Health and Social Services Glossary of Acronyms
P
P A pharmacy medicine
P& CC Primary & Community Care
P&GRG Policy & Guidelines Ratification Group
P & V Private & Voluntary
P 4 P Partnership for Progression
Pa Pascal
PA Police Authority
or Personal Assistant
or Patients Association
PAAG Professional Assessment & Advisory Group
or Patients Accelerating Change
PACE Property Advisers to the Civil Estate
or Promoting Action on Clinical Effectiveness
or Police & Criminal Evidence Act 1984
PACS Picture Archiving and Communication System - a replacement for X-ray film
PACT Prescribing Analysis & Costs - GPs get regular PACT reports from the PPA giving details of their recent prescribing, comparing them with local and national averages
or Placing, Assessment and Counselling Team
PAD Perpheral Arterial Disease
PADA Personal Accounts Delivery Authority
PAERS Patient Access to Electronic Record Systems Ltd
PAF Performance Assessment Framework
or Public Audit Forum
PAFO Pissed And Fell Over
PAGB Proprietary Association of Great Britain
PAHC Partnership Against Hate Crime
PALS Patient Advice and Liaison Service
PAMIS Parliamentary Monitoring & Intelligence Service
PAMP Pathogen Associated Molecular Pattern
PAMs Professions Allied to Medicine - eg physiotherapists, OTs etc
PAR Programme Analysis & Review
PARR Patients at Risk of Rehospitalisation
PARS Physical Assault Reporting System
PAS Patient Administration System A main hospital database
PASA Purchasing and Supply Agency
PASG Pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment
PAT Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia
or Personnel Accountability Tag
or Professional Association of Teachers
or Policy Action Team
or Portable Appliance Test
PAYE Pay as you Earn
PB Pooled Budgets
or Preferred Bidder
or Project Board
PBC Public Benefit Corporation
or Practice Based Commissioning
PBCC Practice Based Commissioning Consortium
PBCF Practice Based Commissioning Framework
PBL Problem Based Learning
PBR Pre-Budget Report
or Payment By Results
PBRS Public Benefit Recording System
PBx Private Branch Exchange (type of internal telephone network)
PC Primary care
or personal computer
or politically correct
or post cibos - after meals
or Parish Council
or Public Convenience or
Patients' Council
or Pension Credit
PCA Patient controlled analgesia - usually a morphine pump
or Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration
or Personal Capability Assessment
PCAG Primary Care Audit Group
PCAP Primary Care Act Pilot
PCC Patient Centered Care
or Primary Care Contracting
PCCD Primary & Community Care Directorate
PCCG Primary Care Commissioning Group
PCCL Primary Care Cancer Lead – clinician
PCCS Primary Care Cardiovascular Society
PCE Patient/Carer Experience
or phonocardiogram
PCHR Personal Child Health Record
PCHS Palliative Care Home Support
PCI Percutaneous Cardiac Intervention
Primary Coronary Intervention
PCIP Primary Care Investment Plan
PCIS Primary Care Incentive Scheme
PCL Provision for Credit Liabilities
PCMCN Peninsula Cardiac Managed Clinical Network
PCMHW Primary Care Mental Health Worker
PCMS Primary Care Medical Service
PCO Primary Care Organisations
PCP Personal Communication Profile
or Person Centred Planning
or Primary Care Professional
PCPIG Patient, Carer & Public Involvement Group
PCQIP Primary Care Quality Improvement Programme
PCR Polymerase Chain Reaction
PCRC Primary Care Resource Centre
PCRG Policing & Crime Reduction Group (part of the Home Office)
PCRN Primary Care Research Network
PCS public and commercial services union
or Primary Care System
PCSA Primary Care Support Agency
PCST Police Community Safety Team
PCT Primary Care Trust
PCUS Primary Care Urology Service
PCV packed cell volume
PD Personality Disorder
or Project Director
PDC Public Dividend Capital
PDD Prescribed Daily Dose - the average daily dose which is actually prescribed
or Pervasive Development Disorder
PDFPortable Document Format A way of publishing electronically which preserves printed formatting information Needs Adobe Acrobat to view
or Partnership Development Fund
PIDA Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998
PDM Pre Diabetes Mellitus
PDO Property Damage Only
PDP Practice Development Plan
or Personal Development Plan
PDR Personal Development Review
PDRS Pre Diabetes (Mellitus) Risk Score
PDS Primary Dental Service
or Parkinson's Disease Society
PDSA Plan Do Study Act
PE Physical Examination
or Pulmonary Embolism
PEA Pulseless Electrical Activity
or Personal Expense Allowance
PEARL Pupils Equal And Reactive to Light
PEAT Patient Environment Action Team
PEC PCT Professional Executive Committee
