulance Exhibition

AMD Age related Macular degeneration

AME Annual Managed Expenditure

AMEE Association for Medical Education in Europe

AMI Acute Myocardial Infarction

AMIA American Medical Informatics Association

AMIMR Acute Myocardial Infarction Mortality Rate

AMP Asset Management Plan

AMPDS Advance Medical Priority Despatch System

AMPS Assessment of Motor Skills

AMQ Average Monthly Quantities The assumed maintenance dose per month for an adult of a drug

AMRA Asset Management Revenue Account

AMRC Association of Medical Research Charities

or Academy of Medical Royal Colleges

AMS Army Medical Services

AMSPAR Association of Medical Secretaries, Practice Administrators and Receptionists

AMT Aspects & Milestones Trust

ANC Ante Natal Clinic

ANH Artificial Nutrition and Hydration

ANI Automatic Number Identification (telephony)

ANSI American National Standards Institute

ANTT Aseptic non-touch technique

AOB Alcohol On Breath

AOC Adult Opportunity Centre

or Avon Orthopaedic Centre

AODP Association of Operating Department Practitioners formerly BAODA British Association of Operating Department Assistants

AOMRC Academy of Medical Royal Colleges

AONB Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

AOP Association of Optometrists

AOS Area of Search

AOT Assertive Outreach Team

AP Alternative Pathways

APA Association of Police Authorities

or Annual Performance Assessment

APB Auditing Practices Board

APC Area Prescribing Committee

or Antigen-presenting Cell

or Adult Protection Committee

APCRC Avon Primary Care Research Collaborative

APCSA Avon Primary Care Support Agency

APD Advanced Professional Development

APH Aged Persons Home

or Association of Public Health – now turned into UKPHA

APHA American Public Health Association

APHO Association of Public Health Observatories

APHR Annual Public Health Report

APLS Advanced Paediatric Life Support

APM Arbitrage Pricing Model

or Investopedia – Arbiteage

APMS Alternative Primary Medical Services

or Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey

APPG All Party Parliamentary Group

APROP Action for the Proper Regulation of Private Hospitals

APS Annual Population Survey

APSE Association for Public Service Excellence

APT&C Administrative, Professional, Technical & Clerical – former grading of local government staff

AQH Association for Quality in Healthcare

AQS Air Quality Strategy

AR analytical standard of reagent purity

ARB Angiotensin Receptor Blocker

ARE Advocacy Resource Exchange

ARIF Aggressive Research Intelligence Facility

ARM Association of Radical Midwives

or artificial rupture of the membranes

ARSH Association of Royal Society of Health

ARVAC Association for Research in the Voluntary and Community Sector

as Auricle Sinistrus (Left Ear)

ASA Advertising Standards Authority or

Ambulance Service Association

ASAP As Soon As Possible

ASB Anti-Social Behaviour

ASBAH Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus

ASBO Anti-Social Behaviour Order

ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange – Plain text

ASD Autistic Spectrum Disorder

ASEC Associate Specialist Education Committee

ASH Action on Smoking and Health

ASIM American Society of Internal Medicine

ASIT Association of Surgeons in Training

ASME Association for the Study of Medical Education

ASP Active Server Protocol

ASPFA Asylum Seekers and People From Abroad – a Social Services team who pay out cash to people who cannot get Social Security Benefits

ASR Acute Services Review

ASSIST Association for Information Management and Technology Staff in the NHS

ASTRO-PU Age Sex Temporary Resident Originated Prescribing Unit

ASU Ambulance Support Unit

ASW    Approved Social Worker – A social worker approved to carry out Sections under the Mental Health Act

ASWCS Avon Somerset and Wiltshire Cancer Services

ATC Adult Training Centre (obs)

ATfJ Action Teams for Jobs

ATLS Advanced Trauma Life Support

ATMD Association of Trust Medical Directors

ATOC Association of Train Operating Companies

ATP adenosine 5′ triphosphate

ATTRACT – Ask TRiP to Rapidly Alleviate Confused Thoughts

Atts Attendances

ATU Alcohol Treatment Unit

au Right Ear

AUDGP Association of University Departments of General Practice (obs)

AUKUH Association of UK University Hospitals

AVG Ambulatory Visit Group

AVMA Action Against of Medical Accidents

AWP Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership

AWS Avon Wiltshire & Somerset

AZT Azidothymidine (or zidovudine)

B

B2B Business to Business

BA Benefits Agency (obs)

or Bachelor of Arts

or Block Allocation

BAAF British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering

BACCH British Association for Community Child Health

BACR British Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation

BACS British Association for Chemical Specialities

or Blood Alcohol Content

or Bankers’ Automated Clearing Services

BACTS British Association of Clinical Terminology

BACUP British Association of Cancer United Patients

BAEM British Association for Accident and Emergency Medicine

BAMM British Association of Medical Managers

BAMS Benefit Agency Medical Service (obs)

BAN British Approved Name

BAO British Association of Otolaryngologists

BAOT British Association of Occupational Therapists

BAP British Association for Psychopharmacology

BAPRAS British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons

BAPS British Association of Paediatric Surgeons

or British Association of Plastic Surgeons (now BAPRAS)

BAPT British Association of Physical Training

BARQA British Association of Research Quality

BAS Bristol Adult Services

or Bond Air Services

BASH British Association for the Study of Headache

BASICS British Association of Immediate Care

BASRaT British Association of Sports Rehabilitators and Trainers

BASSAC British Association of Settlements and Social Action Centres

BASW British Association of Social Workers

BAUS British Association of Urological Surgeons

BB Beta Blocker

BBH Blackberry Hill Hospital

BBP Blood-Borne Pathogen

BBS Bulletin Board System

BBV Blood borne virus

BC Block Contracting

or Borough Council

BCA Basic Credit Approval (part of capital control framework)

BCCCF Black Community Care Consultative Forum

BCD Black and Culturally Diverse

BCF Boundary Change Factor

BCG    Bacille Calmette-Guerin Vaccination for TB Named after the scientists who developed the weakened strain of TB

or ballistocardiogram

BCHS Better Care Higher Standards

BCI Business Continuity Institute

BCIS British Cardiac Intervention Society

BCM Business Community Management

BCODP British Council of Disabled People

BCRC British Cave Rescue Council

BCRM Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine

BCS British Computer Society

or British Cardiovascular Society

BCU Basic Command Unit (police)

BD Twice Daily – of medication

or BenzoDiazepine

BDA British Dental Association

or British Diabetic Association now called Diabetes UK

or British Dietetic Association

or British Dyslexia Association

or Black Development Agency

BDD body dysmorphic disorder

BDH British Drug Houses (no longer trading)

BDI Barriers Domain Indicators

BDS Bachelor of Dental Surgery

BEAM Biomedical Equipment Assessment and Management

BEHAF British Ethnic Health Awareness Foundation

BEMS Bath Emergency Medical Service

BESS Benchill Ecumenical Service Scheme – three local churches which work together

BEST Behaviour + Education Support Teams

BF Bio Feedback

BGH Bristol General Hospital

BGL Blood Glucose Level

BGOP Better Government for Older People

BGS British Geriatrics Society for Health in Old Age

BGT Blood Glucose Test

BHAPS Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Ambulance and Paramedic Service

BHF British Heart Foundation

BHI Bristol Heart Institute

BHOC Bristol Haematology & Oncology Centre

BHPS British Household Panel Survey

BHS British Hypertension Society

BHSP Bristol Health Services Plan

BIBA British Insurance Brokers Association

BIBRA British Industrial Biological Association

bid bis in die – twice daily

BIDS Bath Information and Data Services

BIIG Business Information In Government

BILD British Institute of Learning Disabilities

BIQ Back in Quarters

BIR British Institute of Radiology

BIRA British Institute of Regulatory Affairs

BiTC Business in the Community

BIVDA British in Vitro Diagnostics Association

BLEVE Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion

BLP Branch Labour Party – normally covering one ward

BLROA British Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Association

BLS Basic Life Support

BMA   British Medical Association – the main doctors’ Trade Union

BMAG Burnage Multi-Agency Group

BMC Blackhorse Medical Centre

BMCA Barlow Moor Community Association

BME Black and Minority Ethnic

BMI Body Mass Index (kg/m2)

BMIS British Medical Informatics Society

BMJ British Medical Journal – published by the BMA weekly

BMR Basal metabolic rate

BNF British National Formulary Quarterly publication containing details of prescribed drugs

BNI British Nursing Index

BNSSG Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire

BOA British Orthopaedic Association

BOC Bristol Oncology Centre

BOFP Bristol Older Peoples Forum

BOGOF Buy One Get One Free

BOMSS British Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society

BOPCAS British Official Publications Current Awareness Service

BOPP Bristol Older Peoples Partnership

BOS British Orthodontic Society

BP Blood pressure

or British Pharmacopoeia

or Boiling point

BPA British Paediatric Association (obs)

or British Paramedic Association

BPAS British Pregnancy Advisory Service

BPC British Pharmaceutical Codex

BPD Borderline Personality Disorder

BPE Benign Prostate Enlargement

BPG Best Practice Guidelines

BPH Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Enlargement of the prostate gland

BPMF British Postgraduate Medical Federation

BPPC Better Payment Practice Code

BPPV benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

BPR Business Process Re-engineering

BPS British Pharmacological Society

BPSU British Paediatric Surveillance Unit

BPTS Back Pain Triage Service

BQS Better Quality Services

BR Budget Requirement

BrAPP British Association of Pharmaceutical Physicians

BREEAM Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method

BREHP Bristol Racial Equality in Health Partnership

BRHC Bristol Royal Hospital for Children

BRI Bristol Royal Infirmary

BRT Big Red Trucks

BSA Basic Skills Agency

BSAD British Sports Association for the Disabled

BSc Bachelor of Science

BSCC British Society for Clinical Cytology

BSE Bovine Spongiform Encephalopthy Mad Cow Disease Causes a form of CJD

or Breast Self Examination

BSEC Basic Surgical Education Committee

BSH British Society for Haematology

BSI British Standards Institution

or British Society for Immunology

BSL British Sign Language

BSM Behavioural Self-Management

BSPED British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes

BSR British Society of Rheumatology

BST Basic Surgical Training

or Basic Specialist Training

BSVP Better Services for Vulnerable People;

BTCV British Trust for Conservation Volunteers

BTEG Black Training and Enterprise Group

BTP British Transport Police

BTS Blood Transfusion Service

or British Thoracic Society

or Buddy Travel Scheme

BTW By The Way

BUA Bristol Urology Associates

BUGAUP Billboard Utilising Graffitists Against Unhealthy Promotions

BUI Bristol Urological Institute

BUNDY But Unfortunately Not Dead Yet

BUPA British United Provident Association

BURA British Urban Regeneration Association

BUST Breast cancer Unit Support Trust

BV Best Value (sometimes used for Best Value Indicator)

BVACoP Best Value Accounting Code of Practice

BVP Business Volunteering Project

BVPI Best Value Performance Indicator

BVPP Best Value Performance Plan

BWS Beached Whale Syndrome

BZD BenZoDiazepine

C

C/P Chest Pain

C & A Child & Adolescent

C & B Choose and Book

C&C Command and Control

or Counsel and Care

C & R Control & Restraint

C1-7 Cervical spine bones (in the neck)

C2H5OH +++ Drunk

CA Cancer

or Countryside Agency

or Conjoint Analysis

or California

or Canada

CAA Comprehensive Area Assessment

CAAC Consultant Advisory Appointment Committee

CAB Citizens Advice Bureau

CABA Compressed Air Breathing Apparatus

CABG Coronary Artery Bypass Graft

CABE Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment

CAD Control and Despatch

CADISAP Coronary Artery Disease in South Asians Project

CADO Chief Administrative Dental Officer

CAEF Clinical Audit and Effectiveness Forum

CAF Charities Aid Foundation

or Common Assessment Framework

CAFCASS Children And Family Court Advisory Support Service

CAIT Citizens Advocacy Information and Training

CALL Cancer Aid Listening Line

CAM Complementary and Alternative Medicine

or Community Affairs Manager

CAMHS Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services

CAMO Chief Administrative Medical Officer

CAMS Computer Aided Medical Systems

CAN Community Action Network

CANO Chief Area Nursing Officer

CAOx4 Conscious, Alert, and Oriented x4

CAP Common Agricultural Policy

or Communities Against Poverty

or Community Acquired Pneumonia

or Code of Audit Practice

CAPD Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis for people with kidney failure

CAPM Capital Asset Pricing Model

CAPO Chief Administrative Pharmaceutical Officer

CAPS Crown Agents Purchasing Services Ltd

CAPT Childhood Accident Prevention Trust

CARE Clinical Audit and Research Evidence

or Craniofacial Anomalies Register

CAS  Care Assessment Schedule

or Chemical Abstracts

or Community Accountancy Service

or Controls Assurance Statement

or Continence Advisory Service

or Central Alert Service

CASE Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion

CASH Consensus Action on Salt and Health

or Contraception & Sexual Health

CASP Critical Appraisal Skills Programme

CASPE Clinical Accountability Service Planning and Evaluation

CAT Computerised Axial Tomography

or Critically Appraised Topic

or Community Alcohol Team

CATS Credit Accumulated Transfer Scheme

or Clinical Assessment Treatment Service

CAWG Controls Assurance Working Group

CB Citizen’s Band radio

CB& CN Challenging Behaviour and Complex Needs

CBA Cost Benefit Analysis

CBC Confirming Business Case

CBI Confederation of British Industry

CBIS Capacity Building Infrastructure Strategy

CBIT Capacity Building Implementation Team

CBN Capacity Building Network

CBRN Chemical, Biological, Radioacative and Nuclear

CBS Commissioning Business Service

CBT Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

or Computer Based Training

or Call to Balloon Time

or Concessionary Bus Travel

CC County Council

or cum cibis – with food

or Chief Complaint

or City Council

or Charity Commission

or Capital Charge

or Community Care

CC&H(S) Community Care and Housing (Services)

