Acute Care
Acute Care refers to the necessary treatment of a brief but serious episode of illness, e.g. hospitalisation following a heart attack. The term is generally associated with care within an emergency department, intensive care or ambulance.
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BME
Otherwise Known as: Black and Minority Ethnic Persons or Groups
The term BME is widely used in the voluntary sector to describe the black and minority ethnic community. This is generally a catch-all term for anyone who wouldn’t describe themselves as ‘white, British’.
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CCC
Otherwise Known as: Cheshire County Council
The governing body for Cheshire and the second highest governing authority for the people of Cheshire. The council consists of elected members from 51 divisions. CCC responsibilities include social services or ‘social care’. This differs from healthcare which is provided by the NHS. CCC provide many services for older people, children, carers and those with physical and learning difficulties, e.g. care homes, residential homes, help to live independently, occupational therapy, home care, re-housing, adaptations to property, transport, advocacy, day centres. CCC is currently going through a Local Government Review (see LGR).
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CCV
Otherwise Known as: Cheshire Community Voice
Cheshire Community Voice was established in 2006 as an independent charity. When the majority of the original Local Care Forums ceased to exist, Cheshire County Council, on behalf of Adult Services and the PCTs renegotiated a contract for a new body, which is the new CCV. Our aim is to encourage the public, service users and carers to participate in consultations and public engagement exercises on a variety of issues surrounding our Health and Social Care in Cheshire. We wholly believe that the people of Cheshire are the key to deciding what health and social care services are needed and how these should best be delivered. It is therefore essential that the public are given a say, and most importantly, heard, at every stage of the design, commissioning and delivery process. This allows the public bodies delivering our Health and Social Care services to make better-informed decisions and therefore improve the quality and delivery of these services.
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CCV (2)
Otherwise Known as: Certificate in Community Volunteering
This is a qualification that recognises good practice in volunteering and the general skills that volunteers need to perform their role effectively. The CCV is available at Levels 1 and 2 and is gained by producing a portfolio of evidence. It can be offered as a course, through 1 to 1 sessions, online or by distance learning. It can take between 3-9 months to gain the qualification.
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CECPCT
Otherwise Known as: Central & Eastern Cheshire Primary Care Trust
This is the Primary Care Trust (see PCT) that covers Central & Eastern Cheshire. This includes the boroughs of Crewe & Nantwich, Vale Royal, Congleton and Macclesfield, Knutsford & Wilmslow. It was formed in October 2006 and has responsibility for a population of 460,000 residents.
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CHC
Otherwise Known as: Community Health Councils
Established in 1974, the Community Health Councils provided a voice for patients and the public in the NHS in England and Wales. They were abolished in 2003 with little explanation and a new structure, the PPIFs, were established in their place.
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Commissioning
The primary fund-holders in the NHS (holding 80% of the budget of the NHS) are the PCTs (Primary Care Trusts). The PCTs commission healthcare from hospitals, GPs, NHS dentists and acute services from other NHS trusts and the private sector. They pay for these services either via an agreed tariff or contract. Budgets are allocated from the Department of Health based on population and local needs. The aim is to ‘break even’, i.e. not show a deficit at the end of the financial year although based on demand and costs this is proving very difficult for many trusts.
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Compact
Established in 1998, the Compact is an agreement between government and the voluntary sector to improve and ‘formalise’ the relationship for mutual advantage and community gain. The Compact works as a framework for partnership working between statutory and voluntary organisations and aims to enable those involved to draw up a set of agreed principles, values and relationships covering the five key areas of funding, consultation, black minority ethnic groups, volunteers and community groups.
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CPPIH
Otherwise Known as: The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health
Set up in 2003, CPPIH is an independent body sponsored by the Department of Health. Its role is to ensure the public is involved in decision making regarding health in England. CPPIH supports over 400 PPI (Patient and Public Involvement Forums). CPPIH has the responsibility of submitting reports to the Government on how the PPI system is functioning and makes recommendations to the Department of Health. CPPIH gathers together information from the PPI Forums, ensuring the bodies it reports to are acting on patient’s and the public’s views. The CPPIH will be abolished when the LINks come into effect in April 2008 (see LINks).
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CVS
Otherwise Known as: Council for Voluntary Services
(see VA or Voluntary Action for explanation)
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DoH
Otherwise Known as: Department of Health
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom Government. It is responsible for all government policy on health, social care and the NHS in England. It is led by the Secretary of State for Health.
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EPP
Otherwise Known as: Expert Patient Programme
The EPP is a free six week course for people with chronic or long-term conditions such as arthritis, asthma, multiple sclerosis, diabetes and epilepsy. The aim of the course is to give people the confidence to self-manage their health while encouraging them to work in partnership with health and social care professionals. Course topics do not include health information or treatment but rather focus on topics such as healthy eating, dealing with pain and fatigue, relaxation techniques and coping with depression. Outcomes have included improved quality of life and psychological wellbeing, confidence and increased energy.
