Glossary

Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA)
Committee that advises the Secretary of State for Health on the distribution of resources across primary and secondary care to ensure that these fully reflect local population need and operate fairly.

Care package
Following an assessment, a care package is agreed to enable a patient to receive care appropriate to their needs. Where necessary this covers both NHS and social care.

Choose and Book
System that allows patients to make their first outpatient appointment, at a time, date and place that suits them.

Commissioning
The processes local authorities and primary care trusts (PCTs) undertake to make sure that services funded by them meet the needs of the patient.

Crisis resolution teams
Teams providing intensive support for people with severe mental illness to help them through periods of crisis and breakdown.

Domiciliary care
Homecare that helps people cope with disability or illness, and allows them to maintain independence.

Elective care
Care provided at a planned or prearranged time rather than in response to an emergency.

Electronic prescription Service (EPS)
Service that electronically sends a patient's prescription from their GP to a pharmacy.

Fitness for purpose
An organisational assessment and commissioning diagnostic tool for primary care trusts (PCTs).

General Medical Services contract (GMS)
Contract that is the mechanism for providing funding to individual GP practices. It has two elements of funding - a basic payment for every practice, and further payments for specified quality measures and outcomes.

GPwSI (General Practitioners with Special Interests)
GPs that supplement their generalist role by delivering a clinical service beyond the normal scope of general practice. See also Practitioners with Special Interests (PwSI).

Independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs)
Private sector treatment centres that offer pre booked day and short stay surgery, and diagnostic procedures.

Individual budgets
A sum given to an individual, to allow them control over the way the money is spent on their care needs.

Integrated care
NHS and local authority health responsibilities are managed together so that care trusts can offer a more efficient and better integrated service.

Intermediate care
Integrated services for older people that promote faster recovery from illness, prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and maximise independent living.

KSF (Knowledge and Skills Framework)
The NHS KSF process involves managers working with individual members of staff to plan their training and development.

LINks
Local Involvement Networks (LINks) are individuals and groups from across the community who are funded and supported to hold local health and social care services to account.

Local area agreements (LAAs)
Three year agreement that sets out the priorities for a local area in certain policy fields as agreed between government, local authority and other partners.

Local delivery plan (LDP)
A plan that every primary care trust (PCT) prepares and agrees with its strategic health authority (SHA) on how to invest its funds to meet its local and national targets, and improve services.

Local strategic partnerships (LSPs)
Partnerships that bring together representatives from the public, private, voluntary and community sectors to deliver the Sustainable Community strategy and local area agreement.

Minimum Practice Income Guarantee (MPIG)
Introduced as part of the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract to provide income protection to general practices moving from the previous contract to the new contract.

National IT programme (NPfIT)
Programme that focuses on the changes to IT in the NHS that will improve the patient experience.

National service frameworks (NSFs)
Long term strategies for improving specific areas of care.

PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Services)
Services that provide information, advice and support to help patients, families and their carers.

Payment by Results (PbR)
Transparent rules based system that sets fixed prices (a tariff) for clinical procedures and activity in the NHS, enabling all trusts to be paid the same for equivalent work.

Personal Medical Services contracts (PMS)
One of the types of contracts primary care trusts (PCTs) can have with primary care providers. This contract is locally negotiated with practices.

PFI (private finance initiative)
Initiative that provides a way of funding major capital investments, without immediate recourse to the public purse.

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF)
Part of the contract primary care trusts (PCTs) have with GPs. It is nationally negotiated and rewards best practice and improved quality of services.