CCA Cost-Consequence Analysis

or Current Cost Accounting

or Civil Contingencies Act 2004

CCAB Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies

CCAD Central Cardiac Audit Database

CCB Critical Care Bed

CCBR Community Capacity Building Review

CCBT Computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

CCC NHS Centre for Coding and Classification

or Civil Contingencies Committee

or Command and Control Coordination

CCCG Cochrane Colorectal Cancer Group

CCD Civil Contingencies Division

CCDC Consultant in Communicable Disease Control

CCDG Core Clinical Development Group

CCE Completed Consultant Episode

CCEPP Cochrane Collaboration on Effective Professional Practice – now called EPOC

CCETSW Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work (abolished October 2001)

CCG Community Care Grant

CCHD Community Care & Housing Department

CCHR Citizens Commission on Human Rights

CCHS Community Child Health Services

CCN County Councils’ Network

or Change Control Notice

CCNT Community Children’s Nursing Team

CCP Community Care Plan

or Change Control Procedure

or Critical Care Practitioner

CCR Cross Cutting Review

or Coordinated Community Response

or Community Care Records

CcRISP Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient

CCS Civil Contingencies Secretariat

or Critical Care Support

CCSC Central Consultants and Specialists Committee

CCSI Critical Care Skills Institute

CCSR Cross Cutting Spending Review

CCST Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training for junior doctors

CCT Compulsory Competitive Tendering A sort of Dutch Auction of public services, now partly replaced by the Best Value process

CCTH Care Closer To Home

CCTR Cochrane Controlled Trials Register

CCTV Closed Circuit TeleVision

CCU    Coronary care unit

CD Clinical Director

or Clinical Directorate

or Civil Defence

or Cluster of Differentiation

or Corporate Development

or Community Development

or Controlled Drug

CDAD Clostridium Difficile Associated Disease

CD-ROM Compact Disc Read Only Memory

CDC Corporate & Democratic Core

or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

or Council for Disabled Children

CDDS Council of Deans of Dental Schools

CDER Center for Drug Evaluation and Research

CDG Community Development Group

or Consortia Development Grant

CDHN Community Development and Health Network

CDM Chronic Disease Management

or Construction, Design and Management

CDNA Community and District Nursing Association

CDO Chief Dental Officer

CDOP Child Death Overview Panel

CDRP Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership

CDS Contract Data Set – A collection of information recorded by the NHS Trust that identifies a patient and their treatment which is sent to the Health Authority

or Community Dental Service

CDSC Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre now the HPA Centre for Infections

CDSM Committee on Dental and Surgical Materials (abolished 1994)

CDSR Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

CDTT Community Dementia Treatment Team

CDU Child Development Unit

or Central Delivery Unit

or Colourflow Duplex Ultrasound

or Clinical Decision Unit

CDX Community Development Exchange

CE Chief Executive

CEA Cost Effectiveness Analysis

CED Community Economic Development

CEDC Community Education Development Centre

CEEU Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation Unit of the RCP

CEF Community Empowerment Fund

or Corporate Equalities Forum

CEFET Central England Forum for European Training

CEMACH Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health

CEMD Confidential Enquiry Into Maternal Deaths (obs)

CEMVO Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations

CEN Community Empowerment Network

CEO Chief Executive Officer

or Community Engagement Officer

CEPOD Confidential Enquiry into Peri-Operative Deaths

CEPU Central Emergency Planning Unit (OFMDFM)

CERA Capital Expenditure, Revenue Account

CERES Consumers for Ethics in Research (archived)

Cert HSM Certificate in Health Services Management

CES Charities Evaluation Services

CESDI Confidential Enquiry into Sudden Deaths of Infants

CESH National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide By People With Mental Illness

CESG Communications Electronics Security Group

CET Community Engagement Team

CETV Cash Equivalent Transfer Value

CEWG Clinical Excellence Working Group

CF Cystic Fibrosis

or Contestability Framework

CFA Combined Fire Authority

CFC Chlorofluorocarbon

CFF Crime Fighting Fund

CfH Connecting For Health

CFI Community Finance Initiative

CFISSA Centrally Funded Initiatives and Services and Special Allocations

CFN Community Foundation Network

CFO Chief Finance Officer or

Conventionally Financed Option or

Co-Financing Public Sector Intermediary Organisation

CFOA Chief Fire Officers Association

CFOS Counter Fraud Operational Services

CfPS Centre for Public Scrutiny

CFR Capital Financing Reserve

or Community First Responder

or Case Fatality Rate

CFRC Children and Family Resource Centre

CFS Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

CFSMS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service

CG Clinical Governance

CGC Clinical Governance Committee

CGD Chronic Granulomatous Disease

CGF Child Growth Foundation

CGI Common Gateway Interface

CGR Clinical Governance Review

CGST Clinical Governance Support Team

CGSU Clinical Governance Support Unit

CH Community Hospital

CHAI Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (abolished)

or Comprehensive Health Impact Assessment

CHAIN Contact Help Advice and Information Network

CHAOS Chief Has Arrived on the Scene

CHART Community Health Action Resource Team

CHB Chirurgiae Baccalaureus Basic surgical degree not usually seen by itself without the MB

CHC    Community Health Council  (now only in Wales)

or Community Health Centre

or Continuing Health Care

CHD    Coronary Heart Disease – a group of clinical syndromes including angina pectoris, acute myocardial infarction and sudden ischaemic death

CHDGP Collection of Health Data from General Practice project

CHDRH Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Royal Hospital NHS Trust

CHEC, Cancer Help (for Minor) Ethnic Communities

CHESTCombined Higher Education Software Team

CHEX Community Health Exchange

CHF Congestive Heart Failure

CHG Community Hospitals Group (now taken over by BUPA)

CHI Commission for Health Improvement (obs)

or Community Health Index

CHIA Comprehensive Health Impact Assessment

CHIME Centre for Health Informatics in Medical Education

CHIP City Housing Improvement Plan

CHIQ Centre for Health Information Quality (obs)

CHIR Canadian Institutes of Health Research

CHIRP Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Procedure

ChM Chirurgiae Magister (Master of Surgery)

CHMS Council for Heads of Medical Schools

CHMU Central Health Monitoring Unit (obs)

CHNT Christies Hospital NHS Trust

CHOU Central Health Outcomes Unit

CHP Community Health Partnership

or Combined Heat and Power

or Continuing Health Care Panel

or Cossham Hospital Project

CHRA Cardiovascular Health Risk Assessment

CHRC Community Health and Resource Centres

CHRE Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence now Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence

CHS Community Health Services

or Chest Heart and Stroke

or Centre for Horizon Scanning, University of Birmingham

or Child Health Surveillance

CI Clinical Indicator

CIA Chief Internal Auditor

CIC Common Information Core or

Charitable Incorporated Organisation

or Caring In Confidence

CIEH Chartered Institute of Environmental Health

CIL Centre for Independent Living

CIM Capital Investment Manual

CIMA Chartered Institute of Management Accountants

CIMP Clinical Information Management Programme

CIMS Coalition for Improving Maternity Services

CINAHL Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health

CIO Confederation of Indian Organisations or

Charitable Incorporated Organisation

CIOT Chartered Institute of Taxation

CIP Cost Improvement Programme

CIPD Chartered Institute of Personnel Development

CIPFA Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountancy

CIPG Community Investment Partnership Group

CIPMT Commissioning, Implementation & Performance Management Team

CIPS Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply

CIS Clinical Information System

or Commonwealth of Independent States (republics of former USSR)

CISH Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Mental Health

CISIG Coastal Issues Special Interest Group

CIT Capacity Implementation Team

CITU Central Information Technology Unit – (obs)

CIVS Central Intravenous Addiction Service

CIX The Commercial Internet eXchange Association

CJC Commissioning Joint Committee

CJD Creutzfeld Jacob Disease

CJIP Central Justice Intervention Project

CJIT Criminal Justice Integrated Team

CJS Criminal Justice System

CKD Chronic Kidney Disease

CL Cash Limit

CLA Commissioner for Local Administration (the ombudsman)

CLAPA Cleft Lip and Palate Association

CLDT Community Learning Disability Team

CLG Communities & Local Government

CLGMS Cash Limited General Medical Services

CLib Cochrane Library

CLIC Cancer & Leukaemia in Children

CLIMP Clinical Information Management Programme

CLIP Central-Local Information Partnership

or CLinical Improvements Database

CLL Chronic Low Life

CLP Constituency Labour Party

or Central-Local Partnership

CLS Community Legal Service

CM Community Midwife

or Community Matron

or Complaints Manager

or Care Management

CMA Cost Minimisation Analysis

CMAJ Canadian Medical Association Journal

CMAP Care Management Advocacy Project

CMB Central Midwives Board (obs)

cm cras mane – tomorrow morning

CMD Continuing Medical Development

or Common Mental Disorder

CME Continuing Medical Education

CMF Capital Modernisation Fund

CMG Crisis Management Group

or Core Management Group

CMHN Community Mental Handicap Nurse (obsolete)

CMHSD Centre for Mental Health Services Development, Kings College London

CMHT Central Manchester Healthcare Trust

or Community Mental Health Team

CML Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia

CMMC Central Manchester and Manchester Children’s NHS Trust

CMMS Case Mix Management System

CMO Chief Medical Officer

or Clinical Medical Officer

or Community Medical Officer

CMP Civilian Medical Practitioner

or Carbon Management Programme

CMPCT Central Manchester PCT

CMPS Centre for Management and Policy Studies

CMR Cancer Mortality Rate

CMS Capacity Management System

or Cerner Millennium Systems

CMT Corporate Management Team

CMV cytomegalovirus

CN Charge Nurse

or Community Nurse

or Carers Network

CNA Community Nursing Assessment

CNM Clinical Nurse Manager

CNN Cable Network News

CNO Chief Nursing Officer

CNS Central Nervous System

or Clinical Nurse Specialist

or Community Nursing Service

CNST Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts

CO Cabinet Office

or Course Organiser

or Complains Of

or carbon monoxide

or Chief Officer

or Capital Out-turn

CO2 carbon dioxide

COAD Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease

CoAg Countryside Agency

COBR Cabinet Office Briefing Room

COCH Countess of Chester Hospital

COCP Cabinet Office Code of Practice

COG Clinical Outcome Guidance

COGPED Committee of General Practice Education Directors

COGIT Chief Officers’ Group of Information Technology

COI Central Office of Information

COIN Circulars On the INternet:

or Clinical Oncology Information Network (obs)

COMA Committee on Medical Aspects of Nutrition (abolished 2000)

COMAH Control of Major Accidents & Hazards

COMARE Committe on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment

COMEAP Committee On the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants

COPC Community Oriented Primary Care

COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

COPDenD Conference of Postgraduate Dental Deans

COPE Committee on Publication Ethics

COPMED Conference of Postgraduate Medical Deans

COR Capital Out-turn & Receipts return

CORE Clinical Outcomes Research and Effectiveness

COREC Central Office for Research Ethics Committees

CoRRS Community Rehabilitation & Reintegration Services

COSHH Control of Substances Hazardous to Health

COT Committee on Toxicity

CP Cerebral palsy

or Community Plan

or Communist Party

or Child Protection

CPA     Care Programme Approach

or Comprehensive Performance Assessment

or Clinical Pathology Accreditation

or Commission for Public Appointments

or Complaints Procedure Advocacy

CPAG Child Poverty Action Group

or Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group

CPAP Continuous Positive Airway Pressure

CPB Capital Programme Board

CPC Cost Per Case

CPCCH Consultant Paediatrician in Community Child Health

CPCME Centre for Postgraduate and Continuing Medical Education

CPCU Child Protection Co-ordination Unit

CPD Continuing Professional Development

CPEP Clinical Practice Evaluation Programme

CPF Community Projects Fund

CPFA Charted Public Finance Accountant

CPGB Communist Party of Great Britain – an organisation with ambitions to change the world and with the appearance but not the reality of democratic control – just the like the NHS

CPH Certificate in Public Health

CPHL Central Public Health Library

CPHM Certified Professional in Healthcare Materiel Management

CPHVA Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association – part of Unite

CPI Clinical Performance Indicators

CPLP Contact Point & Lead Professional

CPMA Capital Programme Management Audit

CPMP Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products

CPN Community Psychiatric Nurse

CPNA Community Psychiatric Nurses Association – now the Mental Health Nursing Association

CPNS Community Psychiatric Nursing Service

CPO Chief Pharmaceutical Officer

CPOD Centre for Professional and Organisational Development

CPP Chest Pain Programme

CPPIH Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (abolished)

CPR cardiopulmonary resuscitation – what the crash team does, or you can learn to do it yourself

or Come Put-em-ta Rest

or Capital Payments & Receipts return

or Child Protection Register

CPRE Council for the Protection of Rural England

CPS Crown Prosecution Service

CPSM Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine

CPU Contracts & Purchasing Unit

or Central Processing Unit

CPWP Capital Programmes Working Party

CQC Care Quality Commission

CQUIN Commissioning for Quality and Innovation

CQSW Certificate of Qualification of Social Work abolished 1989

CR Cardiac Rehabilitation

CR Carers Register

CRAG Charging for Residential Accommodation Guide Guidance for local authorities on community care financial assessment