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Foundation Trust
Otherwise Known as: NHS Foundation Trust, Foundation Hospital, Foundation Status
Since 2004, 77 NHS Trusts have gained Foundation status. The main difference to a Foundation Trust is that the Secretary of State for Health no longer has powers of direction. Instead direction on the delivery and development of local health care comes from local communities and front line staff. In this way, hospitals should be better able to respond to the needs of their population. Local stakeholders and the public should be given opportunities to influence the stewardship and strategic direction of the organisation.
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Intermediary Care
Intermediary Care refers to the care needed by someone who is ready to be discharged from hospital but it not ready to return home and live independently.
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LAA
Otherwise Known as: Local Area Agreement
A LAA sets out the priorities for the local area and is agreed between Central Government and the local area, represented by the Local Authority or Local Strategic Partnership (LSP). The LSP in Cheshire is now called “Cheshire Partnerships Framework”. This can help with pooling funding, joining up services to work more effectively together and allows more flexibility depending on local circumstances. LAA aim to move away from a ‘Whitehall knows best’ philosophy. LAA agreements are for a 3 year period and current priorities in the existing LAA are: safer and stronger communities, children and young people, healthier communities and older people, economic development & enterprise, environment and sustainability issues and other issues as they arise and are agreed.
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LCF
Otherwise Known as: Local Care Forum
The LCFs were funded and support by the former South Cheshire Health Authority and Social Services. The LCFs were formed as a vehicle for consultation between the two statutory services and the voluntary sector including user and care groups. Six LCFs were formed throughout Cheshire: Crewe & Nantwich, Vale Royal, Ellesmere Port & Neston, Congleton, Chester and Knutsford, Macclesfield and Wilmslow. When the PCTs were set up, other structures were put in place and some of the LCFs ceased to exist. CCV was formed as a new body that would incorporate both health and social care by Cheshire County Council on behalf of Adult Services and the PCTs and is built on the strong foundations of the original LCFs. Only Crewe & Nantwich Local Care Forum remains in operation and CCV continue to support the group particularly with administration.
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LGB/LGBT
Otherwise Known as: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People
There are many variations on this acronym. This is probably the most widely used to describe the diversity of the gay culture. When not including transgender people, the acronym is shortened to LGB. The T for transgender is normally used in this context to include anyone who feels the gender assigned to them at birth is false or incomplete. It would therefore include transsexuals and transvestites. For the purpose of Cheshire Community Voice, it is essential that the LGBT community are consulted and included in all health and social care decision making.
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LGR
Otherwise Known as: Local Government Review
Many councils across England have been bidding for unitary status. Unitary authorities are single tier authorities which combine the functions of county and district councils. In Cheshire this would mean losing the 6 Borough Councils and County Council to be replaced by one local government. In March 2007, the Local Government Minister announced that 16 councils were short-listed to go forward for public consultation and although nine of these will now proceed subject to Parliamentary approval, Cheshire was not among them. An alternative proposal being considered by Central Government is for two unitary councils. This would mean abolishing Borough Councils and County Council and implementing two local governments: Cheshire West (Chester, Ellesmere Port & Neston and Vale Royal) and Cheshire East (Crewe & Nantwich, Congleton and Macclesfield, Knutsford & Wilmslow). The Government is currently saying it is minded to implement the 2 Unitary Councils but a final decision will be made in late November, early December 2007.
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LINks
Otherwise Known as: Local Involvement Networks
Plans for LINks are set out in the Government’s “A Stronger Local Voice”. LINks will replace all public and patient involvement (PPI) forums. From April 2008, all local authorities with social service responsibilities in England will have to make arrangements to establish LINks. LINks are designed to involve people in shaping the services and priorities of health and social care bodies in their areas. LINks will ensure the views of the public and patients are taken into account in commissioning, provision, monitoring and regulation. They will be independent networks of individuals, local user groups and voluntary and community sector organisations. The council must contract an organisation to host the LINks. The host will provide administration, support and premises and cannot be the council, NHS body or service provider. They will report directly to the secretary state for health and can refer matters relating to social care services to the OSC. Health matters can be referred to health scrutiny.
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LSP
Otherwise Known as: Local Strategic Partnership
LSP’s are non-statutory, multi-agency partnerships which match Local Authority boundaries, i.e. the county of Cheshire. The LSP brings together the public, private, statutory and voluntary sectors, allowing joint working to improve effectiveness. The LSP and Local Authority (Cheshire County Council) work together to set the priorities for the Local Area Agreement (LAA).
