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Jargon Buster

We know that health and care is a sector that often uses a lot of ‘jargon’ - words that mean something to people in the sector, but don't make a lot of sense to people outside of it. 

In Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, we are committing to improving the way we communicate with you. To do that we need to be clearer and explain what we mean. We also try to use as little jargon as possible and to follow Plain English guidelines. 

To make the technical terms we use that may not be immediately clear to everyone reading it we have put together this handy jargon buster. 

This page explains many of the key phrases, acronyms, and organisations you may hear or read about within our Integrated Care System (ICS). If there are any other words or phrases which are unclear on our website or in any of our published documents, please let us know.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for you can also try the NHS Confederation acronym buster or the Think Local Act Personal jargon buster.  

A&E 

Accident and Emergency department. A hospital service which provides care for emergency, life threatening and critical conditions for patients of all ages, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This is also known as the Emergency Department (ED). 

Accountable Business Unit (ABU) 

These are the teams, led by a "team captain" (lead organisations) who work on a specific area. They are responsibile for bringing together our local people, volunteers, and service providers to make it easy for you to access the services you need. We have five teams (that we sometimes refer to as Accountable Business Units - ABUs) for our Integrated Care System (ICS): 

  • North Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) 

  • South Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) 

  • Mental Health (MH) and Learning Disabilities (LD) 

  • Children’s and Maternity 

  • Strategic Commissioning 

Further information on each individual team is included in this guide. 

Acute services 

Medical and surgical interventions usually provided in hospital. This includes things like operations and tests we would need to do to diagnose a condition you may have.  

Agenda for Change (AfC) 

The NHS system of pay and benefits (such as holiday entitlement) that is linked to the job content, and the skills and knowledge staff apply to perform jobs. 

Ambulance Trust 

Ambulance Trusts provide emergency access to health care. Ambulance trusts respond to 999 calls; doctors' urgent admission requests; high-dependency and urgent inter-hospital transfers and major incidents. In our area, the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) is our Ambulance Trust. 

Anchor organisation or system

These are large, normally non-profit, public sector organisations, such as the NHS. Their focus and long-term sustainability is tied to the wellbeing of the local communities they serve.

An anchor system collectively employs thousands of people across an area.

Assessment of Need 

Used to identify an individual's social care and support needs and their eligibility for care and support through use of Fair Access to Care Services eligibility criteria. Most assessments are carried out by an assessing practitioner and involve the individual needing support. The Government's Personalisation Agenda is encouraging greater self-assessment 

Caldicott Guardians 

Senior staff in the NHS and social services appointed to protect patient information and ensure it remains confidential. 

Care home 

A home registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and providing nursing and / or personal support as well as living accommodation

Care manager 

Care management is a relatively new team-based, patient-centred approach designed to assist patients and their support systems in managing medical conditions more effectively. Care managers perform assessments and devise packages of care for individuals and then commission, or buy, any identified service or package for them. Care Managers tend to be social workers but can include other professionals such as Occupational Therapists. 

Care package 

Most people have to pay something towards the care they receive. But some people with ongoing significant health needs can get their care paid for through NHS continuing healthcare Following an assessment, a care package is agreed so you can receive care appropriate to your needs. Where necessary this covers both NHS and social care and can either be in your own home, or a care home. 

Care pathway 

The care and treatment plan a patient receives from start to finish, which usually spans across several different parts of health and social care. 

Care plans 

A document that individual health and social care professions or teams may produce to show what care will be given and how to a patient/service user. Care plans are written agreements setting out how care will be provided within the resources available for people with often complex needs. 

Care Quality Commission (CQC) 

The CQC is the independent regulator of all health and social care services in England. The CQC’s role is to make sure that care provided by hospitals, dentists, ambulances, care homes and services in people’s own homes and elsewhere meets national standards of quality and safety. 

Care worker 

A person who is paid to support someone who is ill, struggling or has a disability and could not manage without this help. 