or Practitioner in Emergency Care
PECS Picture Exchange Communication System
PEDC Potential Elderly Domiciliary Clients (part of SSA)
PEG Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy
or Patient Experience Group
PEOG Public Engagement & Overview Group
PERL Pupils Equal and Reactive to Light
PERT Pontefract Emergency Response Team
PESC Public Expenditure Survey Committee (obs)
PESR Potential Elderly Supported Residents (part of SSA)
PET Positron Emission Tomography
PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
PETS paediatric emergency transfer service
PF Patients' Forum
PFC Patient Focused Care
P f H Partnership for Health
PFI Private Finance Initiative
PFMA Practice Fund Management Allowance
PFP Pandemic Flu Plan
PFR Planning For Real
PFSG Pandemic Flu Steering Group
PFU Private Finance Unit
PGCME Postgraduate and Continuing Medical Education
PGD Postgraduate Dean
or Patient Group Directions
PGEA Postgraduate Education Allowance
PGMDE Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education
pH a measure of acidity or alkalinity
PHA Public Health Alliance Now part of UKPHA
or Port Health Authority
or Public Health Act 1936
PHAB Physically Disabled and Able-Bodied
PH&KD Physiotherapy Hip & Knee Department
PHANYC Public Health Association of New York City
PHC Primary Health Care
PHCT Primary Health Care Team
PHCSG Primary Health Care Specialist Group of the British Computer Society
PhD Philosophiae Doctor (Doctor of Philosophy)
or Public Health Department
PHeL Public Health Electronic Library
PHIS Public Health Institute of Scotland (obs)
PHL Public Health Laboratory
PHLS Public Health Laboratory Service
PHP Public Health Practitioner
PHPU Public Health Policy Unit
PHRRC Public Health Research and Resource Centre
PHRU Public Health Resource Unit
PHSO Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman
PHSS Personal Health Summary System
PHT Pre Hospital Thrombolysis
PHTLS Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support
or Parallel Imports
PIA Partnership In Action
or Personal Injury Accident
or Pain in the Ass
or Patient Impact Assessment
PIAG Patient Information Advisory Group
PIB Physical Impairment Board
PICS Platform for Internet Content Selection
PICU Paediatric or Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit
PID Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
or Prolapsed Intervertebral Disc - Slipped disc
or Paediatric Immunology Deficiency
or Project Initiation Document
PIDA Public Interest Disclosure Act
PIG Policy Implementation Groups
or Promoting Independence Grant
or Professional Interest Group
or Prognostic Indicator Guide
or Public Involvement Group
PIL Patient Information Leaflet
PIM Performance Improvement Manager
PIN Personal identification number
or Prior Identification Notice
PIP Performance Improvement Plan
PIS Paediatric Immunology Service
or Prescribing Incentive Scheme
PITA Pain In The ass
PIU Performance and Innovation Unit
PLA Pre School Learning Alliance
PLAB Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board
PLD People with Learning Disabilities
PLP Personal Learning Plan
PLPI Product Licence Parallel Import
PLS Paediatric Life Support
or Psychiatric Liaison Service
PLT Protected Learning Time
PM Programme Management
PMA Personal Medical Attendant What insurance companies and the like call the doctor who writes a report for them
PMD Prescribing Monitoring Document
PMDU Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit
PMETB Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board
PMF Performance Management Framework
PMH Past Medical History
PMHS Primary Mental Health Service
PMI Private Medical Insurance
PMLD Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities
PMN Polymorphonuclear Neutrophil
PMR Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
or progressive muscle relaxation
PMS Primary Medical Services
or Performance Management Support
PMSG pregnant mare's serum gonadotrophin
PN percussion note - part of the examination of the chest
or Priority Neighbourhoods
PNA Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment
PNC Practice Nurse Coordinator
PND Paroxysmal Nocturnal Dyspnea
or Post Natal Depression
PNL Prior Notification List (of patients for screening)
PNS Peripheral Nervous System
PO Per oral - by mouth
POA Power Of Attorney
POC Point Of Care
Po CA Protection of Children Act 1999
POCT Point of Care Testing
PODS Patient's Own Drugs
POETS Piss Off Early Tomorrow is Saturday
POINT Publications On the INTernet (Department of Health)
POISE Procurement Of Information Systems Effectively The standard procedure followed for procurement of Information systems