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MCHT
Otherwise Known as: Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust was established as an NHS Trust in 1991. The services cover 280,000 in Congleton, Crewe & Nantwich and Vale Royal. All services are provided by Leighton Hospital (Crewe), the Victoria Infirmary (Northwich) and a number of outreach facilities (e.g. paediatric home care, community midwifery). The Trust has a contract to provide care which is managed by Central & Eastern Cheshire PCT (see PCT). MCHT is currently applying for Foundation Status (see Foundation Trust).
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NCI
Otherwise Known as: NHS National Centre for Involvement
The NHS Centre for Involvement works with NHS staff and organisations, enabling them to make changes based on the information provided by patients and the public. The core value is to encourage a patient-led NHS by improving patient experience, generating mutually supportive relationships between patients and professionals, engaging with local communities and developing responsive and publicly accountable services. The NCI promotes the values of Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) and provides resources, advice and capacity to enable best practice and a high quality PPI.
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OSC
Otherwise Known as: Overview & Scutiny Committee
Overview & Scrutiny Committees were set up as part of the Local Government Act 2000. They are functions of Local Authorities, i.e. Cheshire County Council and have the main aims of assisting the council in development and review of major plans and policies and undertaking specific reviews of the organisation and services. Cheshire County Council has several Scrutiny Select Committees to cover its main functions: Children’s Services, Community Services, Corporate Services and Environment Services. There is now a Health & Adult Social Care Scrutiny Select Committee to look at health service provision through the NHS and associated bodies. The Committee monitors and scrutinises commissioning and delivery of services to ensure all of Cheshire has equal access to health and adult social care. It can also make recommendations on big changes to healthcare in Cheshire or changes that will affect Cheshire’s healthcare.
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PALS
Otherwise Known as: Patient Advice & Liaison Service
PALS are a central part of PPI in England and are available at each Trust, e.g. Mid Cheshire Hospital Trust. They provide information on health related matters, confidential advice and support to patients, families and carers, explanations of NHS complaints procedures, a point of feedback for patients, confidential assistance in resolving problems quickly and a early warning system for PCTs, NHS Trusts and PPI Forums by monitoring trends and gaps in services.
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PCT
Otherwise Known as: Primary Care Trust
PCTs are part of the NHS and responsible for delivering health care and health improvements to their local area. PCTs collectively spend approximately 80% of the NHS budget. They provide health services and fund GPs, medical prescriptions and commission hospital and mental health services from NHS trusts or the private sector (see Commissioning). They are managed by a Chief Executive, Executive Directors and Non-Executive Directors (including a Chairman). Much of the finance and agenda is determined by the Strategic Health Authority or Department of Health. There are currently 152 PCTs in England (reduced from 303 before October 2006). There are two PCTs in Cheshire, Central & Eastern Cheshire PCT and Western Cheshire PCT.
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PEC
Otherwise Known as: Professional Executive Committee
Each Primary Care Trust has a Professional Executive Committee. This is made up of the Trust’s Chief Executive and Director of Finance, at least one public health member, a couple of members employed by the Local Authority and elected GP’s, nurses, pharmacists and dentists. The PEC takes responsibility for guiding the PCT Board through detailed thinking on priorities, policies and plans. This can be purely in an advisory capacity, adding clinical perspective to decisions or can be a significant contribution to the strategic direction and operational delivery of the PCT.
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PPG
Otherwise Known as: Patient Participation Group
PPG’s are organised by Doctor’s surgeries and health centres and are supported by the Primary Care Trust (see PCT). The groups meet to discuss issues of concern regarding their surgery with the aim of improving the service. The particular agenda will depend on local needs and the interests of the group members. The groups are also used as a sounding board for changes within the surgery. If you are interested in joining a PPG, contact your local surgery to find out if they are currently running a group.
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PPI / PPIF
Otherwise Known as: Patient & Public Involvement Forums
There are currently 394 PPI Forums in England, one for each NHS Trust. They are supported by the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (see CPPIH). The PPIFs have replaced the Community Health Councils (see CHC) however there are several key differences. The PPIFs are established for each NHS Trust where the CHCs were matched to the boundaries of the Local Authority. PPIFs have a more extensive role in monitoring and have the right to inspect family practitioners services (e.g. GPs and dentists) and can also monitor private health provision that is contracted by the NHS. Finally CHCs did not have the same statutory role or power to advise Government. The main aims of the PPIFs are to obtain views from local communities about health services, make reports and recommendations on the range and delivery of health services, influence the design and the access to NHS services and provide information and advice to patients and carers about their services. The PPIFs will be abolished when the LINks come into effect in April 2008 (see LINks).
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Primary Care
Primary Care describes the health services that are generally the first point of contact for patients, including GPs, pharmacists, dentists, midwives, opticians, NHS Direct and NHS Walk In Centres. Primary care physicians are generally located in the community as opposed to a hospital. All these Primary Care services are provided by the Primary Care Trusts (PCT).