Care Trusts 

NHS Trusts that work in both health and social care. They can be established where NHS organisations and local authorities agree to work together, and their functions are determined by this partnership. The role for the Care Trust is usually where it is felt that a closer integration between health and social care is needed or would be beneficial at a local level. 

Carer 

A person who provides support to an individual but is not employed to do so by an agency or other organisation. Can be of any age and are often a relative or friend supporting someone at home. 

Children's and Maternity ABU 

One of our five Accountable Business Units, the Children’s and Maternity collaborative focuses on the delivery of an integrated care system for maternity, children, and young people. 

Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG

Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) replaced Primary Care Trusts on 1 April 2013. They commission health services on behalf of the patients and local people. CCG’s will cease to exist on 1 July 2022. The Strategic Commissioning function of CCGs will become part of our Integrated Care Board (ICB). 

Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust (CCS

Provides community-based health and social care services. 

Choose and Book 

The system that allows patients to make their first outpatient appointment, at a time, date and place that suits them. 

Clinical governance 

The system through which NHS organisations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care. 

Clinical network 

A network of health professionals from different NHS organisations working together across institutional and local boundaries, to provide care for a particular disease or patient group. 

Commissioning 

The buying of health and care services. It is a continuous cycle of activities that includes agreeing and specifying services to be delivered over the long term through partnership working and patient feedback, as well as contract negotiation, target setting, providing incentives and monitoring. It is all about making sure that health and care services effectively meet the needs of a given population with the resources available. 

Community care 

A network of services provided by local authority social service departments, the NHS, and volunteers. Designed to keep people independent and able to live in the community rather than in institutional care; for example, older people, people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities or mental health problems. Services are often provided in the home. 

Community health services 

NHS services provided outside a hospital. Community health staff can include district nurses, health visitors, community midwives, district dieticians, chiropodists, and community psychiatric nurses. Many community staff are attached to GP practices and health centres. 

Community hospitals 

Local hospitals serving populations of less than 100,000 that provide a range of clinical services. 

Community Support 

Flexible services that assist individuals with the activities of daily living and enable them to access social and recreational activities in their local community 

Consultation 

The process of formal discussion which aims to inform as well as provide the opportunity for feedback about significant proposed changes to services or working practices. 

Continuing care 

Continuing care means care provided by health and social care professionals over an extended period, to meet adults’ physical or mental health needs caused by disability, accident, or illness. NHS continuing healthcare (sometimes known as CHC) is a package of continuing care provided outside hospital, arranged, and funded solely by the NHS, for people with ongoing healthcare needs. If you need continuing care, your care needs are likely to be complex, substantial and ongoing, caused by a disability or chronic illness, or following hospital treatment. There are eligibility criteria for applying for NHS funded continuing care. 

Care programme approach (CPA

The system used by CCGs and their corresponding social services departments for assessing the health and social care needs of mentally ill people to make sure they get referred to appropriate secondary care. 

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT

This is the local mental health trust for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and provides treatment and care for patients with mental health issues. 

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUHFT

Cambridge University Hospitals is one of the largest and best known trusts in the country and delivers several specialist services. Encompasses Addenbrooke’s hospital and the Rosie maternity unit. 

Delayed discharge 

Where a patient who is fit for discharge remains in an acute hospital bed because other, more suitable, care cannot be provided at that moment in time. 

Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) 

The Department of Health and Social Care provides strategic leadership for public health, the NHS and social care in England. It is a government department, led by the Secretary of State for Health (a cabinet MP). 

Early Intervention 

Aims to identify people at risk and to halt or slow down any deterioration, and actively seek to improve their situation (also known secondary prevention). 

East of England Ambulance Trust (EEAST

Provides ambulance services for the east of England (Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk). 

Elective care 

Elective care is given at a planned or prearranged time rather than in response to an emergency, usually following referral from a primary or community health professional such as a GP and/or a diagnosis at hospital.  

