Healthcare Glossary
A comprehensive A-Z reference of healthcare terms and acronyms.
ADL
Activities of Daily Living — routine tasks people do every day such as eating, bathing, dressing, and toileting.
Best Interest Decision
A decision made on behalf of someone who lacks capacity, considering their wishes, feelings, and what would benefit them most.
Care Plan
A documented plan that outlines a person's assessed needs and how those needs will be met by care providers.
CQC
Care Quality Commission — the independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
DBS Check
Disclosure and Barring Service check — a criminal record check required for people working with vulnerable adults or children.
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS)
Legal safeguards to protect people who lack mental capacity from being deprived of their liberty unlawfully.
Domiciliary Care
Care services provided in a person's own home, including personal care, medication support, and companionship.
Duty of Candour
A legal duty to be open and transparent when things go wrong with care, including notifying patients and families.
Enhanced DBS
The most thorough level of DBS check, including criminal records and police intelligence, required for regulated activity.
Fundamental Standards
The minimum standards below which care must never fall, as defined by the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
GDPR
General Data Protection Regulation — UK law governing how personal data is collected, stored, and used.
Home Care
See Domiciliary Care. Care provided in the individual's own home.
ICO
Information Commissioner's Office — the UK authority overseeing data protection and privacy regulations.
Inspection
A formal assessment by CQC of a care service against the five key questions: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, Well-led.
Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs)
The specific questions inspectors ask under each of the five key questions during a CQC inspection.
Live-in Care
A care arrangement where a carer lives in the person's home to provide round-the-clock support.
MCA
Mental Capacity Act 2005 — legislation that protects people who cannot make certain decisions for themselves.
Medication Administration Record (MAR)
A document that records all medications prescribed and administered to a person receiving care.
NICE
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence — provides evidence-based guidelines and standards for health and care.
NMC
Nursing and Midwifery Council — the regulator for nurses and midwives in the UK.
Outcome-Based Care
An approach that focuses on what matters to the individual, measuring success by the person's quality of life.
Palliative Care
Specialist care for people with life-limiting conditions, focusing on comfort, dignity, and quality of life.
Person-Centred Care
An approach to care that respects individual preferences, needs, and values, putting the person at the centre of decisions.
Quality Assurance
Systematic processes to ensure care services meet required standards consistently.
Rating
CQC assigns one of four ratings: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, or Inadequate.
Regulated Activity
Activities related to care that are regulated by CQC and require the provider to be registered.
Revalidation
The process by which NMC-registered nurses demonstrate they continue to meet professional standards.
Risk Assessment
A systematic evaluation of potential hazards and risks associated with a person's care or the care environment.
Safeguarding
Protecting adults at risk from abuse, neglect, and harm. A legal duty for all care providers.
Section 42 Enquiry
A formal safeguarding enquiry under the Care Act 2014 when abuse or neglect is suspected.
Service User
A person who receives care services. Sometimes referred to as a client, patient, or resident.
Skills for Care
The strategic body for workforce development in adult social care in England.
Supervision
Regular structured meetings between a care worker and their manager to discuss performance, development, and wellbeing.
TUPE
Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) — regulations protecting employees' terms when a business transfers.
Whistleblowing
Reporting concerns about unsafe or illegal practices within a care organisation, protected by law.