Glossary
Activities of Daily Living
Things people do every day to take care of themselves and their home.
Acute, Community and Primary Care Directorate
A department within the Trust that manages services for people under the age of 65 with mental health needs that can be cared for in the community or who need short term hospital treatment. These services include the acute admission wards, crisis assessment and home treatment and the community mental health teams.
Acute Ward
A ward where people are admitted for assessment and treatment when they are mentally unwell and cannot be treated in the community.
Admission and Discharge Policy
The rules governing how people are admitted to and discharged from hospital.
Advance Statement
An Advance Statement is a written document produced when a person is well that describes what they wish to happen if they become ill, and are unable to express their wishes. It is to inform others about the treatment and care they may or may not want to receive. An advance decision to refuse treatment is a particular type of advance statement stating a clear refusal to receive a specific medical treatment. It has more legal status than a general advance statement of wishes.
Advocacy
An advocate helps someone else to express needs & wishes. Advocacy is most effective when carried out by a person who is independent of the services being provided.
Approved Mental Health Professional
A new role under the amended Mental Health Act 2007; this replaces the approved social worker role and allows other professionals to receive the required training to make assessments of patients for compulsory admission to hospital or guardianship.
Assessments
The process of gathering information from a patient to find out their problems and mental state with a view to offering care and treatment.
Assessment Wards
Where people with short term/acute illness are assessed and treated.
Black and Minority Ethnic Groups
A collective term for people of different cultures and ethnic backgrounds.
Capacity to Consent
Whether a person can make a decision to agree to (or refuse) a treatment or course of action affecting them. This involves the ability to sufficiently understand and retain information about their medical condition and their need for treatment, and the implications of the treatment being offered. Capacity applies to each decision and is not a one-off judgement. The Mental Capacity Act offers guidance on this and assumes a person has capacity unless proven otherwise.
Care Co-ordinator
A health care professional who ensures agreements reached through the Care Programme Approach (CPA) are fulfilled and who oversees a patient’s care. S/he is chosen from the team responsible for that patients’ care.
Care Pathways
These describe the route that a patient will take from their first contact with an NHS member of staff to the completion of their treatment.
Care Plan
A written plan that describes how a patient will be looked after and treated. It should be developed with the patient.
Care Programme Approach (CPA)
A person is assessed under different levels of the CPA depending on a number of factors including risk to self or others, support available, severity of symptoms.
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
The new health and social care regulator for England. It looks at the ‘joined up picture’ of health and social care and promotes the rights and interests of people who use the services. It’s an independent body which bases its’ actions on high quality evidence. Its' work brings together independent regulation of health, mental health and adult social care. It supersedes the Health Care Commission, the Mental Health Act Commission and the Commission for Social Care Inspection, all of which no longer exist.
Case Review
The review of all aspects of a patients care; usually takes place with the multi-disciplinary team and the patient.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
A talking treatment that helps someone to think about themselves, the world and other people. It helps a person look at how their thoughts influence their actions and feelings. It is usually a time limited treatment.
Cognitive Function
The level to which a person is assessed as being able to think, process information and reason.
Community Consultant
The Doctor who is responsible for the care of patients who are receiving a service from a CMHT.
Community Development Worker
Workers employed by Sheffield PCT to work with both voluntary and statutory services to help them engage with local communities. This is in order to promote the care of people from BME communities within mental health care and to improve access and provide better information for and about mental health services and issues.
Community Mental Health Team/s (CMHT)
Teams organised by area and GP practice that offer multi-disciplinary care to people living in the community. Sector teams focus on assessment for shorter term interventions and continuing needs teams focus on people with more enduring mental health needs.
Community Treatment Order
This is an order that can only be made when someone is discharged from being detained in hospital under certain sections of the Mental Health Act, most commonly section 3. If the person does not then follow their treatment and care plan, they may be recalled to hospital to receive treatment. A decision to place someone on a CTO is made by the responsible clinician (usually a doctor) and an Approved Mental Health Professional. The expression Supervised Community Treatment is also sometimes used with respect to this.
Continuing Needs Service (CNS)
Multi-disciplinary groups in community mental health service caring for people with enduring (chronic) health issues.
Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment (CRHT)
The team that provides assessment and home treatment, offering an alternative to hospital admission to people in acute need. This is a 24/7 service. This was formally known as CRISIS/CAHT (Crisis Assessment and Home Treatment).
Delivering Race Equality
Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health Care is an action plan for achieving equality and tackling discrimination in mental health services in England for all people of BME status, including those of Irish or Mediterranean origin and east European migrants.
Diagnosis
The process of identifying an illness from an individual’s signs and symptoms. In some cases a diagnosis may only involve being assessed by a doctor and having a physical examination. In other cases, special investigations may be necessary.
Did Not Attend (DNA)
When a patient misses a clinic appointment
Differential Diagnosis
Deciding on the most likely cause of a particular set of symptoms and ruling out other possible causes.
Directorate
A department that organises and manages a particular set of services within the Trust, for example: Acute, Community and Primary Care; Rehabilitation and Recovery.
Discharge Facilitator / Coordinator
A person who co-ordinates a multi-disciplinary care plan to facilitate the transfer of an individual from hospital to an appropriate setting. The patient and their carer(s) should be involved at all stages and be kept informed by regular reviews and updates of the care plan.
Discharge Outcomes
Appropriate care options to ensure that any rehabilitation, recuperation and continuing health and social care needs are identified and met.
Discharge Summary Plan
A summary of a patients’ condition when being discharged from a ward or team. A copy of this will often be sent to the GP and any other services that the person is in contact with.
Doctor Grades
Foundation year 1 (formerly House Officer or Pre-Registration House officer); Foundation year 2 (formerly Senior House Officer - SHO)
GP Specialty registrar – General Practitioner registrar.
Dual Diagnosis
Refers to two or more diagnoses affecting a person, for example depression and learning disability. It is also used when a person is diagnosed with a mental health problem and uses substances such as illegal drugs or alcohol.
Early Intervention Service (EIS)
A multi-disciplinary team working in the community with people experiencing psychotic illness for the first time from the age of 14-50 for up to 3 years. By responding quickly research suggests that people are less likely to be disabled by their experience of this illness and can get on with their lives like anyone else.
Emotional Wellbeing Service
A Service for Pakistani Women and Yemeni Men aimed at improving knowledge, awareness and cultural understandings of mental health and access to services.
Follow Up Appointment
An appointment to further assess or monitor response(s) to assessment or treatment.
Forensic Services
Services for people with mental health needs who are also involved with the criminal justice system.
Gillick Competent
A term used to decide whether a child under the age of 16 is able to consent to their own treatment without the need for parental permission or knowledge.
Ideation
A term meaning to create new ideas – suicidal ideation describes the thoughts a person might have about harming themselves.
Independent Mental Health Advocates
Workers that services provide to ensure an additional safeguard for patients who are subject to the Mental Health Act. They are specialist advocates who are trained to work within the framework of the Act. These services will not replace other advocacy services currently available to patients, but are intended to operate in conjunction with them.
Initial Triage
The process of assessing someone quickly in order to establish their priority in accessing a service.
Intensive Treatment Service (ITS)
A ward based at the Longley Centre that offers a higher staffing ratio for patients who require a high level of support and supervision.
Intervention
A purposeful activity aimed at changing the course of events – can be related to treatment, thoughts, social activities.
Improving Access To Psychological Therapies Programme (IAPT)
A national initiative to offer cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to people with depression or anxiety within primary care. Different levels of treatment are offered based on the severity of the illness; the initiative is linked to helping people back into work.
Learning Disability
A lifelong condition that occurs usually before or during birth or in early childhood. The disability can make it harder for someone to learn, understand and communicate than it is for other people.
Length of Stay
Time spent in hospital from admission to discharge, based on the number of nights in hospital, but including periods away from the ward within that period of stay.
Liaison Teams
Mental health staff who offer assessment and consultation to general hospital services, for example accident and emergency and general wards.
Low Secure Beds / Unit
Hospital beds for patients who are detained under the Mental Health Act and are also accused or convicted of committing a crime. Forest Lodge is a regional low secure service for South Yorkshire, providing assessment and treatment in an environment where there are restrictions on access and leave.