Eligibility criteria 

An assessment of an individual's support needs, that takes into consideration how serious a risk is to the individual's independence. By determining level of risk, the criteria provide a structure for determining an individual's eligibility for social care. 

Exceptional cases 

Exceptional cases are treatments not usually funded by the NHS, but applications can be made to fund them. The Exceptional Cases Panel is authorised by the Board to process requests for exceptional treatments and make decisions about whether or not they can be funded by the NHS. 

Finance and Performance Group (FPPG) 

One of the Integrated Care Board (ICB) Sub-committees, responsible for financial analysis, advice, and oversight of the budget. 

Freedom of Information Act (FOI or FOIA) 

Government act which gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public bodies. 

Generic medicines 

Generic medicines are usually copies of pharmaceutical products that are no longer protected by patent. Medicines have two different names, the brand name which is made by the pharmaceutical company who created it, and the generic name which is the active ingredient in it. A simple example is paracetamol, which is the generic name. Several companies manufacture it under brand names such as Panadol or Calpol.  

General practitioner (GP

GPs are doctors who work from a local surgery or health centre, providing medical advice and treatment to patients who have registered on their list. The majority of GPs are independent contractors providing services to patients through a contract. GPs can refer patients who need more help to specialists, such as hospital consultants. 

General Practitioners with Special Interests (GPwSI) 

GPs that supplement their generalist role by delivering a clinical service beyond the normal scope of general practice. 

Healthcare acquired infection or healthcare associated infection (HCAI

Infections such as MRSA and Clostridium Difficile that patients or healthcare workers acquire (or get) from a hospital. 

Health economy 

A health economy includes all health organisations and staff within an identified area. It includes commissioners, primary care practitioners, NHS trusts, local authorities/councils and voluntary sector organisations. May also be referred to as a health community. 

Health inequalities 

Health inequalities are avoidable, unfair, and systematic differences in health between different groups of people. These can be varied, either by health outcomes so age expectancy or access to care, or defined by characteristics such as geography, age, or gender. We aim to reduce health inequalities, ensuring everyone in our local area has the same opportunities to live a long and healthy life. 

Health trainers 

NHS accredited staff who help local people to make health and lifestyle changes. 

Health visitor 

A health professional working in the community, often responsible for prevention, health advice and promotion and community health development. 

Healthwatch  

Healthwatch England is an independent organisation giving people a local voice about their health and social care services. It supports and co-ordinates the activity of all the local Healthwatch, including Health Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. They have a seat on health and wellbeing boards, ensuring that the views and experiences of patients, carers and other service users are considered when preparing local needs assessments and strategies. 

Healthy living 

Initiatives to help people stay healthy, including programmes to encourage people to quit smoking, eat better and exercise more. 

Health Education England (HEE

Health Education England provides national leadership for workforce planning, education, and training, and supports local organisations in delivering education and training. HEE is responsible for providing funding and monitoring outcomes from training and education providers.  

Hinchingbrooke Hospital 

Hinchingbrooke hospital is the local hospital in Huntingdonshire. It is managed by North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (NWAngliaFT). 

Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB

Where politicians, health and social care professions and other system leaders work together to solve problems and lead change to benefit our population. Health and Wellbeing Boards lead on the local Health and Wellbeing Strategy. 

Impact Assessment 

Impact Assessments must be completed on all DHSC policy regulatory proposals and new legislation. They provide a process to help policymakers consider and understand the consequences of proposed DHSC interventions in the public, private and third sectors, against a range of alternative options. They are also a tool to enable policymakers to weigh up relevant evidence of costs versus the benefits of options for intervention on different sectors. The assessment requires completion of a summary and a series of Specific Impact Tests. These include statutory requirements such as Equality Impact Assessments and others such as Health Impact Assessments. 

