Health and Social Services Glossary of Acronyms
E
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
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
EBMH Evidence Based Mental Health
or Electronic Booking Programme
or Emotional Behavioural Problems
EBS Emergency Bed Service
EC European Community or
ECA Emergency Care Assistant
ECDL European Computer Driving Licence
ECF Extracellular fluid
or Elemental Chlorine Free
ECH Elizabeth Casson House
ECHR European Court of Human Rights
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 Now replaced by OATS
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 - Electronic Data Interchange is a particular structure which complies with ISO 9735 This is the standard for EDI adopted by the NHS
EDIT Elderly Dementia Intervention Team
EDM Electronic Document Management
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
EEC European Economic Community
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
EHRC Equality & Human Rights Commission
EHS Extremely Hazardous Substance
or English Housing Survey
EIA European Information Association
or Equality Impact Assessment
or Education & Information Campaign
EIP Examination In Public
EIS Early Intervention Service
or Elective Inpatient Spells
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
EMG electromyogram
EMI Elderly Mentally Ill
EMIS Egton Medical Information System
EMLC European Midwives Liason Committee
EMO Examining Medical Officer
EMS Emergency Medical Services
EMU Economic and Monetary Union
EMW Early Morning Wakening - symptom of depression
EMWA European Medical Writers Association
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
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
EPHR Electronic Patient Health Record
EPI EPInephrine
EPICS Elderly Persons Integrated Care Scheme
EPO Erythropoietin
EPS Electronic Prescribing Service
EPU Emergency Planning Unit
EQUIP Effectiveness and Quality in Practice Group
ER Endoplasmic Reticulum
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
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
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
ETP Employer Training Pilot
or Education & Training Plan
or Electronic Transmission of Prescriptions
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
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
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
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
FHOT Funds held on trust
FHR Fetal Heart Rate
FHS Family Health Services Provided by GPs, GDPs, Optometrists, and Pharmacists
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
FIO Financial Inclusion Officer
FIPO Federation of Independent Practitioner Organisations
FIS Financial Information Service or System
or Family Income Supplement (became WFTC)
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
or Family Practitioner Committee, which was replaced by the FHSA
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
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 - now know as Family Unit (FU)
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 Fucked 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
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
GCC General Chiropractic Council
GCSE General Certificate of Secondary Education
GDA Guidline Daily Amount
GDP General Dental Practitioners - dentists who work either in private practice, for the NHS, or offer a combined service
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
GHQ General Health Questionnaire
GHT Gloucester Hospital Trust
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
GLAD Greater London Association of Disabled People
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
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
or General Medical Practitioner
GMPTE Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive
GMS General Medical Services Mostly provided by GPs under the NHS (General Medical Services) regulations 1992
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
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
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 Produced by the NPCRDC
GPASS General Practice Administration System Scotland
GPB Good Practice Bank
GPCC GP Commissioning Consultant
GPCG GP Commissioning group See HSC 1998/030
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 (replaced by SSA)
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
or Government Telephone Network
GTRT Get the right treatment
GUCH Grown Up Congenital Heart Patients Association
GUM Genito Urinary medicine Where STDs are treated
GWAS Great Western Ambulance Service
GWAT Great Western Ambulance Trust
H
H&S Health and Safety
H& SC Health & Safety Commission
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
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 step down from the ITU
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
HI Health Improvement
HIA Housing Improvement Agency
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
HLI Healthy Living Initiative
HLPI High Level Performance Indicator
HMC Her Majesty’s Coroner
HMC&E Her Majesty's Customs and Excise
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
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, replacing ELs, HSGs, FDLs and FHSLs
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 - a series of management instructions from the DOH
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
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