POLIS Parliamentary Online Indexing Service
POLST Physicians Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment
POM Prescription Only Medicine
POP Purchase Order Processing
POPPS Partnerships for Older People Projects
POPUMET Protection of Persons Undergoing Medical Examination
POQ Piss off quick (Get out of a dangerous situation)
POSH Promoting Opportunities in Health & Social Care
POSIX Portable Operating System Interface
POU Pulmonary Oncology Unit - Chest cancers
POVA Protection Of Vulnerable Adults from Abuse
PPA Prescription Pricing Authority - costs all prescriptions dispensed in England in order to pay chemists for the costs of the drugs etc they dispense
PPARC Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council
PPBS Planning, Programming & Budgeting System
PPC Preferred Place of Care
PPCI Primary Percutaneous Cardiac Intervention
PPD Prescription Pricing Division
PPDP Practice Professional Development Plans
PPDR Practice Profession Development and Revalidation
PPE Personal Protective Equipment
or Patient & Public Engagement
PPF Priorities and Planning Framework
PPG Principal Police Grant
or Planning Policy Guidance
or Public Participation Group
PPI Proton Pump Inhibitor
or Patient and Public Involvement
PPIF Patient and Public Involvement Forum (obs)
PPM Planned Preventative Maintenance
PPO Preferred Provider Organisation
PPPP Public-Private Partnership Programme (aka 4Ps)
PPRS Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme
PPS Professional Practice Skills
or Planning Policy Statement
PPSA Peninsular Purchasing Supply Alliance
PPU Private patients unit
PPV Pre Pandemic Vaccine
or Post Qualification
PQASSO Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organisations
PQQ Pre Qualification Questionnaire
PR Per rectum
or Public relations (the connection is obvious really)
PRA Preventing and Responding to Aggression
or Patient Referral Adviser
PRATFO Patient Reassured and Told to Fuck Off
PRB Pay Review Body
PRC Provisional Replacement Certificate
PRCC Principle & Rules for Cooperation & Competition
PRCSG Public Reassurance & Communication Strategic Group
PREP Post Registration Education and Practice
PREPP Post Registration Education and Preparation for Practice
PRG Public Reassurance Group
PRHO Pre-Registration House Officer
PRIAE Policy Research Institute on Ageing & Ethnicity
PRIMIS Primary Care Information Services
PRINCE Projects in Controlled Environments
PRLOG Pharmacy Regulator & Leadership Oversight Group
PRN pro re nata - As required (of medication)
PRODIGY Prescribing RatiOnally with Decision-support In General-practice studY
PROMS Patient Reported Outcome Measures
PRP Performance Related Pay
PRT Personal Risk Training
or Prison Reform Trust
PRTC Princess Royal Trust for Carers
PRU Police Resources Unit (part of Home Office)
PSA Prostate Specific Antigen
PS & RG Patient Safety & Risk Group
PSBR Public Sector Borrowing Requirement
PSC Public Sector Comparator
or Principals Sub Committee
PSD Professional Standards Directorate
PSFD Public Sector Financing Deficit
PSG Prescribing Strategy Group
PSHE Personal Social And Health Education
PSL Period of Study Leave
or Plastic Sciences Laboratory
PSM Professions Supplementary to Medicine
PSNC Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee represents chemists in negotiations with the DOH
PSNCR Public Sector Net Cash Requirement
PSND Public Sector Net Deficit
PSNI Police Service of Northern Ireland
PSO Programme Support Officer
PSOP Provider Services Operational Plan
PSPP Public Sector Payments Policy
PSRCS Police Standard Radio Communication System
PSRG Public Safety Risk Group
PSS Personal Social Services
PSSRU Personal Social Services Research Unit
PST Patient Survey Training
or Professional Surgical Unit
PSX Public Service Expenditure
PT Part Time
or Physiotherapy
or Phased Transition
Pt Patient
PTA Parent-Teachers Association
or Passenger Transport Authority
PTCA Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty - A balloon opening technique for opening partially blocked coronary arteries
PTE Passenger Transport Executive
PTL Priority Treatment List
PTS Patient transport service
or Plastic Trauma Services
PTSD Post Traumatic stress disorder
PTSED Planning, Transportation & Strategic Environment Deptartment
PU Prescribing Unit - developed to take account of elderly patients greater need for medication Patients over 65 count as 3 PUs and those under 65 as one
PV Per vagina
or Pemphigus Vulgaris
PVC Premature Ventricular Contraction
PVD Peripheral Vascular Disease
PVH Private & Voluntary Healthcare
PVIS Private, Voluntary, Independent Sector
PVL Panton Valentine Leukocidin
