Abbreviations
A
AfC (Agenda for Change) - AfC is a system of pay, terms and conditions put in place in 2004, and which applies to most NHS employed staff. It is underpinned by a job evaluation scheme linked to knowledge and skills
AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) - The AHRQ's mission is "to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans"
APHO (Association of Public Health Observatories) - The APHO facilitates collaborative working of the ten Public Health Observatories (PHOs) in England and Wales and their equivalents in Scotland and Northern Ireland
C
CCNet (Cochrane Consumer Network) - This network provides consumer input into developing Cochrane systematic reviews of best evidence in health care and the use of this evidence
CDHN (Community Development and Health Network) - The CDHN is an independent organisation based in Northern Ireland with an inter-sectoral membership which provides support for community development approaches to ending health inequalities
CGSDU (Clinical Governance Support and Development Unit) (Wales) - The CGSDU is a multi-disciplinary team supporting and developing clinical governance throughout the NHS in Wales
CHAIN (Contact, Help, Advice and Information Network) - CHAIN is an online mutual support network for people working in health and social care. It is based around specific areas of interest, and gives people a simple and informal way of contacting each other to exchange ideas and share knowledge
CHPs (Community Health Partnerships)
Community Health Partnerships (CHPs) are being developed across Scotland to manage a wide range of community based health services. This website is intended as a resource for all those involved in the development of CHPs, with links to other relevant websites and development materials
CNMC (Consultant Nurse and Midwife Cymru) - The CNMC is the Forum of Consultant Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals in Wales and the website provides a database of members and facilitates the sharing of information on individual and collective activities
CNORIS (Clinical Negligence and Other Risk Scheme NHSScotland) - CNORIS has been developed primarily for health professionals and managers with responsibility for risk transfer and claims management in NHSScotland
CNST (Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts) - The CNST provides measures for NHS trusts to fund the cost of clinical negligence litigation
CQC (Care Quality Commission) - The CQC is the new health and social care regulator for England which was established by the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and came into operation in April 2009
CSCG (Clinical and Social Care Governance Support Team) - CSCG assists with the implementation of clinical and social care governance throughout Northern Ireland
CSSIW (Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales) - CSSIW supports the improvement of care, early years and social services in Wales through regulation, inspection and development
D
DH (Department for Health) - The DH is a Government organisation providing overall strategic direction to NHS and social care organisations in order to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone in England
DHSSPS (Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety) - The DHSSPS provides the strategic direction for Health and Personal Social Services, Public Health and Public Safety in order to improve the health and social well-being of the people of Northern Ireland
E
EPP CIC (Expert Patients Programme Community Interest Company) - The EPP CIC is an NHS-based training programme offering opportunities to people who live with long-term chronic conditions to develop new skills to manage their condition better on a day-to-day basis
F
FPH (Faculty of Public Health) - The FPH is a Faculty of the Royal College of Physicians and sets, monitors and promotes standards in the education and training of specialists in public health in the UK
G
GAIN (Guidelines and Audit Implementation Network) - GAIN has been formed in Northern Ireland by the amalgamation of the Clinical Resource Efficiency Support Team (CREST) with the Regional Multiprofessional Audit Group (RMAG) and the Northern Ireland Audit Advisory Committee (NIRAAC) to form a single clinical and social care regional audit and guidelines body for Northern Ireland
GMS (General Medical Services) - The GMS contract governs the provision of primary care services in the UK. It is a strategic tool to improve the quality and range of services for patients
H
HIW (Healthcare Inspectorate Wales) - HIW's purpose is to promote continuous improvement in the quality and safety of patient care within NHS Wales. It undertakes inspections of and investigations into the provisions of healthcare commissioned and provided by Welsh NHS bodies
HONNI (Health on the Net Northern Ireland) - HONNI is a gateway to electronic information for health and social care professionals in Northern Ireland
HPA (Health Protection Agency) - The role of the HPA is to provide an integrated approach to protecting UK public health through the provision of support and advice to the NHS, local authorities, emergency services and the Department of Health
HPS (Health Protection Scotland) - The HPS strengthens and co-ordinates health protection in Scotland by undertaking a number of functions including co-ordinating and monitoring health protection activity, providing expert advice, undertaking research and development and supporting the development of good professional practice in health protection
HQIP (Health Quality Improvement Partnership) - The HQIP is led by a consortium of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the Royal College of Nursing and the Long-Term Conditions Alliance and has responsibility for the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme
I
IAPO (International Alliance of Patients Organizations)