Or Clinical Resource and Audit Group, now part of NHS Quality Improvement Scotland

CRAGPIE Committee of Regional Advisers in General Practice Education (obs)

CRANE Craniofacial Anomalies Register

CRASH

CRAFT Can’t Remember a F**king Thing

CRB Criminal Records Bureau

CRC Clinical Research Centre

or Cancer Research Campaign

CRCF Conference of Royal Colleges and their Faculties

CRD Centre for Reviews and Dissemination

CRDC Central Research and Development Committee

CRE Commission for Racial Equality

CRED Clinical Governance/Education and R&D subgroup

CRES Cash Releasing Efficiency Savings

CRG Clinical Reference Group

CRHP Council for the Regulation of Healthcare Professionals

CRHTT Crisis Resolution & Home Treatment Team

CRIO  Chief Registration & Inspection Officer

CRIP Common Recognised Information Picture

CRL Capital Resource Limit

CRMD Cochrane Review Methodology Database

CRP C-Reactive Protein

CRR Community Risk Register

CRS Care Records Service

CRSS Cardiac Rehab Service Standards

CRT Community Rehabilitation Team

or Cathode Ray Tube

or Coalfields Regeneration Trust

CRU Civil Renewal Unit (Home Office)

CS Capital Strategy

or Communications Strategy

or Community Safety

CSA Child Support Agency

or Care Standards Act 2000

CSAG Clinical Standards Advisory Group

CSASHS Common Services Agency for the Scottish Health Service

CSC Community Sector Coalition

CSCI Commission for Social Care Inspection now part of Care Quality Commission

CSCM Civil Service Corporate Management

CSCO Coterminous Social Care Organisation

CSD Carbonated Soda Drinks

CSDM Commissioning Service Development Manager

CSDS Chipping Sodbury Day Services

CSEC Corporate Specialist Education Committee

CSEDP Care Services efficient delivering programme

CSF Cerebro-spinal Fluid or

Community Support Framework

or Children Schools & Families

CSIA Central Sponsor for Information Assurance

CSIP Care Services Improvement Partnership (abolished)

CSM Committee on the Safety of Medicines

or Christian Socialist Movement

CSMC Civil Service Management Committee

CSMH Chipping Sodbury Memorial Hospital

CSO Civil Society Organisation

CSP Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

or Children’s Services Plan

CSPG Central Support Protection Grant

CSR Comprehensive Spending Review

CSS Certificate of Satisfactory Service

or Cascading Style Sheets

or Children’s Social Services

or Clinical Support Services

CSSD Central Sterile Supplies Department

or Central Support Service Department

CST Corporate Sustainability Team

CSV Community Service Volunteers

CT Computerised tomography – a scanning technology

CTA Community Transport Association (UK )

CTAC Community Technical Aid Centre

CTB Council Tax Benefit

or Children’s Trust Board

CTBSL Council Tax Benefit Subsidy Limitation

CTD Close To Death

or Circling The Drain

CTEU Clinical Trials Evaluation Unit

CTG cardiotocography electronic measurement of fetal heart and uterine contractions

or Community Transport Group

CTI Computers in Teaching Initiative (abolished 1999)

CTL Clinical Team Leader

CTN Charity Trustees Network

or Call to Needle (time)

CTO Compulsory Treatment Order

CTPLD Community Team for People with Learning Disabilities

CTS Community Toilet Scheme

CTSS Council Tax at Standard Spending

CTT Community Treatment Team

CU Casualties Union

or Credit Union

CUA Cost-Utility Analysis

CUBA Counties that Used to Be Avon

CUE Community Unit for the Elderly

CURS Centre for Urban and Regional Studies

CUV Current Use Value

CV Curriculum Vitae A list of your qualifications and achievements

CVA    Cardio-Vascular Accident – a stroke

or Comprehensive Vascular Assessment

CVC Cardio & Vascular Coalition

CVCP Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals

CVD Cardio vascular disease

CVE Continuous Vocational Education

CVS Cardiovascular system

or Council for Voluntary Service

CWDC Children’s Workforce Development Council

Cx cervix

CYA Cover Your Arse

CYHC Clean Your Hands Campaign

CYPA Children’s & Young Persons Act 2008

CYPF Children and Young People’s Fund

CYPS Children and Young People’s Services

CYPSPB Children’s & Young Persons Strategic Partnership Board

CYPU Children and Young People’s Unit

D

D5W Dextrose 5% in Water

D&C Dilatation & Curettage – a gynaecological procedure of questionable usefulness

D&T Drugs and Therapeutics

D/C DisContinue

or Discharge

DA Distributable Amount

or District Audit

or Devolved Administration

DA(SER) Domestic Affairs Subcommittee (of the Cabinet) on Social Exclusion and Regeneration

DAAT Drug and Alcohol Team

DAG Disability Action Group

DAN Disabled People’s Direct Action Network

DANS Duty Assessment Nurses

DARE Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness

DAR Departments Annual Report

DART Drug and Alcohol Resistance Training

DAS Drug & Alcohol Service

DASG Drugs and Alcohol Specific Grant

DASS Director of Adult Social Services

DAT Drugs Action Team

or Disability Appeal Tribunal (obs)

or Digital Audio Tape

DATA Distress Awareness Training Agency

DATC Drug Addiction Treatment Centre

DBC Dental Body Corporate

DBFO Design Build Finance and Operate

DBP Diastolic Blood Pressure

DC District Council

or Dental Contractor

or Dementia Care

DCA Department for Constitutional Affairs

DCC Day Case Centre

DCD Director of Corporate Development

DCFE Deptartment for Children, Families & Education

DCFS Directorate of Counter-Fraud Services (obs)

DCLG Department for Communities & Local Government

DCM Dental Commissioning Manager

DCMS Department for Culture, Media & Sport

DCO Day Care Outreach

DC,PG Dementia Care Pathway Group

DCSF Department for Children, Schools and Families

DCT     Disabled Children’s Team

DCYP Department for Children & Young People

DDA Disability Discrimination Act 1995

Also The Disabled Drivers’ Association

DDD Defined Daily Dose

DDPHRCS Diploma in Dental Public Health, Royal College of Surgeons of England

DDRB Doctors and Dentists’ Review Body

DEB Dental Estimates Board

DEC Development and Evaluation Committee replaced by NICE March 2000

DEFRA Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

DEL Departmental Expenditure Limit

DERA Defence Evaluation Research Agency Dissolved July 2001

DES DiEthyl Stilbestrol

or Department of Education & Science (obs)

or Disability Equality Scheme

or Direct Enhanced Services

DESMOND, Diabetes Education Self Management Ongoing & Newly Diagnosed

DETR Department of Environment, Transport & the Regions (obs)

DEXA, Dual Energy Xray Absorptiometry

DF Director of Finance

DFBO Design, Finance, Build & Operate

DfEE Department for Education and Employment (now renamed)

DfES Department for Education and Skills now (mostly) DCFS)

DFFP Diploma of the Faculty of Family Planning

DFG Disabled Facilities Grant

DFID Department for International Development

DFO Done Fell Out

DFT Distance From Target

or Department of Transport

DG Director General

DG5 The Public Health part of the European Union

DGF Damn Good Fuck – often prescribed by male doctors for neurotic women Compliance rate is unknown because such patients are often lost to follow up

DGH District General Hospital

DGM District General Manager

DH Department of Health

DHA District Health Authority (obs)

DHDS Diabetes, Heart Disease & Stroke

DHI Drugs & Homeless Initiative

DHN Democratic Health Network

DHNB Department of Health National Briefings

DHPSRP Dept of Health Patient Safety Research Programme

DHSC Directorate of Health and Social Care (obs)

DHSS Department of Health and Social Security

DHTML Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language

DI Donor Insemination

DIA Drug Information Association

DIAL Disablement Information And Advice Lines

DIC Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation A common complication of surgery

or Dead in Car

DID Dissociative Identity Disorder

DIG Disablement Income Group

DIPC Director of Infection Prevention & Control

DIPEx Database of Individual Patient Experiences

DIPG Drug Information Pharmacists Group

DIPHSM Diploma in Health Services Management

DipSW Diploma in Social Work

DIRTBAG Dirty Indigent Requesting Transport Because Alcohol Gives (him) seizures

DIS Departmental Investment Strategy

DISP Developing Information System for Purchasers

DISS Disability Information Service Surrey

DisCASS Disabled Citizens Advice and Support Service

DIUS Dept for Innovation, Universities and Skills (obs)

DKA Diabetic KetoAcidosis

DLA     Disability Living Allowance Benefit for people who have trouble walking or are in need of personal care

DLCV Drugs of Limited Clinical Value

DLF Disabled Living Foundation

DLO Direct Labour Organisation

DLS Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards

DM Diabetes Mellitus

DMA Double Manned Ambulance

DMARD Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drug

DMC District Medical Committee

DMD Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

DMF Disabled Motorists Federation

DMFT Number of Decayed, Missing or Filled Teeth

DMHE Department of Mental Health for the Elderly

DMIT Drug Misuser in Treatment

DMO District Medical Officer (obs)

DMT   Departmental Management Team

DMU Directly Managed Unit

DN District Nurse

DNA    Did Not Arrive – or attend

or Deoxyribonucleic Acid

DNAR Do Not Attempt Resuscitation

DNER Distributed National Electronic Resource

DNGNet Disability Network Group

DNI Do Not Intubate (similar to DNR)

DNR Do Not Resuscitate

DNS Director of Nursing Services

or Domain Name Server

DNT District Nursing Team

DNW Drugs North West

DOA    Dead on Arrival

or Date of Accident

or Date of Admission

DOB Date of birth

DOCA Deoxycorticosterone acetate

DoF Director of Finance

DOG Disease Orientated Group

DOGPE Director of General Practice Education

DoH     Department of Health – the Government Department responsible for healthcare in England

DOLS Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards

DOVP Data on Vulnerable People

DP Dental Practice

or Demographic Profile

or Direct Payments

DPA Data Protection Act 1998

DPB Dental Practice Board

DPG Dental Practice Group

DPH Director of Public Health

or Dwellings Per Hectare

DPI Disabled Peoples’ International

DPIB Direct Payments & Individual Budgets

DPO Data Protection Office

or Dentists, Pharmacists , Opticians

DPPS Director of Performance & Provider Services

DPS Direct Payment Strategy

DPR Directorate Performance Review

DPT Diptheria Pertussis Tetanus vaccine

DPTAC Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee

DPTC Disabled Person’s Tax Credit (now abolished)

DRC Disability Rights Commission (obs)

or Depreciated Replacement Cost

DRE Delivering Race Equality

or Digital Rectal Examination

DRF Direct Revenue Funding

DRG Diagnosis Related Group

DRR Directorate Risk Register

DRS Dental Reference Service

or Diabetic Risk Score

or Daily Reporting Schedule

or Diabetic Retinopathy Screening

DRT Dead Right There

or Data Reporting Templates

DRTTTT Dead Right There, There, There, and There (used after pedestrian/train altercations)

DS-BPD Duodenal Switch- Biliopancreatic Diversion

DSC Disability Services Centre or

Directory of Social Change

or Day Surgery Centre

DSD Decontamination Services Department

or Director of Service Development

DSDR Directly Standardised Death Rate

DSF Draft Strategic Framework

Dsh deliberate self harm

DSO Direct Service Organisation

or Departmental Strategic Objective

DSON Detailed Statement Of Need

DSP Departmental Service Plan

DSPD Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder

DSS Department of Social Security Now the DWP

or Decision Support System

DSSA Delivery Same Sex Accommodation

DST Day Surgery Theatre

DSU Day Surgery Unit

DTA Development Trusts Association

DTB Drug and Therapeutic Bulletin

DTC Day Treatment Centre

or Diagnostic and Treatment Centre

DTD Document Type Definition

DTI Department of Trade and Industry (obs)

DTLR Department for Transport, Local Government and Regions (obs)

DTN Door To Needle (time)

DTNI Day Time Net Inflow

DTS Data Transfer Service

DTTO Drug Testing and Treatment Order

DTP Diphtheria Tetanus Pertussis – a vaccine

DUI Driving Under the Influence

DV Dependent Variable

or Domestic Violence

or domiciliary visit

or Deo Volente (God willing)

DVLA Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

DVT     Deep Vein Thrombosis

DW Data Warehouse

DWA Disability Working Allowance A benefit for people working at least 16 hours a week who have a disability affecting their working ability

DWM Dead White Male

DWP Department for Work and Pensions

Dx Diagnosis

E

EA Environment Agency

or Equitable Access

EAC Estimated Annual Cost

or Equalities Action Committee

or Elderly Accommodation Council

EACH Educational Action Challenging Homophobia

EAG Expert Advisory Group

EAP Equitable Access Programme

EAPN European Anti Poverty Network

EAPS Emergency Admissions Prevention Scheme

EAR Environmental Awareness Representative

EAU Emergency Admissions Unit

EAZ Education Action Zone

EASR European age standardised rate A measure of the incidence of disease

EBD Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties

or Emergency Bed Days

EBL Evidence-Based Learning

EBM Evidence based medicine

EBMH Evidence Based Mental Health

eBNF The BNF on a CD-ROM

EBOC Evidence Based On Call

EBP Evidence based practice

or Electronic Booking Programme

or Emotional Behavioural Problems

EBS Emergency Bed Service

EBV Epstein Barr Virus

EC European Community or

Experience Corps

ECA Emergency Care Assistant

ECDL European Computer Driving Licence

ECF Extracellular fluid

or Elemental Chlorine Free

ECG Electrocardiogram

ECH Elizabeth Casson House

ECHR European Court of Human Rights

ECJ European Court of Justice

ECN Emergency Care Network

ECP Emergency Care Practitioner

ECR    Extra Contractual Referral – an arrangement under the NHS internal market to cover a referral to an NHS Trust for which there was no existing contract with the patient’s health authority or residence or GP Fundholder