PVR Pulmonary Ventricular Resistance
PVS Persistent Vegetative State
PW Pressurized Water fire extinguisher
PWC Price Waterhouse Coopers, a firm of accountants
PWCB People With Challenging Behaviour
PWLB Public Works Loans Board
PWLD People with Learning Difficulties
PWSI Practitioner with Special Interest
Px Prescribing
PYE Part Year Effect
Q
Q-sign unresponsive person with mouth open and tongue hanging out
QA Quality Assurance
QAA Quality Assurance Authority
QALY Quality Adjusted Life Year
QC Quality Control
or Quick Connect
QCA Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
QDS Four Times Daily
qh quaque hora - every hour
QHT Quality Hygiene Training
QIPP Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention or
Quality Index for Predicted Proteins
ql quantim libet - as much as wanted
QMAS Quality Management & Analysis System
QNI Queen's Nursing Institute
QOF Quality and Outcomes Framework
QOL Quality of Life
or Quality Outcome Level
QP Quality Protects
QPP Quantum Property Partnership
QR Quick Release
qs quantum sufficiat - a sufficient quantity
QSW Qualified Social Worker
qv quod vide Latin for look up the reference
R
R&D Research and Development
R&DC Rest and Day Care
R&S Recruitment and Selection
RA Research Associate
or Revenue Account
or Regional Assembly
or Risk Assessment
RAC Resource & Activity Centre
RACPC Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic
RAG Red Amber Green - much used by regulators who grown tired of stars.
RA(SG) Revenue Account (Specific Grants)
RADAR Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation
RADTZ Regional Assessment and Diagnostic Treatment Zone
RAE Research Assessment Exercise
RAG Resource Allocation Group
RAGE Radiotherapy Action Group Exposure
RAM Risk Allocation Matrix
RAO Referral and Advice Officer - First point of contact for enquiries about Social Services Advice and basic information is also provided
RAP Recurrent Abdominal Pain
or Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care in Adult Personal Social Services
RAPt Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust
RARM Remote and Rural Medicine
RASP Resource Allocation and Service Planning
RAWG Risk Assessment Working Group
RAWP Resource Allocation Working Party
RAYNET Radio Amateurs’ Emergency Network
RB Representative Body
or Reserve Bidder
RBC Red Blood Corpuscle
rbe relative biological effectiveness
RBMS Referral Booking and Management System
RBP Retail Business Premises
RBS Record Based Strategy
RC Royal Colleges
or Respect Campaign
or Roman Catholic
RCA Royal College of Anaesthetists
or Root Cause Analysis
RCAT Root Cause Analysis Training
RCC Rural Community Council
RCCC Regional Civil Contingencies Committee
RCCO Revenue Contributions to Capital Outlay
RCCS Revenue Consequences of Capital Schemes
or Reid Clinical Classification System
RCOG Royal College of Gynaecologists
RCG Regional Compact Group
RCGP Royal College of General Practitioners
RCH Residential Care Home
RCHT Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust
RCN Royal College of Nursing - Union for nurses
RCO Refugee Community Organisations
RCOG Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
RCOphth Royal College of Ophthalmologists
RCP Royal College of Physicians
RCPath Royal College of Pathologists
RCPCH Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
RCPE Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
RCPsych Royal College of Psychiatrists
RCR Royal College of Radiologists
or Retail Centre Survey
RCSLT Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
RCU Regional Co-ordination Unit
RDA Regional Development Agency
or Rural Development Area
RDBMS Relational Database Management System
RDC Rural District Council (obsolete except in former UK colonies)
or Rural Development Commission
RDF Resource Description Framework
RDN Resource Discovery Network
RDP Regional Development Programme
RDPGPE Regional Director of Postgraduate General Practice Education
RDPH Regional Director of Public Health
RDS Respiratory Distress Syndrome
RDSU Research and Development Support Unit
REA Regional Education Adviser
REACH Research and Education for Children in Asthma or
Retired Executives Action Clearing House
REAL Research, Education, Audit, Libraries
REC Racial Equality Council
or Research Ethics Committee
REDG Regional Education Development Group
Reg Registrar
or Royal Edinburgh Hospital
REIA Race Equality Impact Assessment
REN Race Equalities Network
RES Regional Economic Strategy
RFA Requirements for Accreditation of GP Systems
RFA4 National Accreditation standard for computers
RFAG Rural Fire Authorities' Group
RFDS Royal Flying Doctor Service