Indicative budget 

The amount of funding that can be made available to meet an individual's social care and support needs. The amount is identified through use of a Resource Allocation System (RAS). This is different from a Personal Budget which is the final agreed amount of funding based on the preparation for their Support Plan. 

Infection control 

The practices used to prevent the spread of diseases. 

Integrated Care Board (ICB) 

Statutorily accountable for the planning and delivery of NHS services across the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough health system. Holds the NHS budget for the system and will maintain the appropriate governance and systems to ensure the management of resources to deliver local priorities and national standards & priorities. In our area the ICB is known as NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough. 

Integrated Care Board (ICB) Sub-committee's 

Groups responsible for discharging the governance regulatory and professional leadership of the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and have delegated authority from the ICB to act on its behalf. We are developing our sub-committees for our Integrated Care System (ICS), which will evolve over time. 

Integrated Care System (ICS) 

Partnership working together to improve health and care for all, through shared leadership and collaborative action. Our ICS looks at the health and care needs across all of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, around one million people. 

Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) Committee 

The Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) Committee is a statutory committee of the ICS, set up jointly and in equal partnership between the Integrated Care Board and the Local Authorities in the area. It brings together NHS, local government, and other partners across the ICS area to integrate care and improve health and wellbeing for their population. 

Integrated Neighbourhood (IN) 

Local teams caring for around 30,000-50,000 people at neighbourhood level. Served by groups of GP practices working with NHS community services, social care, and other providers to deliver more co-ordinated and proactive services, including through primary care networks (PCNs). 

Intermediate care 

Services such as nursing homes, rehabilitation and home care services which are designed to bridge the gap between hospital and home. They ease the transition from medical dependence and help people recover and resume independent living more quickly. 

Independent sector (IS

An umbrella term for organisations or businesses controlled or owned by private individuals, either directly or through stock ownership, rather than organisations run by Government or Government bodies. 

Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA

JSNAs are local assessments of current and future health and social care needs that could be met by the local authority, ICS, or NHS Commissioning Board. They are produced by Health and Wellbeing Boards and are unique to each local area.  

Local Authority (LA

Bodies empowered and required by various Acts of Parliament to carry out the local government of their areas. The council is the final decision-making body within a local authority. They deliver local services to the community through leadership which is democratically accountable to local communities. 

Local Area Agreement (LAA

A 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 Education and Training Board (LETB

Local education and training boards are committees of Health Education England (HEE). The LETBs will be the vehicle for providers and professionals to work with HEE to improve the quality of education and training outcomes so that they meet the needs of service providers, patients, and the public. 

Local Strategic Partnership (LSP

Partnerships that bring together representatives from the public, private, voluntary and community sectors to deliver the Sustainable Community strategy and local area agreements. They are non-statutory partnerships usually based on local authority boundaries. 

Long Term Condition (LTC

There are around 15 million people in England with at least one long term condition – a condition that cannot be cured but can be managed through medication and/or therapy. There is no definitive list of LTCs, but examples include diabetes, asthma, and coronary heart disease. 

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) 

An agreement between two or more parties outlined in a formal document. 

Multi-disciplinary team (MDT

A group of professionals who have different qualifications, job roles and expertise. They may work for a variety of health and social care organisations who come together to assess need and plan care for a patient/service user together as one joined up team.  

Mental Health (MD) and Learning Disabilities (LD) ABU 

One of three horizontal provider collaboratives, the Mental Health and Learning Disabilities (MH/LD) collaborative will drive the transformation of the design and delivery of health and social care to improve MH/LD provision across the local population, with a focus upon prevention, early intervention and improve the integration of health and social care provision across mental health and learning disabilities pathways. 

Mental Health Trusts 

A mental health trust provides treatment and care for patients who have mental health issues. The services may be provided from a hospital or in the community. 

Minor Injuries Unit (MIU

Nurse-led urgent care for non-life threatening injuries such as cuts, sprains and burns that cannot be treated at home. We have MIUs in Doddington, Ely and Wisbech. 