ECRS Emergency Carers Relief Service

ECT electro-convulsive therapy

or Emergency Control Team

ECTS European credit transfer scheme

ED  Enumeration District The smallest unit for census data – about 200 homes

or Economic Development

or Emergency Department

EDA Erectile Dysfunction Association A fine upstanding body of men

EDCO Emergency Dispatch Control Officer

EDCS Elective Day Case Spells

EDI      Electronic Data Interchange – exchanging information electronically, not including faxing

EDIFACT Electronic Data Interchange –

EDIT Elderly Dementia Intervention Team

EDM Electronic Document Management

or Early Day Motion

EDP Emotionally Disturbed Person

or Education Development Plan

or Existing Dental Provider

EDS Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

or Economic Development Strategy

EDSG Equity & Diversity Steering Group

EDT     Emergency Duty Team

EDTA ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

EDVSA East Devon Voluntary Services Agency

EEA European Economic Area

EEC European Economic Community

EEG Electroencephalogram

EFGCP European Forum for Good Clinical Practice

EFL External Financing Limit

EFM electronic fetal monitoring

or Estates & Facilities Management

EFMI European Federation for Medical Informatics

EFP Exceptional Funding Panel

EFQM European Foundation for Quality Management

EGFR Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor

or Estimated Globular Filtration Rate

EHA Emergency Hospital Admission

EHC Emergency hormonal contraception

EHIC European Health Insurance Card

EHMA European Healthcare Management Association

EHO Environmental Health Officer

EHP Education and Health Partnership

or Environmental Health Practitioner

EHR Electronic Health Record

EHRC Equality & Human Rights Commission

EHS Extremely Hazardous Substance

or English Housing Survey

EIA European Information Association

or Equality Impact Assessment

EiC Excellence in Cities

or Education & Information Campaign

EIF European Investment Fund

EIP Examination In Public

EIS Early Intervention Service

or Elective Inpatient Spells

EL Executive Letter

eLIB electronic Libraries Programme

ELO Emergency Lead Officer

ELP     Essential Lifestyles Planning – Person centred planning tool emphasising rhythms and routines of daily life used in Learning Disability Services

EMA emergency medical admission

or Education Maintenance Allowance

EMAG Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant

EMAS Employment Medical Advisory Service

EMD Emergency Medical Dispatcher

EMDC Emergency Medical Dispatch Centre

EMEA European Medicines Evaluation Agency

emf electromotive force

EMG electromyogram

EMI Elderly Mentally Ill

EMIS Egton Medical Information System

EMLC European Midwives Liason Committee

EMO Examining Medical Officer

EMR Electronic Medical Record

EMS Emergency Medical Services

EMU Economic and Monetary Union

EMW Early Morning Wakening – symptom of depression

EMWA European Medical Writers Association

EN English Nature

ENB English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (obsolete)

ENHPA European Network of Health Promotion Agencies

ENI Employers National Insurance

ENIL European Network on Independent Living

ENP Emergency Nurse Practitioner

ENT     Ear Nose & Throat properly known as Otorhinolaryngology

EO Employers’ Organisation

EOC Equal Opportunities Commission

EOH Ethyl Alcohol

EOI Expressions of Interest

EOL End of Life

EOLC End of Life Care

EOLCS End of Life Care Strategy

EOP Exercise On Prescription

EP English Partnerships

or Emergency Planning

EPA Emergency Planning Advisor

or Enduring Powers of Attorney

EPACT Electronic Prescribing Analysis and Costs

EPCS Environmental, Protective & Cultural Services

EPG Emergency Planning Group

or Emergency Planning Guidance

EPH     Elderly Person’s Home

EPHR Electronic Patient Health Record

EPI EPInephrine

EPICS Elderly Persons Integrated Care Scheme

EPO Erythropoietin

EPP Expert Patients Programme

EPR Electronic Patient Record

EPS Electronic Prescribing Service

EPU Emergency Planning Unit

EQUIP Effectiveness and Quality in Practice Group

ER Endoplasmic Reticulum

ERA Education Reform Act 1988

or Emergency Reception Area

ERA-ETDA European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association

ERC European Resuscitation Council

ERDF European Regional Development Fund

ERDIP Electronic Record Development Implementation Programme

ERG electroretinogram

or External Reference Group

ERHG Early Retirement on Health Grounds

ERI Edinburgh Research and Innovation Limited

ERIC Estates Return Information Collection

EROS Electronic Records in Office Systems

ES Employment Service

or Embolic Stroke

ESA Employment & Support Allowance

ESAT Emergency Services Action Team (obs)

ESBLs Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamases

ESC European Society of Cardiology

ESF Education Standards Fund

or European Social Fund

ESG Executive Steering Group

ESI Environmental Sustainability Indicator

ESLG Equality Standard for Local Government

ESMI Elderly severely mentally ill – dementia

ESOL English for Speakers of Other Languages

ESP Economic and Social Partnership

or Extended Scope Physiotherapist

ESR Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate

or Electronic Staff Record

ESRA European Society of Regulatory Affairs – now TOPRA

ESRC Economic and Social Science Research Council

ESRI Economic and Social Research Institute – Ireland

ESSP Economy & Skills Strategic Partnership

ESV Employer Supported Volunteering

ET Executive team

or Environmental Technologies

ETA Estimated Time of Arrival

ETD Education, Training & Development

ETF Environment Task Force

ETP Employer Training Pilot

or Education & Training Plan

or Electronic Transmission of Prescriptions

ETT Endotracheal Tube

EU European Union

EVH Electronic Village Hall – community computing and Internet facility

EWA Enterprise-wide Arrangement

EWBL Evidenced Work Based Learning

EWTD European Working Time Directive

EYDCP Early Years Development and Childcare Plan

EYDP – Early Years Development Partnership

EYPD Early Years and Play Department

EZ Employment Zone

F

F 2 F Face to Face

F&R Fire and Rescue

FA Friedreich’s Ataxia

or Fair Access

FAB Family Action Benchill

FACS Fair Access to Care Services

FACTS Framework for Appropriate Care Throughout Sheffield

FAQ Frequently asked questions

FARR Fixed Asset Restatement Reserve

FAWN Funding Advice Workers Network

FB Foreign Body

FBC Full Business Case

or Full Blood Count

FC Family Credit now replaced by Tax Credits

or Fixed Cost

or Factor Cost

or Financial Close

FCAS Federation of Charity Advice Services

FCDL Federation for Community Development Learning

FCE     Finished Consultant Episode – an episode where the patient has completed a period of care under one consultant within one hospital provider and is transferred to another consultant or discharged or dies

FCH Frenchay Community Hospital

FCO Foreign and Commonwealth Office

FCT Financially Challenged Trust

FCTC From Care to Citizenship

FDA US Food and Drug Administration

FDGB Fall Down Go Boom

FDIU fetal death in utero

FDSRCSEng Fellow in Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons in England

FDTL Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning

FE Further Education

FEC Further Education College

FEFC Further Education Funding Council disbanded on 31 March 2001 replaced by the Learning and Skills Council

FENTO Further Education National Training Organisation

FES Family Expenditure Survey

FESC Framework for procuring External Support for Commissioners

FFA free fatty acids

FFCE first finished consultant episode

FFDRCS Fellow of the Faculty of Dental Surgery Royal College of Surgeons

FFP Fresh Frozen Plasma

FH Family History

FHom Faculty of Homeopathy

FHOT Funds held on trust

FHR Fetal Heart Rate

FHS Family Health Services

FHSA Family Health Service Authority Role now taken over by the Health Authority

FHSAA Family Health Service Appeal Authority

FHT Fetal Heart Tones

or Food & Health Team

FIAC Federation of Independent Advice Centres

FIBD Found In Bed Dead

FIG Food Initiatives Group

FIO Financial Inclusion Officer

FIPO Federation of Independent Practitioner Organisations

FIS Financial Information Service or System

or Family Income Supplement

or Family Information Service

FITTA Fixed Term Training Appointment

FIU Fraud Investigation Unit

FLAGS Family Liaison & Grief Support

FLIS Full Local Implementation Strategy

FLK Funny Looking Kid

FLM&D Funny Looking Mum & Dad

FM Facilities Management

FMB Feeling Much Better

FMC Facilities Management Consultant

FMD Foot and Mouth Disease

FMP Financial Management Programme

FMT Flu Management Team

FNA Fine Needle Aspiration

FNC Free Nursing Care

FOA Freedom of Information Act 2000

FOM Faculty of Occupational Medicine of Royal College of Physicians

FORD Found On Road Dead

FOTS Food on the Stove

FOTW Food on the Wok

fp freezing point

FP10 A prescription form

FPA Family Planning Association

FPC Family Planning Clinic

or Family Practitioner Committee

FPG Fasting Plasma Glucose

FPharmM Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine

FPHM Faculty of Public Health Medicine

FPN Fixed Penalty Notice

FPS Family Planning Services

or Family Practitioner Services

FPs Financial Procedures

FR Financial Regulation

or First Responder

FRAP Formal Recovery Action Group

FRB Financial Recovery Board

FRC Flu Response Centre

FRCA Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists

FRCGP Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners

FRCOG Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

FRCOphth Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists

FRCP Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians

FRCP(Ed) Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

FRCP(Glasg) Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Glasgow

FRCPath Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists

FRCPCH Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

FRCPE Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of England

FRCPI Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland

FRCPS(Glasg) Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow

FRCPsych Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists

FRCR Fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists

FRCS Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons

FRCS(Ed) Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

FRCS(Glasg) Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow

FRCSE Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England

FRCSI Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland

FRED Financial Reporting Exposure Draft (draft FRS)

FRFPSG Fellow of the Royal Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow

FRG Fasting Random Glucose

FRIPHH Fellow of the Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene

FRM Financial Risk Management

FRP Financial Recovery Plan

FRS Financial Reporting Standard

or Fellow of the Royal Society

FRSH Fellow of the Royal Society of Health

FS Fresh Start

FSA Food Standards Agency

or Financial Services Authority

FSH Follicle Stimulating Hormone

FSID Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths

FSM Free School Meals

FSO Forum Support Organisations (obs)

FSP Facilitated Standby Point

FSU Family Support Unit

FT  Full Time

or Foundation Trust

FTA Failure to attend

FTC Federal Trade Commission

Fte Full Time Equivalent

FTT Four Towns Transport

FTS Foundation Trust Status

FU  Family Unit A mixture of residential and outreach work for children and young people and their families

or follow up

FUBAR F**ked Up Beyond All Recognition

FUD Fear Uncertainty and Doubt – traditional salesman’s weapons

FWATAG Flexible Working And Training Advisory Group

FWN Further Work Needed

Fx Fracture

FY Full Year

FY1 Foundation Year 1 (equivalent to House Officer)

FY2 Foundation Year 2 (equivalent to Senior House Officer)

fyc Full Year Cost

FYE  Full Year Equivalent or Effect

G

G-CAT Government IT Catalogue

GAAP Generally Accepted Accounting Practice

GAD generalised anxiety

or Government Actuary’s Department

or Gift Aid Donation

GAG Getting Ahead of the Game

GAL    Guardian Ad Litem

GALRO   Guardian Ad Litem Reporting Officer – these are appointed to represent the best interests of the child The Guardian is an independent social worker

GAP Gentle Activity Programme

GAPS Genetic Information And Patient Services, Inc

GAS Gloucestershire Ambulance Service

or Group A Streptococcus

GAT Gas Appliance Testing

GATB Global Alliance for TB Drug Development

GATS General Agreement on Trade in Services

GAYE Give As You Earn

GBBN Greater Bristol Bus Network

GBP Pounds sterling – for people who don’t have a £ sign

GBS Guillaine-Barre Syndrome

GCC General Chiropractic Council

GCS Glasgow Coma Score

GCSE General Certificate of Secondary Education

GDA Guidline Daily Amount

GDC General Dental Council

GDP General Dental Practitioners

or Gross Domestic Product

GDS General Dental Services

GENECIS General Clinical Information System

GES Gender Equality Scheme

GFA Green Flag Award

GFR Glomerular Filtration Rate

GGHB Greater Glasgow Health Board

GGNHSB Greater Glasgow NHS Board

GH Growth Hormone

GHG General Healthcare Group

GHQ General Health Questionnaire

GHS General Household Survey

GHT Gloucester Hospital Trust

GI Gastro-intestinal

GIDA Government Intervention in Deprived Areas

GIGO Garbage In Garbage Out

GIS Geographical Information System

GISA Glycopeptide-intermediate resistant Staphylococcus Aureus

GIST Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumour

GIT Gastro-intestinal Tract

GLA Greater London Authority

GLAD Greater London Association of Disabled People

GLC Greater London Council

glc gas-liquid chromatography

GM Geiger-Muller

GMAS Greater Manchester Ambulance Service

or Greater Manchester Action on Smoking

GMB Formerly the General Municipal and Boilermakers Union

GMC General Medical Council

GMCDP Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People

GMCVO Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation

GMDC General Medical Day Case

GMEX Greater Manchester Exhibition centre

GMO genetically modified organisms

GMP Greater Manchester Police

or General Medical Practitioner

GMPTE Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive

GMR Greater Manchester Radio

GMS General Medical Services
GMSC General Medical Services Committee

GNN Government News Network (obs)