The International Alliance of Patients Organizations is a global alliance which represents patients of all nationalities across all disease areas and promotes patient-centred healthcare around the world. The IAPO vision places patients throughout the world at the centre of healthcare
ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) - The Information Commissioner's Office is the UK's independent public body set up to promote access to official information and protect personal information
ICAS (Independent Complaints Advocacy Service) - ICAS supports patients and their carers wishing to pursue a complaint about their NHS treatment or care
IPH (Institute of Public Health in Ireland) - The Institute of Public Health promotes co-operative activity in public health across Ireland through advising on policy and the provision of public health information and surveillance
ISD Scotland (Information Services Division) - ISD Scotland is a support service to NHSScotland and the Scottish Executive Health Department. ISD is Scotland's national organisation for health information, statistics and IT services
IST (Improvement and Support Team) - The Improvement and Support Team supports the delivery of policy and key performance priorities and targets in Scotland through the development and delivery of national improvement programmes that support the HEAT targets (Health Improvement; Efficiency; Access; Treatment)
K
KF (King's Fund) - "The King's Fund is an independent, charitable foundation working for better health, especially in London". The KF carries out research, policy analysis and development activities, working on their own, in partnerships, and through funding
KN - (Knowledge Network) - The Knowledge Network is provided by the NHS Education for Scotland Knowledge Services Group. It is a national online knowledge service for health and social care, supporting all healthcare staff in their day to day practice, learning and research
M
MCN (Managed Clinical Network) - Managed Clinical Networks (MCNs) are groups of health professionals and healthcare organisations working together to improve the treatment and care given to patients and their families in Scotland. Each MCN is organised around a specific medical condition or treatment
N
NAGG (National Audit and Governance Group) - NAGG exists to provide a channel of communication between national bodies who have a responsibility for clinical audit and governance, and clinical audit staff and management in local organisations
NAPP (National Association for Patient Participation) - The National Association for Patient Participation is a registered charity and umbrella organisation for Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) within primary care, offering a variety of services to patients, health care professionals, PCOs and NHS organisations
NCAAG (National Clinical Audit Advisory Group) - NCAAG was set up by the Department of Health to drive the reinvigoration of the national clinical audit programme and represents the creation of a voice for clinical audit in the Department. It also acts as the steering group for the expanded National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP) hosted by HQIP
NCAPOP (National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme) - is a set of centrally-funded national projects that provide local trusts with a common format by which to collect audit data. The data is analysed centrally and comparative findings fedback to help participants identify necessary improvements for patients. Most of these projects involve services in England and Wales; some also include services from Scotland and Northern Ireland
NCASP (National Clinical Audit Support Programme) - NCASP is based at the NHS Information Centre and manages a number of national audits in the areas of cancer, diabetes and heart disease
NES (NHS Education for Scotland) - NES designs, commissions, quality assures and, where appropriate, provides education, training and lifelong learning for the NHS workforce in Scotland
NHS CFH (NHS Connecting for Health) - NHS CFH is part of the Department of Health's Informatics Directorate, who's role is to maintain and develop the NHS national IT infrastructure
NHS Evidence - NHS Evidence (formerly the National Library for Health) provides free access to clinical and non-clinical information - local, regional, national and international. Information includes evidence, guidance and Government policy. NHS staff who have an Athens account can also get free access to paid for journals
NHS Institute (NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement) - The NHS Institute focuses its expertise in service transformation, technology and product innovation, leadership development and learning
NHS IC (The Information Centre for health and social care) - The Information Centre for health and social care co-ordinates and streamlines the collection and sharing of health and adult social care data
NHS KSF (NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework) - the NHS KSF identifies the knowledge and skills that individuals need to apply in their post and provides an objective framework on which to base review and development for all staff
NHS LQF (NHS Leadership Qualities framework) - The NHS LQF was launched in 2002 and sets the standard for outstanding leadership in the NHS
NHS PCC (NHS Primary Care Contracting)
NHS PCC aims to support the implementation of national policy and the development of best practice in commissioning for primary care
NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) - NICE is an independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health in England
NIGB (National Information Governance Board) - The NIGB for Health and Social Care provides leadership and promotes consistent standards for information governance across health and social care
NIPEC (Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council for Nursing and Midwifery) - NIPEC has a statutory function for promoting high standards of education and training, practice and professional development amongst nurses and midwives and quality assures education activities for both the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS)