Needs assessment 

A systematic process by which NHS organisations or local authorities use information to judge the health and wellbeing of their population and then decide what services should be provided to meet local needs. The aim is to identify unmet needs and make recommendations about ways to address these needs. 

NHS 111 

The three-digit telephone service and online platform that links patients to urgent care and out of hours services in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area. Patients registered to a Cambridgeshire and Peterborough GP practice can use this number when they need medical help or advice urgently or out of normal working hours, but it's not urgent enough to call 999. NHS 111 operates 24/7, 365 days per year and is free to use from a landline and a mobile. You can also access NHS 111 via 111.nhs.uk. 

NHS allocations 

How the Department of Health and Social Care allocates money to local health services. 

National Institute for Health Protection (NIHP) 

The NIHP will be an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) aimed at monitoring and controlling infectious diseases and responding to health protection incidents. 

NHS England and Improvement (NHSE&I) 

NHS England and NHS Improvement leads the National Health Service (NHS) in England. The regulator of foundation trusts, NHS trusts and independent providers that provide NHS-funded care. Their priority is to offer support to providers and local health systems to help them improve. 

NHS Long Term Plan (LTP) 

A ten-year plan, published in January 2019, setting out the NHS's priorities for health care as well as setting out how a £20.5 billion budget settlement for the NHS will be spent. 

Further information can be found on the NHS Long Term Plan website.  

NHS Trusts 

NHS acute Trusts are hospitals, community health services, mental health services and ambulance services which are managed by their own boards of directors. In any location there may be several trusts involved in the different aspects of providing healthcare to the local population. 

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE

An independent organisation providing advice and guidelines on the cost and effectiveness of drugs and treatments. 

Non medical prescribing 

A programme that gives patients quicker access to medicines and makes better use of nurses and other health professionals' skills. 

National service framework (NSF

Long term strategies for improving specific areas of care. 

National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA

Provides services to drug misusers through pooled budgets from health and other agencies. It encourages good practice, sets standards, and monitors performance. 

Nurse prescribing 

Qualified nurse independent prescribers who can prescribe any licensed medicine for any medical condition within their competence. 

Out of hours (OOH) services 

Patient services provided by GPs outside of normal surgery hours. 

Operating framework 

The business and financial arrangements for running an organisation. DHSC publishes an Operating Framework for the NHS annually. 

Palliative care 

Care for people with chronic or life threatening conditions from which they will not recover. Its focus is on symptom control and family support to help people have the best quality of life they can, given their medical condition. 

Patient choice 

A DHSC policy concerning giving patients more choice about how, when and where they receive treatment. 

Patient pathway 

The route followed by the patient into, through and out of NHS and social care services. 

Payment by Results (PbR) 

A 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. 

Patient Participation Group (PPG

A group of patients who are interested in health and healthcare issues and want to get involved with / support the running of their local GP practice.  

Place-based Partnerships: North and South ABU 

Plan, improve and care for around 500,000 local people. Responsible for bringing together a wider set of system partners to promote partnership arrangements and develop a plan to address the broader health, public health, and social care needs of the local population. 

Our Integrated Care System (ICS) consists of two place-based partnerships, North and South, developed from our previous Alliances, to further integrate health and care services. 

Population Health Management (PHM) 

Population health is about improving the health and wellbeing of an entire population while reducing health inequalities. Population health management (PHM) helps improve population health. It is an approach that uses data to help health and care systems to improve population health and wellbeing. 

Primary care  

The initial contact for many people when they develop a health problem. The term primary care covers GP services, dentists, pharmacists, optometrists, and ophthalmic medical practitioners. NHS 111 and NHS walk-in centres are also primary care services. A wide range of professionals work in Primary Care, including GPs, nurses, health care assistants, paramedics, social prescribers, receptionists and more. 