GNP Gross National Product

GNVQ General National Vocational Qualifications

GO Government Office (for the Regions)

GO-East Government Office for the East of England

GO-NW Government Office for the North West

GOA Gone On Arrival

GOC Gynaecological Oncology Centre

or General Optical Council

GOEM Government Office for the East Midlands

GOF General Organ Failure

GOK God Only Knows

GOL Government Office for London

GOMA Get out of My Ambulance

GOMER Get Out Of My Emergency Room (US slang for an unwelcome patient)

GONW Government Office North West

GOP General Optical Council

GORs Government Office for the Regions

GOS General Ophthalmic Service

GOSC General Osteopathic Council

GOSE Government Office for the South East

GOSH Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children

GOSW Government Office for the South West

GOWM Government Office for the West Midlands

GOYH Government Office for Yorkshire and The Humber

GP General practitioner – Family doctor

or Green Paper

GPAS General Practice Assessment Survey

GPASS General Practice Administration System Scotland

GPB Good Practice Bank

GPCC GP Commissioning Consultant

GPCG GP Commissioning group

GPEC GP Emergency Centre

GPFC General Practice Finance Corporation

GPFH GP Fund Holder

GPhC General Pharmaceutical Council

GPIAG General Practice Airways Group

GPLHC GP Led Health Centre

GPMSS General Practice Minimum System Specification

GPO Good for Parts Only

GPPAC GP Physical Activity Questionnare

GPRs GP Referrals

GPS Global Positioning System

GPWSI GPs with a special interest

GRE Grant Related Expenditure (replaced by NRE)

GREA Grant Related Expenditure Assessment

GRH Gloucester Royal Hospital

GRIPP Getting Research Into Purchasing and Practice

GRP Gateway Review Process

GRT Gateway Review Team

GSCC General Social Care Council

GSF Gold Standard Framework

GSI Government Secure Intranet

GSL General Sales List – a medicine which can be sold anywhere

GSOH Good Sense of Humour just as important in the Health Service as on the lonely hearts pages

GSW Gun Shot Wound

GTLRC Gypsy and Traveller Law Reform Coalition

GTN Glyceryl Trinitrate

or Government Telephone Network

GTRT Get the right treatment

GUCH Grown Up Congenital Heart Patients Association

GUM Genito Urinary medicine

GWAS Great Western Ambulance Service

GWAT Great Western Ambulance Trust

H

H&S Health and Safety

H& SC Health & Safety Commission

HA Health Authority or

Housing Association

HAH Hospital at Home

HAS Health Advisory Service

or Human Activity System

HaCCRU Health and Community Care Research Unit based in Liverpool University

HAG Housing Association Grant

HAI Health Acquired Infection

HARP Hulme Action Research Project – works with people with mental health problems

HART Hazardous Area Response Team

HAS Health Advisory Service now HASCAS

HASCAS Health and Social Care Advisory Service

HASHD Hypertensive ArterioSclerotic Heart Disease

HASSASSA Health and Social Services and Social Security Adjudication Act

HAT Housing Action Trust

or Health Action Team

HAZ  Health Action Zone (obs)

Hb Haemoglobin

HB Health Board

or Housing Benefit

HbA1c glycosylated haemoglobin

HBAI Households Below Average Income

HBG Health Benefit Group

HBN Health Building Note

HC Huntingdon’s Chorea Hereditary neurological condition Now usually called Huntingdon’s disease

or Health Council

or Healthcare Commission

HCA    Home Care Assistant

or Historic Cost Accounting

HCAG Hospital Consultants Advisory Group

HCAI Health Care Acquired Infection

HCEU Healthcare Evaluation Unit

HCG Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin

HCFA Health Care Financing Administration, the federal agency that administers the Medicare, Medicaid and Child Health Insurance Programs in the USA

HCHS Hospital Community Health Service

HCIA Health Care Information, An American company which analyses health data Now part of Solucient

HCP Health Care Professional

HCS Holiday Care Service

HCSP Health Care Service for Prisoners

HCW Health Care Worker Provides nursing support in clinical areas NVQ qualified

HDA Health Development Agency (obs)

or Huntingdon’s Disease Association

HDL High Density Lipoprotein

HDM House Dust Mite

HDTS High Dependency Transfer Service

HDU    High Dependency Unit One

HE Health Education

or Higher Education

or haematoxylin and eosin

HEA Health Education Authority now replaced by the HDA

or Health Equity Audit

HEASIG High Ethnicity Authorities’ Special Issues Group

HEBS Health Education Board for Scotland

HEED Health Economic Evaluations Database

HEENT Head Eyes Ears Nose and Throat

HEFC Higher Education Funding Council

HEI Higher Education Institution

HEIF Higher Education Innovation Fund

HELMIS Health Management Information Service

HEO Health Education Officer

HEP Health Education Partnership

or Home Exercise Programme

HEPA High Efficiency Particulate Air

HERO Higher Education and Research Opportunities in the UK

HEROINE Health Electronic Resources Online In Northern England

HES Hospital Episode Statistics

HEVU Health Education Video Unit

HF Heart Failure

HFA Hydrofluoroalkane

HFEA Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority

HfHT Help for Health Trust (obs)

HFMA Healthcare Financial Management Association

HGC Human Genetics Commission

HI Health Improvement

HIA Housing Improvement Agency

or Health Impact Assessment

or Health Inequalities Adjustment

HIAS Home Improvement Agency Service

HIB Haemophilus Influenzae type B

HIBCC Health Index Business Communications Council

HICC Health Incident Coordination Centre

HIG Health Improvement Group

HImP  Health Improvement Programme

HIMS Highland and Islands Medical Service

HIP     Housing Investment Programme

or Health Investment Programme

or Heart Improvement Programme

HIPE Hospital In-Patient Enquiry Scheme

HIS Hospital Information Service

HISN High Individual Support Needs

HISS Hospital Information and Support System

HIV Human Immuno-deficiency Virus

HIU Health Inequalities Unit

HIYE Health in Your Environment

HJSC Hospital Junior Staff Committee

HKAS Hip & Knee Assessment Service

HL7 Health Level 7

HLC Healthy Living Centre

HLF Heritage Lottery Fund

HLI Healthy Living Initiative

HLPI High Level Performance Indicator

HMC Her Majesty’s Coroner

HMC&E Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise

HMG Her Majesty’s Government

HMI Her Majesty’s Inspectorate (best known examples cover schools, police, prisons & fire)

HMIA Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Anatomy

HMIC Health Management Information Consortium

or Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary

HMO Health Maintenance Organisation

or House in Multiple Occupation

HMP Her Majesty’s Prison

HMR Hospital Medical Record

HMRC Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs

HMSO Her Majesties Stationery Office

HMT HM Treasury

hn Hac Nocte – to-night

HNA Health Needs Assessment

HNI Housing Needs Index

HO Home Office

or House Officer

or History of

or Health Outcomes

HoN Health of the Nation White Paper on Prevention published by the last Government

HoNOS Health of the Nation Outcomes Scale

HOSC Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee

HP Health Promotion

HPA Health Protection Agency

HPC Health Professions Council

HPE Higher Professional Education

or Health Promotion England (obs)

HPERU Health Policy and Economic Research Unit

HPSS Health Promotion Specialist Service

HPV Human Papilloma Virus

HQ Headquarters

HQCA High Quality Care for All

HQIP Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership

HR Human Resources

HRA Housing Revenue Account

or Human Rights Act 1998

HRD Human Resource Development

HRG Healthcare Resource Group

HRM Human Resource Management

HRP High Risk Patient

HRQOL Health Related Quality of Life

HRT Hormone Replacement Therapy

HRUS High Resolution Ultrasound

HRWC High Risk Wound Care

hs hora somni – at bed time

HSA Human Serum Albumin

HSAC Health Service Advisory Committee

HSC Health Service Circular – a series of management letters from the Department of Health

or Health Service Commissioner

or Health and Safety Commission

or Health & Social Care

HSCA Health & Social Care Act [2001]

HSCD Health & Social Care Director

HSCTP Health & Social Care Transformation Project

HSDU Hospital Sterile and Disinfection Unit

HSE Health and Safety Executive

HSG Health Service Guidance

or Health Strategy Group

or Housing Support Grant

HSI Health Service Indicators

HSJ The Health Service Journal

HSMC Health Services Management Centre University of Birmingham

HSMR Hospital Standardised Mortality Rate

HSMU Health Service Management Unit

HSO Health Service Ombudsman

HSP Heart Sink Patient

or Healthy Schools Programme

HSPSCB High Security Psychiatric Services Commissioning Board (obs)

HST Higher Surgical Trainee A Senior registrar in oldspeak

HSTAT Health Services/Technology Assessment Text

HSV Herpes Simplex Virus

HT Hypertension

HTA Health Technology Assessment

HTAI Health Technology Assessment International

HTCS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme

HTH Hope This Helps

HTLAH Help To Learn At Home

HTM High Technology Medicine

or Health Technical Memorandum

HTML Hypertext Markup Language What Internet documents, including this one, are written in

HTR Hard To Reach

HTTP HyperText Transfer Protocol

HUG Herefordshire Users Group

HV Health Visitor

or Home visit

HWC Health Workplace Charter

HWI Healthy Workplace Initiative

HWPB Health & Wellbeing Partnership Board

HWR Hazardous Waste Regulations

HWRC Household Waste Recycling Centre

Hx History

Hz Hertz – cycles per second

or Home Zone

I

I4H Information for Health

I&D Incision & Drainage

IADL Instrumental Activities of Daily Living

IAFC International Association of Fire Chiefs

IAFF International Association of Fire Fighters

IAG Information Age Government

or Information, Advice & Guidance

IAGI Intended Average Gross Income

IANI Intended Average Net Income

IAPO International Alliance of Patients’ Organisations

IAT Inter Authority Transfer

IAVI International Aids Vaccine Initiative

IB Individual Budget

IBD Inflammatory Bowel Disease

IBMS Institute of Biomedical Science

IBS Irritable Bowel Syndrome

IC Intermediate Care

or Information Custodian

ICA Invalid Care Allowance now replaced by Carers Allowance

or Intermediate Care Assistant

ICAD Intelligence Computer Aided Dispatch

ICAS Independent Complaints Advisory Service

ICATS Integrated Clinical Assessment and Treatment Services

ICB Intermediate Care Bed

ICBU Intermediate Care Bed Unit

ICC Industry Consultative Committee

or Integrated Child Credit

ICD The World Health Organization’s International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (now on 10th revision). Widget design courtesy of medicalbillingandcodingcertification.net

or Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator

ICES Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences

or Integrated Community Equipment Service

ICF Intracellular Fluid

ICFM Institute of Charity Fundraising Managers Trust

ICH Infection Control & Hygiene

ICHS International Centre for Health and Society

or Information Centre for Health & Social Care

ICL Improving Clinical Leadership

ICN Integrated Care Network

or Infection Control Nurse

ICNA Infection Control Nurses Association

ICP Integrated Care Pathway

or IntraCranial Pressure

or Intensive Care Practitioner

or Independent Care Providers

ICR Institute of Cancer Research

ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross

ICRS Integrated Care Records Service

ICS Intermediate Care Service

ICST Intensive Community Support Team

ICT Information Communication Technology

or Infection Control Team

ICU Intensive care unit

ICW Integrated Clinical Workstation

or Indigenous Community Worker

ID Identify/Indentification

ID2000 Indices of Deprivation 2000

IDA Improvement Development Agency

IDAL Issue Decisions Action Log

IDDM Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus

IdeA Improvement & Development Agency

IDF International Diabetes Federation

IDI Illness & Disability Indicator

IEMC Interbalkan European Medical Center

IEP Individual Educational Plan

IETF Internet Engineering Task Force

IFA Independent Financial Advice

IFG Impaired Fasting Glucose

IFM Information for the Management of Healthcare

IFN Interferon

IFPMA International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations

IFRS International Finance Reporting Standard

IFS Institute for Fiscal Studies

IFSO International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity

IFV Instruction for a Variation

IGC Integrated Governance Committee

IgG Immunoglobulin G (as opposed to IgD, IgE, IgM, IgA)

IGH Integrated Governance Handbook

IGR Impaired Glucose Regulation

IGT Impaired Glucose Tolerance

IHD Ischaemic Heart Disease

IHE International Health Exchange

IHEEM Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Estate Management

IHF International Hospital Federation

IHM Institute of Healthcare Management

IHRIM Institute of Health Record Information and Management

IHSM  Institute of Health Service Managers – now part of the IHM

IHTT Intensive Home Treatment Team

II Intensive Interaction

IiP Investors in People

IL Interleukin

ILA Individual Learning Account

ILAF Independent Local Advisory Forums

ILCOR International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation

ILD Index of Local Deprivation (replaced by IMD)