NIPECDF (NIPEC Development Framework) - The NIPECDF provides resources to support nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses in continuing professional development and development of a portfolio
NLIAH (National Leadership and Innovation Agency for Healthcare) - The NLIAH was launched in March 2005. The Agency aims to provide a national strategic resource which will help support NHS Wales in delivering the Designed for Life agenda
NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) - The core function of the NMC is to establish and improve standards of nursing and midwifery care in order to serve and protect the public
NPHS (National Public Health Service for Wales) - The NPHS delivers a range of public health services to improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Wales and protect against existing, new and emerging diseases and health threats
NPSA (National Patient Safety Agency) - The NPSA co-ordinates efforts to learn from patient safety incidents occurring in the NHS and has responsibility for a range of other safety related activities carried out through various organisations
NSF (National Service Framework) - NSFs are long term strategies for improving specific areas of care and they set measurable goals within set time frames
P
PALS (Patient and Advice Liaison Services) - PALS provide information, advice and support to help patients, families and their carers
PALSonline (Patient and Advice Liaison Services Online) - PALSonline is a service which offers support, information and help to patients, their families, carers and friends
PFPI (Patient Focus and Public Involvement NHSScotland) - PFPI is a Scottish framework for delivering a patient and public focussed NHS service
PiF (Patient Information Forum)
The Patient Information Forum (PiF) acts as 'an independent forum for the sharing of good practice amongst those involved in the production and dissemination of high-quality consumer health information'. Membership of PiF is needed to access the full range of information including top tips, standards and guidance, news and discussion
PPI (Patient and Public Involvement) - PPI is all about empowering patients and the public to have a greater role in their own healthcare
PSRP (Patient Safety Research Portfolio) - The Patient Safety research programme which is based at the University of Birmingham was set up to promote patient safety research in the wake of the publication of the Chief Medical Officer's "An Organisation with a Memory, a report on learning from adverse events in the NHS"
Q
QOF (Quality and Outcomes Framework) - The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is a component of the new General Medical Services contract for general practices providing financial rewards for the provision of high quality care by practices
QQUIP (Quest for Quality Improvement and Performance) - QQUIP was a five-year research programme funded by the Health Foundation from 2005–2010, providing a source of independent commentary and data about the quality and performance of healthcare provision
R
RCN (Royal College of Nursing) - The RCN represents nurses and nursing, promotes excellence in practice and shapes health policies. It is a membership organisation with over 395,000 members in the United Kingdom
RQIA (Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority) - The RQIA is the independent body responsible for monitoring and inspecting the availability and quality of health and social care services in Northern Ireland, and encouraging improvements in the quality of those services
S
ScotPHN (Scottish Public Health Network) - The Scottish Public Health Network is open to everyone in Scotland who has a professional interest and significant involvement in the wider health improvement agenda
SCPHN (Specialist Community Public Health Nursing) - The SCPHN is defined by the Nursing and Midwifery Council as aiming "to reduce health inequalities by working with individuals, families, and communities promoting health, preventing ill health and in the protection of health"
SCSWIS (Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland) - SCSWIS is the independent scrutiny and improvement body for care and children’s services and it has a significant part to play in improving services for adults and children across Scotland. It regulates and inspects care services and carries out social work and child protection inspections
SfH (Skills for Health) - Skills for Health is a UK-wide body working with the NHS, independent and voluntary health sectors to develop a skilled and flexible workforce. It leads on and facilitates the development, maintenance and use of national workforce competence frameworks
SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) - Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) develops clinical guidelines on behalf of NHS Quality Improvement Scotland
SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman) - Scottish Public Services Ombudsman deals with complaints about organisations providing public services in Scotland
U
UKCRC (UK Clinical Research Collaboration) - The UK Clinical Research Collaboration brings together the NHS, research funders, industry, regulatory bodies, Royal Colleges, patient groups and academia in a UK-wide environment that facilitates and promotes high quality clinical research for the benefit of patients
UKPHA (United Kingdom Public Health Association) - The UKPHA is a multidisciplinary membership organisation supporting those working in public health both professionally and in a voluntary capacity
W
WASPI - (Wales Accord for the Sharing of Personal Information) - WASPI applies to all organisations (public, private or voluntary sector) who provide a service and hold personal information involving the health and well being of people in Wales