RFID Radio Frequency Identification Technology
RG Registrar-General
or Reference Group
RGB Red Green Blue
RGD Revenue Grants Distribution
RGD(RG) Revenue Grants Distribution (Review Group)
RGN Registered General Nurse
Rh Relative humidity
RHA Regional Health Authority (obsolete)
RHB Regional Hospital Board (obsolete)
RHEPA Regional Health Emergency Planning Adviser
RHV Registered Health Visitor
RIBA Royal Institute of British Architects
RICS Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors
RIDDOR Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations
RIEP Regional Improvement Efficiency Partnership
RIF Right Iliac Fossa
rINN Recommended International Non-proprietary Name
RIPA Royal Institute of Public Administration
RIPHH Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene
RITA Record of In-Training Assessment
RIU Regulatory Impact Unit
RL Ringer's Lactate
RLAS Red Lights And Sirens
RLG NHS Regional Librarians Group
RLOS Reduced Length of Stay
RLQ Right Lower Quadrant
RM Risk Management
RMA Refuse[s] Medical Assistance
RMC Referral Management Centre
RMCGC Risk Management & Clinical Governance Committee
RMCH Royal Manchester Children's Hospital
RMN Registered Mental Nurse
RMO Resident Medical Officer
or Responsible Medical Officer
RMS Referrals Management System
or Risk Management Strategy
or Recommended Minimum Standards
RMT Referral Management Tool
or Risk Management Training
RMWG Risk Management Working Group
RNA ribonucleic acid
RNCC Registered Nursing Care Contribution
RNF Relative Needs Formula
RNHRD Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases
RNIB Royal National Institute for the Blind
RNID Royal National Institute for Deaf People
RNLI Royal National Lifeboat Institution
RNMH Registered Nurse for the Mentally Handicapped
RNOH Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust
RNTNE Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital
RO Regional Office
or Radio Officer
or Revenue Out-turn
ROC Return on Capital
or Retained Organs Commission (obs)
RoCE Return on Capital Employed
ROE Regional Office for Europe
ROM Range of Movement
ROS Return on Sale
ROSC Return of Spontaneous Circulation
ROSPA Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
ROT Rule Of Thumb
ROTA Race on the Agenda
RoW Rights of Way or
RP Reporting Party
RPAT Regional Patient Access Team
RPC Regional Planning Conference (often now part of Regional Assembly)
RPF renal plasma flow
or Rural Policing Fund
RPGD Regional Postgraduate Dean
RPGT Random Plasma Glucose Test
RPHTF Regional Prison Health Task Force
RPIx underlying Retail Price Index (ie, excluding domestic mortgage costs)
RPPG Regional Policy Planning Guidance
RPSGB Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
RPST Risk Pooling Scheme for Trusts
Rpt Repeat
RQ respiratory quotient
or Reportable Quantity
RR Relative Risk
or Risk Reduction
RRA Race Relations Act 1976
or Relatives & Residents Association
RRD Regional Resilience Director
RRF Regional Resilience Forum
RRMS Relaxing and Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
RRSG Reducing Re-offending Strategic Group
RRT Rapid Response Team
RRV Rapid Response Vehicle
RS respiratory system
or Rescue Squad
RSC Royal Society of Chemistry
RSCG Regional Specialised Commissioning Group
RSCN Registered Sick Children's Nurse
RSD Reflex Sympathetic Disorder
RSG Revenue Support Grant formerly Rate Support Grant
or Rapid Sequence Induction
or Rough Sleepers Initiative
RSIN Rural Stress Information Network
RSL Registered Social Landlord - a Housing Association or similar
RSN Real Soon Now - when computer applications will be delivered
RSP Rural Services Partnership
RSPCA Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
or Regional Spatial Strategy
RSU Regional Secure Unit - for people who are considered dangerously mentally ill
or Rough Sleepers Unit
RSV Respiratory Syncytial Virus
RSVP Retired and Senior Volunteers Programme
RSW Residential Social Work
RT Radiotherapy
or reaction time (in neurophysiology)
Rt Right
RTA Road Traffic Accident
RTB Regional Training Board
RTF Regional Task Force
or Rich Text Format
RTI Respiratory Tract Infection
RTIA Receipts Taken Into Account (part of capital control framework)
RTM Right To Manage
RTP Rural Transport Partnership
RTPI Royal Town Planning Institute
RTT Referral to Treatment
RUH Royal United Hospitals Bath
RUM Resource Utilisation Management
RUMIS Resource Utilisation Management Incentive Scheme
RUQ Right Upper quadrant (of the torso)
RVI Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle
RVSN Regional Voluntary Sector Network
RWG Risk Working Group
Rx Prescription drugs
RxList Internet Drug Index