ILF Independent Living Fund

ILM Intermediate Labour Market

ILO International Labour Organisation

ILP Independent Living Project

ILR Implantable Loop Recorder

ILS Independent Living Scheme

ILSI International Life Sciences Institute

IM Intramuscular

IMA Irish Medical Association

IM & T Information Management & Technology

IMCA Independent Mental Capacity Advocates

IMCO Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (of the European Parliament)

IMD Index of Multiple Deprivation

IMHO In My Humble Opinion

imp impression – as in I don’t know the diagnosis here

IMP Individual Management Plan

IMR Infant Mortality Rate

IMS Institute of Medical Science

IMT Information, Management & Technology

INASP International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications

INES International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility

INLOGOV Institute Of LOcal GOVernment studies

INR International Normalisation Ratio

INSET IN-SErvice Training

INTRANET An exclusive and private type of internet inside an organisation

IOD Index of Deprivation

IOG Improving Outcomes Guidance

IOP Instiute of Psychiatry

IoS Item of Service      Something that GPs get paid for on a itemised basis under the terms of the Red Book

IP In Patient

IPAS Improving Performance in Ambulance Services

IPEC Improving Patients Experience Committee

IPF Institute of Public Finance

IPG Intervention Procedures Guidance

IPH Improvement Partnership for Hospitals

IPPC Integrated Pollution Prevention Control

IPPF International Planned Parenthood Federation

IPPR Institute of Public Policy Research

IPPU Intermittent Positive Pressure Ventilation

IPQ Improving Practice Questionnaire

IPR Individual Performance Review

IPS Integrated Personnel System

or formerly the Indicative Prescribing Scheme

IPR Individual Performance Review

IPU In Patient Unit

IQAS Integrated Quality Audit System

IR Inland Revenue (obs)

IRC Internet Relay Chat

or International Rescue Corps

IRF Incident Reporting Form

IRL Initial Resource Limit

IRO Independent Reviewing Officer

IRP Independent Reconfiguration Panel

IRR Internal Rate of Return

IRRV Institute of Revenues, Rating & Valuation

IRT Identification, Referral and Tracking

IS Income Support Formerly Supplementary Benefit, and before that National Assistance, before that thePoor Law

or Independent Sector

ISA Independent Safeguarding Authority

ISB Invest to Save Budget

or Individual Schools Budget

or Information Standards Board

ISBA Incorporated Society of British Advertisers

ISBN International Standard Book Number

ISD Information and Statistics division

ISDD Institute for the Study of Drug Dependence

ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network – Cabling for fast digital transmission

or It Still Does Nothing

ISE Individualised Sensory Environment

ISG Information Services Group

or Interim Steering Group

ISIP Integrated Service Improvement Programme

ISO International Organization for Standardization

or Infrastructure Support Organisation

ISOP Invitation to submit outline proposals

ISP Internet Service Provider

ISPOR International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research

ISQ In Status Quo

ISQua International Society for Quality in Health Care

ISR Implementation Status Review

ISSG Integrated Services Strategy Group

IST Intensive Support Team

ISTAHC International Society of Technology Assessment in Health Care

ISTC Independent Sector Treatment Centres

IT Information Technology

ITN Invitation to Negotiate

ITP Integration & Transformation Programme

ITPD Invitation to Participate in Dialogue

ITS Independent Tribunal Service – now replaced by theAppeals Service

ITT Invitation To Tender

ITU ICU – the terms are interchangeable

or Internal Trading Unit

IUD Intra-Uterine Device (a Contraceptive coil)

or Intrauterine Death (A type of miscarriage)

IUHPE International Union for Health Promotion and EducationIV Intravenous

or Independent Variable

IVD In Vitro Diagnostic

IVF In Vitro Fertilisation Sex in a test tube, where the normal methods haven’t produced any result

IVP Intravenous Pyelogram X-ray of the urinary tract

IVPB IntraVenous Piggy Back

IWCCE Isle of Wight Centre for the Coastal Environment

IWL Improving Working Lives

IWP Institute of Work Psychology

IYF Inter Year Flexibility

J

J Judge (in law reports)

JAMA Journal of the American Medical Association

JANET Joint Academic Network

JAR Joint Area Review

JBS Joint British Societies

JCB Joint Commissioning Board

JCC     Joint Consultative Committee

or Joint Consultants Committee

JCCO Joint Council for Clinical Oncology

JCE Joint Commissioning Executive

JCF Joint Commissioning Framework

JCHMT Joint Committee for Higher Medical Training

JCHST Joint Committee for Higher Surgical Training

JCI Joint Chief Inspectors

JCMT Joint Care Management Team

JCNC Joint Consultative & Negotiating Committee

JCPTGP Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice

JCVI Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation

JDC Junior Doctors Committee

JDRF Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

JE Job Evaluation

JEMS Journal of Emergency Medicine

JES Joint European Society

JEWG Job Evaluation Working Group

JFA Joint Fire Authority

JFC Joint Formulary Committee

JFSG Joint Finance Steering Group

JFSSG Joint Food Safety and Standards Group

JHSC Joint Health Scrutiny Committee

JHSCN Joint Health & Social Care Network

JHU Joint Health Unit

JIGSAW Project designed to reduce the need for hospital beds

JIP Joint Investment Plan

or Joint Improvement Partnership

JISC Joint Information Systems Committee

JLDS   Joint Learning Disability Service

JLTP Joint Local Transport Plan

JNC(J) Joint Negotiating Committee on junior doctors terms and conditions of service

JOL Jaws of Life

JOPS Joint Older Peoples Strategy

JOSC Joint Overview & Scrutiny Committee

JPAC Joint Planning Advisory Committee

JPEG Jejunal Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy

JRCALC Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee

JRCT Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust

JRF Joseph Rowntree Foundation

JSA Job Seeker’s Allowance

JSE Joint Strategy Executive

JSG Joint Stategy Group

JSNA Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

JSOG Joint Senior Officers Group

JUC Joint Union Council

JVIC Joint Vaccination & Immunisation Committee

K

K-9 dog

KCL King’s College London

KED Kendrick Extrication Device

KFPT Key Finance Performance Targets

KIA Key Issues & Actions

KIGS Key Indicators, Geographical System

KISS Keep It Simple and Stupid

KLOE Key Lines Of Enquiry

KMS Knowledge Management System

KPI Key Performance Indicators

KPMG KPMG is an international firm of accountants The letters don’t seem to stand for anything now but it used to be Peat Marwick Mitchell

KRIS Knowledge, Resource & Information Service

KS 1 – 4 Key Stages 1-4 Part of the National Curriculum

KSF Knowledge and Skills Framework

KSS Kent Surrey and Sussex

KTD Kendrick Traction Device

KTP Knowledge Transfer Partnership

KVO Keep Veins Open

L

L1-5 Bones in the lumbar spine

LA Local Authority

LAA Local Authority Association

or Local Area Agreement

LAC Looked After Children

or Local Authority Circular

or Local Authority Company

LACOTS Local Authorities Co-ordinating Body on Food and Trading Standards

LAD Local Authority District

LAFS Local Authority Financial Settlement

LAGB Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding

LAN Local Area Network

LAP Local Area Partnership

or Local Action Plan

LAPIS Locality and Practice Information

LARC Long Acting Reversible Contraception

LARIA Local Authorities Research & Intelligence Association

LAS Locum Appointment Service

or Lights And Siren

or London Ambulance Service

LASA London Advice Services Alliance

LASFE Local Authorities’ Self-Financed Expenditure

LASGLH Lights and sirens, go like hell

LASS Local Authority Social Services

LASSL Local Authority Social Services Letter

LAT Local Appointment for Training

LATF Local Asthma Taskforce

LATS Long-acting thyroid stimulator

LAWDC Local Authority Waste Disposal Company

LAY Look After Yourself

LB London Borough

LBC London Borough Council

LBD Lewy Body Dementia

LBGU London Borough Grants Unit

LBW Low Birth Weight

LCC Leicester City Council

or (obs) London County Council

LCD Liquid Crystal Display

or Lord Chancellor’s Department (obs)

LCFS Local Counter Fraud Specialist

LCH Leonard Cheshire Home

LCP Liverpool Care Pathway

LCSB Local Children’s Safeguarding Board

LD Learning Difficulties

or Local Democracy

or Liberal Democrat

LDA Local Development Agency

or London Development Agency

LDAF Learning Disabilities Award Framework

LDC    Local Dental Committee

LDD Local Development Document

LDDD Learning Difficulties Day Desk

LDDS Learning Difficulties Day Service

LDF Local Development Framework

LDH Large Diameter Hose

LDL Low density lipoprotein – high levels are harmful

LD/MH Learning Difficulties/ Mental Handicap

LDP Local Delivery Plan

LDPB Learning Difficulties Partnership Board

LDPR Local Delivery Plan Return

LDS Learning Disability Service

or Local Development Scheme

LDSAG Local Diabetes Service Advisory Group

LDSIP Learning Difficulties Service Improvement Plan

LDTPG Learning Difficulties Transport Project Group

LE Lower Extremities

or Living Environment

LEA Local Education Authority

LEC Local Enterprise Company

LED Light Emitting Diode

LEI Local Employment Initiative

LEL Lower Explosive Limit

LEO Leading Empowered Organisations

LES Local Enhanced Service

LETS Local Exchange Trading Scheme

LFEPA London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority

LFS Labour Force Survey

LFT Liver Function Test

LGA Local Government Association

LG&PIH Local Government and Public Involvement in Health

LGBT Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender

LGC Local Government Chronicle

LGES Local Government Equalities Standard

LGFR Local Government Finance Report

LGFS Local Government Financial Settlement

or Local Government Financial Statistics

LGHA Local Government & Housing Act 1989

LGIB Local Government International Bureau

LGIU Local Government Information Unit

LGMB Local Government Management Board

LGN Local Government Network

LGNIS Local Government National Indicator Set

LGPS Local Government Pension Scheme

LGUSS Local Government User Satisfaction Survey

LGV lymphogranuloma venereum

LH Luteinizing hormone

LHB Local Health Board

LHC Local Housing Companies

LHCC Local Health Care Co-operative

LHE Local Health Episodes

LHG Local Health Group

LIF Left Iliac Fossa or

Local Initiatives Fund

LIFT Local Improvement Finance Trust

LIG Local Implementation Group

LILL Living with Long-term Illness

LINC Library and Information Commission (obs)

LINks Local Involvement Networks

LIO Local Implementation Officer or

Local Infrastructure Organisation

LIP Local Implementation Plans

LIS Local Implementation Strategy

or Library Information System

LISI Low Income Scheme Index Measure of deprivation based on claims for exemption from prescription charges on grounds of low income

LIT Local Implementation Team

LIVJM Liverpool John Moores University

LIZEI London Implementation Zone Educational Initiative

LKKS Liver, Kidney, Kidney, Spleen

LLL Life Long Learning

LLQ Left Lower Quadrant

LLSC Local Learning & Skills Council

LLTI Limiting Long term Illness

LMA Laryngeal Mask Airway

LMC   Local Medical Committee

LMCA Long-term Medical Conditions Alliance (obs)

LMP Last Menstrual Period

LMR Local Modernisation Review

LMS Local Management of Schools

LMWAG Local Medical Workforce Advisory Groups, formed in 1996 to co-ordinate postgraduate medical education between groups of Trusts There are around 5 or 6 in each NHS Region

LNRS Local Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy

LOBNH Lights On But Nobody Home

LOC Level of Consciousness

LOL Little Old Lady

LOM Local Outcome Measures

LOP Local Operational Plan

LOS Length of Stay A measure of activity in hospital wards

LPA Local Planning Authority

or Lasting Power of Attorney

or Lease Plus Agreement

LPB Local Partnership Board

LPC Local Pharmaceutical Committee – a committee of pharmacists

LPF Local Performance Framework

LPG Liquified Petroleum Gas

LPM Litres Per Minute

LPS Local Pharmaceutical Services

or Lipopolysaccaride

LPSA Local Public Service Agreement

LRAG Local Risk Assessment Guidance

LRD Labour Research Department

LREC Local Research Ethics Committee

LRF Local Resilience Forum

LRI Leicester Royal Infirmary

LRR Local Reference Rent

LRRF London Regional Resilience Forum

LRS Lactated Ringers Solution

LRT London Resilience Team

LRTI Lower Respiratory Tract Infection

LSB Long Spine Board

or Local Schools Budget

LSC Legal Services Commission

or Learning & Skills Council

LSCB Local Safeguarding Children Board

LSCG Local Specialised Commissioning Group

LSCS lower segment caesarean section

LSCWDC Lancashire and South Cumbria Workforce Development Confederation

LSDG Local Service Development Group

LSHTM London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

LSMS Local Security Management System

LSOA Lower Super Output Area

LSP Local Strategic Partnership

LSTM Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

LSVT Large Scale Voluntary Transfer

Lt Left

LTA Long Term Agreement

or Local Transport Authority

or Long Term Approach

LTC Long Term Condition

LTCA Long Term Condition Alliance

LTCI Long-term Care Insurance

LTCP Long Term Care Pathway

LTH Luteotrophic, lactogenic hormone – prolactin

or Lifetime Homes

LTLI Long Term Limiting Illness

LTM Learning to Manage Health information

or Long Term Management

LTP Local Transport Plan

LTPS Liability to Third Parties Scheme

LTSA Long term service agreement

LTVS  Long-term Ventilatory Support – help with breathing for people who cannot breathe without it