Procurement 

The acquisition of goods and/or services at the best cost, in the right quantity and quality for the direct benefit of an organisation or service, usually via a contract. In DHSC it refers to purchasing processes made by DHSC, usually to further improve health and social care services. 

Provider 

Providers are organisations that provide services directly to patients, including hospitals, mental health services and ambulance services.  

Peterborough City Hospital 

Acute teaching hospital serving the city of Peterborough, north Cambridgeshire, areas of east Northamptonshire and Rutland. Run by North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (NWAngliaFT). 

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF

Part of the contract the NHS via CCGs had with GPs. It is nationally negotiated and rewards best practice and improved quality of services. 

Re-ablement 

Helping people to do things for themselves rather than having things done for them. Re-ablement services provide personal care, help with daily living activities and other practical tasks for a time-limited period. The model works towards enabling people to live as independently as possible. It enables service users to develop their confidence and practical skills. 

Readiness to Operate Statement (ROS) 

Is the assurance process in which NHS England provide guidance to Integrated Care System (ICSs) that helps to prepare for legal establishment on 1 July 2022 (subject to passage of legislation). 

Records management 

Identifying, classifying, archiving, and preserving records. DHSC has an obligation to create and maintain records under the Public Records Acts of 1958 and 1967. We also have obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2005. The Act gives citizens and organisations a statutory right of access to official records and information of any age, and will cover all types of information held by the DHSC. In the NHS it refers to the management of records of people who work within or under contract to NHS organisations in England. 

Recovery Support Programme (RSP) 

The new national Recovery Support Programme (RSP), is provided to all trusts and systems in segment 4 of the NHS System Oversight Framework (SOF 4). This new framework (SOF 2021/22) was launched on 13 July 2021. SOF 4 and the RSP would have previously been known as ‘special measures’. 

Remuneration Committee (REMCOM) 

One of the Integrated Care Board (ICB) Sub-committees. 

Real terms 

Cash figures adjusted for the effect of general inflation as measured by the Gross Domestic Product deflator. 

Revenue 

Revenue is expenditure other than capital, for example, staff salaries and medicine budgets. Also known as current expenditure. 

Royal Papworth Hospital 

The UK’s largest specialist cardiothoracic hospital and the country’s main heart and lung transplant centre. 

Safeguarding children report 

A review carried out once every three years by all relevant chief inspectors to assess how well children are being cared for. 

Secondary care 

Usually hospital-based care. Secondary care is known as acute healthcare and can be either elective (planned) care or emergency care. Elective care means planned specialist medical care or surgery, usually following referral from a primary or community health professional such as a GP.  

Self care 

Self care is about looking after yourself in a healthy way. This can be anything from eating healthily, doing some exercise, managing common conditions or minor illnesses at home, or living with a long-term health problem, such as asthma or diabetes. 

Service users  

Anyone who uses, requests, applies for or benefits from health or local authority services. They may also be referred to as users, clients, patients, or consumers, depending on the services they are using. 

Shared Care Record 

An approach to improving care by joining up health and care information. This local approach will bring together patient data currently held by our partners across our health and care system, into one single patient record, for direct care purposes. 

Social care 

The range of services that support the most vulnerable people in society in their daily lives. This can include being cared for in a care home or being provided with care in one's own home by a domiciliary care worker. The care provided can include dressing, washing, and help with bathing, toileting and feeding. 

Social enterprises 

Businesses with primarily social objectives that reinvest their profits into the community. 

Social exclusion 

The process that can take place when people or areas suffer from a combination of linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime environments, bad health, and family breakdown. 

Social value

Social value is subjective and means different things to different people depending on the context and environment that is worked within. In health and care we define it as the benefits to our population that comes from commissioning that improves the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of people and communities.

Safeguarding of vulnerable adults (SOVA

Initiative to specifically address the abuse of vulnerable adults. Also sometimes called protection of vulnerable adults (POVA). 