Mental Health Review Tribunal
Provides an independent review of the need for the patient’s continued detention under the MHA and has the power to discharge the patient from detention. The MHRT consists of three people: a lawyer, a doctor and a ‘lay’ person.
Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT)
A group of staff of different professions and grades aimed at providing assessment and treatment to patients from a range of experience and expertise. E.g.: doctors, nurses, psychologists, occupational therapists.
New Horizons (previously NSF – National Service Framework)
Documents setting out national standards for the best ways of providing health and social care services for particular illnesses or population groups, e.g. older people.
Occupational Therapist (OT)
This person works in hospitals and in the community, assessing patients' or clients' physical, mental and/or social challenges and devises treatment programmes to increase their ability to tackle their difficulties independently.
Occupational Therapy Assistant
This person works with users in the community and in hospitals to assess/improve living skills, for example budgeting, shopping, cooking.
Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
A free and confidential service that aims to advise and support patients, their families and carers. The PALS officer can listen to concerns, suggestions or queries and help to sort out any problems the patient and / or their family may be struggling with.
Physical Health Check
The medical and physical health assessment that Doctors and nurses complete on a person when they are first admitted to the ward; includes things such as blood pressure, weight, smoking status, general physical health.
Primary Care
The care someone will receive when they first come into contact with health services about a problem. These include family health services provided by GPs, dentists, pharmacists, opticians, and others such as community nurses, physiotherapists and some social workers. Primary care teams are grouped within a Primary Care Trust (PCT).
Primary Care Trust (locally NHS Sheffield)
An NHS Trust that provides some primary and community services and commissions them from other providers. The PCT also commissions secondary care services such as mental health services.
Psychological Therapies
Treatments that are often based around talking that were traditionally provided by psychologists but which are now often offered by other professionals trained in the specific therapy e.g. CBT, psychotherapy.
Psychologist
Clinical psychologists usually work with people in a hospital or clinic setting. They assess people’s mental health issues and offer treatments e.g. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), psychotherapy but are not medically qualified.
Psychiatrist
A medical doctor who has a specialist qualification in mental health. They are the main professionals who prescribe medication.
Recovery
The process of getting better during which someone gains understanding and control over their mental health condition by learning what helps and what hinders their symptoms and overall wellbeing.
Relapse Prevention
A way of identifying unhelpful thinking and behaviours and reducing them with the aim of promoting positive behaviours, thoughts and feelings which may prevent ill health (both physical and emotional) from recurring.
Relapse Signs
Warning signs that sometimes occur before a person becomes unwell again. These may include changes to sleep pattern, difficulties in motivation, unhelpful thoughts or feelings. These will be individual to each person.
Respite Care
Short-term care for a person who has a long term illness living at home to allow their carer a break from caring.
Sections and Sectioning
The process by which a person who is suffering from a mental disorder may be detained under the Mental Health Act if it is assessed, usually by two doctors and an AMHP, that for the person’s own safety or for the protection of others the person needs to be in hospital for assessment/treatment which cannot be provided in any other way. This is a 'slang' term never used in legislation or policies and by rights should not be used by professionals.
Service Information Leaflet
Information in paper form that tells a patient what they can expect from the service.
Social Inclusion
A term to describe how people are included in all aspects of service planning and delivery regardless of their age, diagnosis, sexual orientation, culture or disability.
Sheffield Outreach Team
A team of health professionals who provide intensive treatment and support in the community for people with severe and enduring mental health difficulties. Referral is usually via an existing mental health professional. Focus is on those people with a psychotic diagnosis and who are most at risk of relapse. Also provides some support to carers of these patients.
Stakeholders
All the people / parties with an interest in an organisation, for example, employees, patients, carers, independent and voluntary groups.
Therapeutic engagement
The way in which a patient is encouraged to be involved in their treatment and in a helpful relationship with workers.
Transcultural Team
This team works to improve access to mainstream mental health services for people from black and minority ethnic (BME) communities
Vocational rehabilitation
The process used to help individuals remain in or find work or education following injury, illness or impairment. It is about finding solutions to help people overcome barriers to work.
Welcome packs
Information that is provided to patients when they are admitted to a ward to tell them about what to expect during their stay.
This page was last updated on 2010-10-20 16:21:15