LTSA long term service agreement

LUQ Left Upper quadrant

LV Left Ventricular

LVAD Left Ventricle assist device

LVD Left Ventricular Dysfunction

LVF Left Ventricular Failure

LVH Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

LVSP Low Value Surgical Procedure

LWA Local Working Agreement

LWPG Local Winter Planning Group

LZ Landing Zone

M

MA Master of Arts

or Modernisation Agency (obs)

MAA Medical Artists Association of Great Britain

Multi Agency Agreement

MAAG Medical Audit Advisory Group

MAAQ Multidisciplinary Audit and Quality Group

MAB Metropolitan Asylums Board (obs)

MAC Medical Advisory Committee

MACA Mental After Care Association now called Together

or Military Aid to the Civil Authorities

MACC  Manchester Alliance for Community Care

or Multi Agency Command & Control

MACHEM Manchester Action Committee on Health for Ethnic Minorities – now defunct

MADEL Medical and Dental Education Levy

MADEN Medical and Dental Education Network (obs)

MAE Moves All Extremities

MAES Manchester Adult Education Service

MAFF Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (now part of DEFRA)

MAGGOT Medically Able, Go Get Other Transportation

MALDA Multi Agency Learning Disability Assessment

MANCAS Manchester Care Assessment Schedule

MAP Management Action Plan

MAPPA Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements

MAPS MIND Arts Project Stockport

MAR2C Matching Resources to Care – This is a mental health information system for caseload monitoring devised to study cases of serious mental illness MARC2 can compare data from Social Services, Health Services and the voluntary sector

MARAC Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference

MARMAP Multi Agency Risk Management Assessment Process

MARP Multi Agency Risk Assessment Panel – decides whether mentally ill people are dangerous

MAS Minimal Access Surgery

or Manchester Alcohol Service

MASC Medical Advisers Support Centre – See NPC

or Medical Academic Staff Committee

MASH Manchester Action on Street Health

MAST Multi-Agency Support Team

or Military Anti Shock Trousers

MASTA Medical Advisory Services for Travellers Abroad

MAT Medical Appeal Tribunal

MAU Medical Assessment Unit

MAVIS Mobility Advice and Vehicle Information Service

MB Medicinae Baccalaureus Basic medical degree

MBA Masters in Business Administration

MBBS Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery

MBC Metropolitan Borough Council

MBU Mother & Baby Unit

MC Medicines Commission

MCA Motorcycle Accident

or Medicines Control Agency

or Maritime and Coastguard Agency

or Mental Capacity Act 2005

MCC   Manchester City Council

or Millennium Control Centre

or Magistrates Courts Committee

or Manchester Chamber of Commerce

MCCR Manchester Council for Community Relations

MCDH A dentist’s qualification

MCF   Manchester Carers Forum – A co-ordinating group that provides support to carers It provides an opportunity for carers’ viewpoints to be noted and represented in the wider community

MChD Master of Dental Surgery

MChOrth Master of Orthopaedic Surgery

MCH mean corpuscular haemoglobin

MCHC mean corpuscular l haemoglobin concentration

MCHM Manchester Centre for Healthcare Management (obs)

MCI Mass Casualty Incident

MCIN Manchester Community Information Network run a network of computer terminals with a local information service

MCL   Manchester Community Living – Social Services in-house provider division

MCN Managed Clinical Network

MCO Managed Care Organisation

MCP Male Chauvinist Pig (obs?)

or Master Control Plan

MCPJ metacarpal joint

MCQ Multiple Choice Questions

MCRG Medical Career Research Group

MCSP Member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

MCV Main Corpuscular Volume

MCW Model Care Workshop

MD Medicinae Doctor (Doctor of Medicine) first medical degree (US version)

or Medical Devices

or Multi Disciplinary

MDA Medical Devices Agency (obs)

or Misuse of Drugs Act 1971

MDD Medical Device Directorate

MDDUS Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland

MDG Muscular Dystrophy Group

MDI Metered Dose Inhaler

MDM medical decision making

MDO Mentally Disordered Offender

MDP Middle [school], Deemed Primary [school]

or Medical Devices Policy

MDR Multiple Drug Resistant

or Medical Devices Regulations

MDS Master of Dental Surgery

or Middle [school], Deemed Secondary [school]

or Minimum Data Set

MDT Mobile Data Terminal

or Multi Disciplinary Team

MDU Medical Defence Union

or ut a me dictum – as directed by me

ME Myalgic Encephalitis

MEC Management Education for Clinicians

MEDITEL A GP Information system

MEDLARS Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System

MEDS Medical deputising service

MENCAP Royal Society for Mentally Handicapped Children &Adults

MEND Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do it !

MEP Member of European Parliament

or Medical Equipment Partnership

MEQ Modified Examination Question

MeReC MeReC Bulletin is published by the National Prescribing Centre

MERV Medical Emergency Response Vehicle

MESB Medical Education Standards Board

MeSH Medical Subject Headings

MESMAC Men who have sex with men

MESOL Management Education Scheme by Open Learning

METC Mersey Education and Training Consortium

MFA Malicious False Alarm

MFF Market Forces Factor

MFOccM Member of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine

MFPharmM Member of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine

MFPHM Member of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine

MFS Market Forces Supplement

mg Milligramme

MGA Myasthenia Gravis Association

MGC Museums & Galleries Commission (abolished 2000)

MGP Medendium Group Publishing

MGS Modernising Government Secretariat

or Manchester Grammar School

MHA   Mental Health Act 1983

MHAC Mental Health Act Commission

MHC Major Histocompatability Complex

MHF Mental Health Foundation

MHFA Mental Health First Aid

MHG Mental Health Grant

MHI Mental Health Indicator

MHIG Mental Health Information Group

MHIS Mental Health Information Strategy

MHMDS Mental Health Minimum Data Set

MHN Mental Health Network

MHPAF Mental Health Performance Assessment Framework

MHPSS Manchester Health Promotion Specialist Service

MHRA Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

MHRDU Mental Health Research & Development Unit

MHRT – Mental Health Review Tribunal convened to hear appeals against detention under the MHA

MHT Mentalhealth Task Force

MHz Megahertz – megacycles per second

MI  Myocardial Infarction – heart attack

or Mental Illness

MIDIRS Midwife Information and Resource Service

MIE Medical Informatics Europe

MIG Medical Information Group

MIGS Men In Grey Suits

MIMAS Manchester Information and Associated Services

MIMS Monthly Index of Medical Specialities Guide to common prescribed drugs, inc costs, used extensively in general practice

MIMMS Major Incident Medical Management and Support

MINAP Myocardial Infarction National Audit Project

MIND Organisation of mental health users

MINI Mental Illness Needs Index

MIP Major Incident Plan

MIQUEST A software system

MIRAS Mortgage Interest Relief at Source (obs)

MIS Management Information Systems

or Minor Injury Service

MISG  Mental Illness Specific Grant

MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MITAG Medical Information and Technology Advisory Group

MIU Minor Injuries Unit

MJ Municipal Journal

MLA Museums, Libraries and Archives Council

MLC Mid Life Check

MLD Mild Learning Disability

MLE Management Learning Environment

MLSO Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer

MM Modern Matron

MMC Modernising Medical Careers

mmhg Millimetres of mercury – what pressure is measured in

MMedSci Master of Medical Science

MMHSCT Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust

mmol millimoles, a chemistry measurement

MMP Morbidity & Mortality Projections

or Matrix Metalloproteinase

MMR Measles Mumps and Rubella vaccination

MMS Medical Management Services

MMSAC Medical Manpower Standing Advisory Committee

MMU Manchester Metropolitan University – formerly the polytechnic

MMV Medicines for Malaria Venture

MND Motor Neurone Disease

MNS Maternity & Newborn Services

MO Medical Officer

MOA Memorandum of Agreement

MOD Ministry of Defence

MOH Medical Officer of Health

MOI Mechanism Of Injury

MOJ Minister of Justice

MOR Millennium Operating Regime

MOSS Minor Oral Surgery Service

MoU Memorandum of Understanding

mp melting point

MP Member of Parliament

or Market Price

MPA Medical Prescribing Adviser

or Masters in Public Administration

MPB Missing Persons Bureau

MPC Medical Practices Committee (abolished 2002)

MPDS Medical Priority Dispatch System

MPET Multi-Professional Education and Training levy

MPH Master of Public Health

or Musgrove Park Hospital

MPharm Master of Pharmacy

MPhil Master of Philosophy

MPIG minimum practice income guarantee

MPS Modernising Public Services Group

or Medical Protection Society

or Metropolitan Police Service

MPT Maximum Part Time

MPU   Medical Practitioners Union – radical doctors’ union – small medical section of Unite

MRC Medical Research Council

or Mountain Rescue Council

MRCA Member of the Royal College of Anaesthetists

MRCC Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre

MRCGP Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners

MRCO Member of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists

MRCOG Member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

MRCP Member of the Royal College of Physicians

MRCPath Member of the Royal College of Pathologists

MRCPCH Member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

MRCPsych Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists

MRCR Member of the Royal College of Radiologists

MRCS Member of the Royal College of Surgeons

MREC Multicentre Research Ethics Committee

MRFIT Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial

MRHDOC Melton Rutland and Harborough GP co-operative

MRHF Manchester Race and Health Forum

MRI    Manchester Royal Infirmary

or Magnetic Resonance Imaging – a scanning technology

mRNA Messenger RNA

MRO Medical Records Officer

MRP Minimum Revenue Provision (part of capital control framework)

MRPSG Metropolitan Railways Passenger Services Grant

MRSA Methycillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus A bug which resists antibiotics and breeds in hospitals

MRSC Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry

or Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre

MRT Make Ready Team

MS Multiple Sclerosis

or Manuscript

or Morphine Sulphate

or Midwifery Service

MSAC Maternity Services Advisory Committee

MSc Master of Science

MSD Merck Sharp & Dohme Ltd

MSDS Material Safety Data Sheet

MSF    Union for skilled and professional workers, including many NHS employees Formerly ASTMS Now part of Unite

or Medicine Sans Frontiers

MSGP-4 National Study of Morbidity in General Practice

MSH melanophonre-stimulating hormone

MSHHF Moss Side & Hulme Health Forum

MSI Marie Stopes International

MSK Musculoskeletal

MSLC Maternity Services Liaison Committee

MSM men who have sex with men

MSOTW Man Slumped Over The Wheel

MSP Member of the Scottish Parliament

or Managing Successful Programmes

MSPCG Most Sparsely Populated Councils Group of the Local Government Association

MSS    Manchester Social Services

or Medical Services Strategies

MSSU Midstream Specimen of Urine

MSU Medium Secure unit or short for MSSU

MSW Mixed Sex Wards

MTA Management Team Assistant

or Message Transfer Agent (part of an email system)

MTAS Medical Training Application Service

MTB Mycobacterium Tuberculosis

MTFP Medium Term Financial Plan

MTO Medical Technical Officer

MUSCLE Multi-Station Clinical Examination

MV Millennium Volunteer

MVD Multi Vascular Disease

MVDP Makatan Vocabulary Development Project

MVI Malaria Vaccine Initiative

MWC Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland

MWEP Medical Workforce Expansion Programme

MWSAC Medical Workforce Standing Advisory Committee

MWSAG Medical Workforce Standing Advisory Group

MYS Manchester Youth Service

N

N Normal

or Nocte – at night

N & N Norfolk and Norwich

NA Nursing Auxiliary

NAB National Assistance Board (1948-1966)

NAC National Abortion Campaign

NACAB National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux

NACC National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease

NACEPD National Advisory Council on Employment of People with Disabilities (obs)

NACGP National Association of Commisioning General Practitioners

NACPME National Advice Centre for Postgraduate Education

NACR National Audit for Cardiac Rehabilitation

NACRO National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders

NACT National Association of Clinical Tutors

NACVS National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service

NAD    Nothing Abnormal Detected, or perhaps Not Actually Done

or No Apparent Distress

NAFHP National Association of Fundholding Practices (obs)

NAGPT National Association of General Practice Tutors

NAGS NICE Appraisal Groups

NAHAT National Association of Hospital Authorities and Trusts (obs)

NAHT National Association of Head Teachers

NAHWT National Association of Health Workers and Travellers

NAI Non accidental injury

NALA National Adult Learner Award

NALM National Association of LINk Members

NANO Ninety and Not Out !