Specialised commissioning 

Commissioning (purchasing) health services for rare diseases in adults and children that usually takes place at a national level. 

Statutory 

Required or permitted by law. 

Step down care 

Care facilities that are outside acute hospitals, which enable people to leave acute hospital and to return home. 

Strategic commissioning 

Strategic commissioning is the main process for understanding, planning, and delivering better health and wellbeing outcomes. It aims to make the most effective use of our available resources, spending it where it achieves the best outcomes for our local population. NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, the Integrated Care Board (ICB), is the legal entity of our ICS and is the legal mechanism through which NHS services are purchased.  

Substance misuse 

The misuse of illegal drugs and legal pharmaceuticals. 

Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) 

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough STP covered the period from October 2016 to March 2021. Following the publication of the NHS Five Year Forward view, all NHS regions in England are required to work together and with their local councils to produce a plan for local services. From July 2022, STPs will transform into ICSs (Integrated Care Systems) and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) will legally cease to exist. 

SystmOne (S1) 

An IT package designed to securely store patient data. It is used in GP practices and by many providers. 

System Oversight and Assurance Group (SOAG) 

One of the Integrated Care Board (ICB) sub-committees, ensuring the ICS is performing on track, or with a plan to improve. Membership consists of system leaders including designated Chairs across ICS committees, key decision-making stakeholders and NHS England and Improvement. 

System Oversight Framework (SOF 1-4) 

This framework applies to all Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts, that sees each organisation assigned one of four categories (SOF 1-4). The segmentation method reflects an approach to oversight that reinforces system-led delivery of integrated care, in line with the NHS long term plan.  

System Oversight Committee (SOC) 

A committee within NHS England and Improvement that decide if an organisation currently receiving support from the Recovery Support Programme (RSP), can exit the programme. The decision is based on the recommendation of the relevant region and on the basis that the agreed exit criteria has been met in a sustainable way. 

System Workplace Improvement Methodology (SWIM) 

Is a way of working together strategically as an Integrated Care System (ICS) to support and develop our workforce. SWIM implementation follows five key themes: Making Health and Social Care the best place to work, improving leadership culture, releasing time to care, workforce redesign, and grow and train future workforce. 

Task and Finish (T&F) 

A group of people usually put together on specific projects or programmes of work. 

Terms of Reference (TOR) 

Terms of reference (TOR) define the purpose and structures of a project, committee, meeting, negotiation, or any similar collection of people who have agreed to work together to accomplish a shared goal. 

Tertiary care 

A more specialised health service, often provided by specialised hospitals or departments often linked to medical schools or teaching hospitals. They treat patients with complex conditions who have usually been referred by other hospitals or specialist doctors. 

Third sector 

Non-governmental organisations which are run on a not-for-profit basis and not as part of the public sector. They are motivated primarily by a desire to further social, environmental, or cultural objectives rather than to make a profit for its own sake. Any surpluses are reinvested to further these objectives. This includes the voluntary and community sector, co-operatives, social enterprises, trade unions, and not-for-profit trade associations. 

Treatment centres 

Centres that offer safe, fast, pre-booked day and short stay surgery and diagnostic procedures in areas of treatment that have traditionally had the longest waiting times. 

Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) 

Any health care provision that is not planned or routine but arises from unpredicted changes in health and wellbeing. 

Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) 

Equipped to diagnose and provide treatment for urgent medical conditions that are not life-threatening. They are GP-led centres that are open every day, offering appointments that can be booked through 111 or via a GP referral. 

Voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE)  

Groups set up for public or community benefit such as registered charities, and non-charitable non-profit organisations and associations including social enterprises. 

Vulnerable adults 

People with disabilities or mental conditions who are unable to take care of themselves or protect themselves against harm or exploitation from others. 

Vulnerable groups 

People who are vulnerable because of their situation, for example, homeless people. 

Walk in centre 

Centres staffed by nurses that offer patients fast and convenient access to treatment and information without an appointment.