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QUANGO / QANGO
Otherwise Known as: QUasi-Autonomous Non Government Organisation
QUANGO’s are organisations which perform Government functions usually with Government funding or support. However QUANGO’s are not formally part of the public sector. The official definition by the UK Government is “A body which has a role in the processes of national government, but is not a government department or part of one, and which accordingly operates to a greater or lesser extent at arm's length from Ministers”. There is some confusion about how ‘autonomous’ a organisation is which is funded by the Government to perform a Government function and as a result the term has largely been abandoned in the UK. Some examples of QUANGO’s are: the Learning and Skills Council, Driving Standards Agency, JobCentre Plus, British Waterways, CPPIH (see CPPIH), Criminal Records Bureau and the BBC.
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Respite Care
Respite care is generally offered to support carers and give them a much needed break from their caring duties. It can also come as a welcome break to an older person, offering them a break from living independently, possibly following an illness or stay in hospital. This service is offered by Social Services, a department of the Local Authority (e.g. Cheshire County Council). Alternatively there are many opportunities for respite care from voluntary organisations such as Crossroads, Cheshire Carers and Mencap.
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Secondary Care
Secondary Care refers to treatment that is provided after a consultation with a Primary Care physician (see Primary Care). Secondary Care normally takes place in or by hospitals which are managed by NHS Trusts. This would include cardiologists, urologists and dermatologists.
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SHA
Otherwise Known as: Strategic Health Authority
SHAs are part of the NHS structure and since April 2006, the number of SHA was reduced to 10 across England. These are now the same as the Government Office regions of England. Cheshire is in ‘The North West Strategic Health Authority’ alongside Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside. It is also known as ‘NHS North West’ and has the largest geographical area of all the SHAs. The SHA is responsible for strategic supervision of the NHS Trusts in their area. For Cheshire this includes 24 Primary Care Trusts, 29 Acute Trusts, 1 Ambulance Trust, 1 Care Trust and 11 Mental Health Trusts. This covers a regional budget of £9.5 billion.
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Social Enterprise
A Social Enterprise is an organisation which trade in goods or services for a social purpose. It could be that any profits are used to support the organisations social aims or that the business accomplishes the social aim merely through its operation, e.g. employed disadvantaged community members. The terms is often used to describe the more businesslike organisations that make up the voluntary sector and usually involves charities with trading arms, co-operatives and housing associations amongst others. Some examples of Social Enterprises are The Big Issues, the Eden Project, Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant and Cafédirect. The national body for the social enterprise movement in the UK is the Social Enterprise Coalition. According to figures in 2005 there are at least 55,000 Social Enterprise in the UK with a combined annual turnover of £27 billion.
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TUPE
Otherwise Known as: Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment)
Introduced in 1981, the aim of TUPE rights aim to ensure an employee who transfers to another company (e.g. if a company decides to outsource their cleaning contract) can maintain the same terms and conditions of their employment. This usually includes the pay, work, pension etc of their original contract. If staff are dismissed for any reason concerning the new arrangement, this will be deemed unfair dismissal. Criticisms include the employee not being able to seek redundancy should they not wish to transfer. An employee must transfer or resign. Another example of criticism for TUPE is if a client has a law firm working on their behalf and decides to employ the services of a different firm. The original lawyers would have the right to turn up at the newly appointed firm even if this is contrary to what the client wants.
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VA
Otherwise Known as: Voluntary Action
There are over 300 Councils for Voluntary Service throughout the country. These are now being renamed as Voluntary Action (VA). In Cheshire we have a VA or CVS in each borough, e.g. Crewe & Nantwich, Vale Royal, Ellesmere Port & Neston, Congleton, Chester and Knutsford, Macclesfield and Wilmslow. The aim of the VA is to give support, information and advice to local voluntary and community groups and act as a voice for the local voluntary and community sector (VCS). Many VA’s also provide further services to support some of the more disadvantaged people in the community. All VA’s are represented nationally by the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA).
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VIN
Otherwise Known as: Victoria Infirmary (Northwich)
The Victoria Infirmary is a small hospital in Northwich, Cheshire. Along with Leighton Hospital in Crewe, the VIN forms the Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust (see MCHT). The infirmary originally opened in 1887 and currently has 2 in-patients wards and 31 beds. It also has support services, a minor injuries unit, a therapy services department and many outpatient services.
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WCPCT
Otherwise Known as: Western Cheshire Primary Care Trust
This is the Primary Care Trust (see PCT) that covers Western Cheshire. This includes the boroughs of Chester and Ellesmere Port & Neston. It was formed in October 2006 and has responsibility for a population of 233,000 residents.
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