NANOS North American Neuro-Opthalmology Society

NANP National Association of Non-Principals (now NASGP)

NANT National Appraisal of New Technologies

NAO National Audit Office

NAPC National Association of Primary Care formed from dying embers of Fundholding National Association

NAPMECA National Association of Postgraduate Medical Education Centre Administration

NAPP National Association for Patient Participation

NAPS National Anti-Poverty Strategy (Ireland)

NAS National Autistic Society

NASEN National Association for Special Educational Needs

NASGP National Association of Sessional GPs

NASS National Asylum Support Service

NASUWT National Association of School-teachers / Union of Women Teachers

NATN National Association of Theatre Nurses

or National Association of Training Nurses

NatPaCT National Primary and Care Trust development programme

NAVB National Association of Volunteer Bureaux

NAVCA National Association for Voluntary and Community Action

NAVHO National Association of Voluntary Help Organisations

NAW National Assembly for Wales

NAWO National Alliance of Women’s Organisations

NB Nota bene – note well

NBA National Blood Authority

NBAP National Booked Admissions Programme

NBFI Not Bad For Ilkeston

NBG Lacking evidence of effectiveness

NBI National Beds Inquiry

NBS National Board for nursing, midwifery and health visiting for Scotland (obs)

NBT North Bristol NHS Trust

or Neighbourhood Beat Team

NBTS National Blood Transfusion Service (obs)

NBV Net Book Value

NC Nasal Cannula

NCA National Care Association

NCAA National Clinical Assessment Authority

NCAR National Clinical Audit Report

NCAT National Cancer Action Team

or National Clinical Advisory Team

NCB National Children’s Bureau

NCBV National Coalition for Black Volunteering

NCC National Consumer Council

or National Communications Centre

or News Coordination Centre

NCCA National Centre for Clinical Audit Now absorbed into NICE

or National Community Care Alliance

NCCHTA National Co-ordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment

NCCG Non-Consultant Career Grade

NCCI National Compendium of Clinical Indicators

NCCSDO National Co-ordinating Centre for NHS Service Delivery and Organisation Research and Development at the LondonSchool of Hygience and Tropical Medicine

NCD National Clinical Directors

NCDAH National Care of the Dying Audit – Hospitals

NCE Net Current Expenditure

NCEPOD National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death

NCG National Commissioning Group

NCH   National Children’s Home – Action For Children

NCI National Captioning Institute

or National Centre for Involvement

or National Confidential Inquiry

NCIL National Centre for Independent Living

NCIS National Criminal Intelligence Service

NCEPOD Confidential Enquiry into Peri-operative Deaths An enquiry into surgical disasters or possibly National Commission for Encouraging Patients to be Odd and Difficult

NCL National Civic League

NCMO National Case Mix Office

NCMP National Child Measurement Programme

NCPC National Council for Palliative Care

NCR New Commitment to Regeneration

NCRS National Care Records Service

NCS National Crime Squad

or National Carers Strategy

NCSC National Care Standards Commission (abolished 2004)

NCSL National College for School Leadership

NCT National Childbirth Trust A powerful women’s organisation

NCV National Centre for Volunteering (obs)

NCVCCO National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisations

NCVO National Council of Voluntary Organisations

NCVYS National Council for Voluntary Youth Services

ND New Deal

NDC National Disability Council

or New Deal for Communities

NDP National Decontamination Programme

or National Defibrillator Programme

NDPB Non-Departmental Public Body

NDRSP National Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Programme

NDS National Dementia Strategy

NDU Nurse Development Unit

NDPHS National Disabled Persons Housing Service

NDR Non-Domestic Rates (alternative name for business rates)

NDS New Deal for Schools

NDTMS National drug treatment monitoring system

NDVDP National Domestic Violence Delivery Plan

NDYP New Deal for Young People

NEAS North East Ambulance Service

NEAT New and Emerging Applications of Technologies

or NHS Environmental Assessment Toolkit

NEC Cecrotising Enterocolitis

NED Non-Executive Director

NEET Not in Education Employment of Training

NEF New Economics Foundation

NEFA nonesterified fatty acids

NEJM New England Journal of Medicine

NELH National Electronic Library for Health

NERC Natural Environment Research Council

NES New Earnings Survey

or National Enhanced Services

or Non Elective Spells

NESTA National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts

NF Neurofibromatosis Hereditary neurological condition

or Nuffield Foundation

NFC Neutral Functional Content

NFHA National Federation of Housing Associations (obs)

NFI National Fraud Initiative

NFN Normal for Norfolk This is a legendary acronym, and any sightings in the wild should be reported to me

NFP Not for Profit

NFR Not for resuscitation

NFW No further work

NG Naso Gastric

NGDT National Gamete Donation Trust

NGfL National Grid for Learning (obs)

NGMS New General Medical Services

NGO Non Governmental Organisation

NHAIS National Health Authority Information Systems

NHD Notional Half Day

NHFA Nursing Homes Fees Agency a division of SB Tyler Clark, regulated by the Personal Investment Authority for investment business

NHIH No Hope in Hell

NHL Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

NHLI National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College

NHS    National Health Service

or National Housing Strategy

NHS(S) National Health Service in Scotland

NHSAR National Health Service Administrative Register

NHSBSA NHS Business Services Authority

NHSBSP NHS Breast Screening Programme

NHSCA NHS Consultants Association

NHSCCC National Health Service Centre for Coding and Classification (obs)

NHSCR National Health Service Central Register

NHSCRS NHS Care Records Service

NHSE NHS Executive (abolished 2002)

NHSEED National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database

NHSEHU National Health Service Ethical Health Unit

NHSFT National Health Service Foundation Trust

NHSIA NHS Information Agency (abolished 2005)

NHSIC National Health Service Information Centre

NHSIII NHS Institute for Innovation & Improvement

NHSIMC National Health Service Information Centre

NHSL NHS Logistics

NHSLA National Health Service Litigation Authority

NHSLARMS NHS Litigation Authority Risk Management Standard

NHSME NHS Management Executive now called the NHSE, because we no longer believe in management

NHSnet Intranet for the NHS

NHSP NHS Partners

NHSS National Health Service Supplies

or National Healthy Schools Standard

NHSSG NHS South Gloucestershire

NHST National Health Service Trust

NHSTD National Health Service Training Directorate

NHSTF National Health Service Trust Federation

NHSTU National Health Service Training Unit

NHSU National Health Service University (obs)

NI National Insurance

NIA Northern Ireland Administration

NIACE National Institute of Adult and Continuing Education

NIAP National Infarct Angioplasty Project

NIAS Northern Ireland Ambulance Service

NIB National Implementation Board

NIBP Non Invasive Blood Pressure

NIC Net Ingredient Cost The basic price of a drug

or National Insurance Contribution

NICARE Northern Ireland Centre for Health Care Co-operation and Development

NICE  National Institute for Clinical Excellence

or Northern Institute for Continuing Education

NICEC National Institute for Carers and Educational Counselling

NICON NHS Confederation in Northern Ireland

NICS Northern Ireland Civil Service

NICU Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

NICVA Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action

NIES National Improvement & Efficiency Strategy

NIGB National Information & Governance Board

NIH National Institute of Health

or Nuffield Institute for Health

NIHR National Institute for Health Research

NII Non Invasive Imaging

NILO National Investment & Loans Office

NIMHE National Institute for Mental Health in England

NINo National Insurance Number

NIO Northern Ireland Office

NIP Neighbourhood Improvement Programme (part of SRB6)

NIPPV Non Invasive Positive Pressure Ventilation

NISCC National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (obs)

NISS National Information on Software and Services now moved to HERO

NISW National Institute of Social Work (obs)

NJ Naso-Jejunal

NJC National Joint Council

NJR National Joint Registry

NK Natural Killer (of cells)

NKDA No Known Drug Allergies

NL Nurse Led

NLC National Lottery Commission

NLCB National Lottery Charities Board

NLIS National Land Information Service

NLM National Library of Medicine

NLOP National Local Ownership Plan

NMAC National Medical Advisory Committee (obs)

NMC Nursing and Midwifery Council

NMCS National Minimum Care Standards

NMET Non Medical Education and Training

NMGH North Manchester General Hospital

NMIS Nurse Management Information System

NMI Neuromuscular Impairment

NMS National Minimum Standards

NMSS Non Maintained Special School

NMT Network Management Team

NMW National Minimum Wage

NNDR National Non-Domestic Rates

NNT Number Needed to Treat

NOF National Opportunities Fund

or National Obesity Forum

NOAH National Office of Animal Health

NOCN National Open College Network

NOF New Opportunities Fund

NOMIS National Online Manpower Information Service

NOMS National Offender Management Service

NOP National Opinion Polls

or Notification of Practice

NORMIT Norfolk Major Incident Team

NOS No other symptoms

or National Occupation Standards

NP National Park

NPA National Pharmaceutical Association

or Nasopharyngeal Airway

or National Park Authority

NPAT National Patients’ Access Team

NPC    National Prescribing Centre

or Net Present Cost

NPCRDC National Primary Care Research and Development Centre – based in the University of Manchester

NPDT National Primary Care Development Team

NPFIT National Programme for IT in the NHS

NPFOP National Partnership Forum for Older People

NPG Modernising Health and Social Services: National Priorities Guidance

NPHS National Public Health Service for Wales

NPHT Nuffield Provincial Hospitals Trust (obs)

NPL National Physical Laboratory

NPO Nil Per Os (Nothing by mouth)

NPSA National Patient Safety Agency

NPSBC Non Project Specific Bid Costs

NPT Near Patient Testing

or Neighbourhood Police Team

NPTMG National Patient Transport Modernisation Group

NPV Net Present Value

NQB National Qualities Board

NRB Non-ReBreathing

NRC National Regionalisation Consortium

NRCI National Reference Cost Index

NRE Non-Recurring Expenditure

NRF Neighbourhood Renewal Fund

NRLS National Reporting & Learning System

NRPB National Radiological Protection Board

NRR National Research Register

NRS Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy

NRT Nicotine replacement therapy

NRU Neighbourhood Renewal Unit

NS Normal Saline

NSAID Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drug

NSC National Screening Committee

NSCAG National Specialist Commissioning Advisory Group

NSEC National Smoking Education Campaign

NSF National Service Framework

or National Schizophrenia Fellowship (now called Rethink)

NSFMH National Service Framework – Mental Health

NSMC National Social Marketing Centre

NSMI National Sports Medicine Institute UK

NSNR National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal

NSPCC National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

NSR Normal Sinus Rhythm

or Next Stage Review

NSRC National Schedule of Reference Costs

NSS National Stroke Strategy

NSTS National Strategic Training Service

NSU Non-specific Urethritis Common

NSUG North Staffs Users Group

NSV National Supplies Vocabulary

NTA National Treatment Agency

NTDC New Town Development Corporation

NTG NiTroGylcerin

NTN National Training Number

NTO National Training Organisation

NTST National Transition Support Team

NTT Nuchal Translucency Thickness screening method for Down’s sydrome

NTTRL National Tissue Typing Reference Laboratory

NUT National Union of Teachers

NUTS Nomenclature of Territorial Units

NVASEC National Voluntary Aid Society Emergency Committee

NVP Newly Vulnerable Person

NVQ National Vocational Qualification

NVRAP National Vascular Risk Assessment Programme

NWCS Nation Wide Clearing Service

NWDA North West Development Agency

NWIPP National Workforce Information and Planning Programme

NWMHDC North West Mental Health Development Council

NWPHO North West Public Health Observatory

NWRO North West Regional Office

NWU Neighbourhood Wardens Unit

NWRRL North West Regional Research Laboratory

NWSI Nurse with a Special Interest

NYA National Youth Agency

NYAS National Youth Advocacy Service

NYCDOHMH New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygene

O

O2 Oxygen

O-sign unresponsive person with mouth open and tongue still in mouth

OAC Open Access Clinic

OATs  Out of Area Treatments – payments to trusts for care for patients from more distant areas

OBC Outline Business Case

OBD Occupied Bed Day

OBS – Output Based Specification

OBV Operation Black Vote

OC Operational Capital

OCD obsessive compulsive disorder

OCN Open College Network

OCPA Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments

OCR Optical Character Reader

OCS Organisational Codes Service

OCT Overseas Clinical Team

OD Organisational Development

or overdose

or Once Daily

or outside diameter

or Right eye

ODA Operating department assistant

or Overseas Doctors Agency

ODPM Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (obs)

ODTA Original Decision to admit

ODTS Overseas Doctors Training Scheme

ODO Operating Department orderly

OE On Examination

OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

OEH Oxford Eye Hospital

OEL Occupational Exposure Limit

OFCOM Office of Communications

OFGEM Office of Gas and Electricity Markets

OFMDFM Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister

OFSTED Office for Standards in Education

OFT Office of Fair Trading

or Operational Fraud Team

OFV Opportunities For Volunteering

OFWAT Office of Water Services

OGC Office of Government Commerce

OGTT Oral Glucose Tolerance Test

OH Occupational Health

OHAG Oral Health Advisory Group

OHE Office of Health Economics

OHN Our Healthier Nation Cm3852

OHP Overhead Projector

OHS Occupational Health Service

OIC Officer in Charge

OIE Office International des Epizooties

OIHCP Office for Information on Health Care Performance

OISC Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner

OJEC Official Journal of the European Community

OLM Official Labour Management

om Omni mane – every morning

OMF Open Market Forces

OMNI Organising Medical Networked Information

OMP Ophthalmic Medical Practitioner

OMV Open Market Value

OMVEU Open Market Value in Existing Use

on omni nocte – every night

ONA Outpatient New Attendance

ONS Office for National Statistics The result of a merger in April 1996 of the Central Statistical Office and the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys

OOA Out of Area

OOH Out of Hours

OP Out-Patient

OPA Oropharyngeal Airway

OPAC Online Public Access Catalogue

OPCS Office of Population Census and Surveys

OPD    Out Patient Department

OPG Office of Public Guardian

OPHIS Office for Public Health In Scotland

OPM Office for Public Management

OPMHPB Older Peoples Mental Health Partnership Board

OPP Operational Planning Process

OR Operation Research

os Occuli Sinistrus (Left Eye)

OS Ordnance Survey

OSB Other Services Block (now replaced by EPCS)

OSC Overview and Scrutiny Committee

or One Stop Centre

OSCE Observed Structured Clinical Examination

OSDLS Open Source Digital Library System

OST Office of Science and Technology

OT  Occupational Therapy

or Operating Theatre

OTC over the counter (medicines not requiring a prescription)

ou Right Eye

OU Open University

or Both eyes

OVE Occlusive Vascular Event

OWAM Organisation with a Memory

OWW One World Week

OXERA Oxford Economic Research Associates