NHS jargon buster – H
- HA – Health Authority
- HAA – Hospital Activity Analysis / Health Action Area
- HAAC – Health Action Area Co-ordinator
- HAC – Health Advisory Committee
- HAS – Health Advisory Service
- HAZ – Health Action Zone
- HC – Health Circular/Health Centre
- HCHS – Hospital & Community Health Services
- HDU – High Dependency Unit
- HEA – Health Education Authority
- HIG – Health Implementation Group
- HImP – Health Improvement Programme
- HIS – Health Informatics Service
- HISS – Hospital Information Support Systems
- HLG – Hostels Liaison Group
- HMB – Health Modernisation Board
- HMR – Hospital Medical Record
- HMSO – Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (now known as SO)
- HN – Health Notice
- HPA – Health Promotion Advisor
- HPB – Health Partnership Board
- HQ – Headquarters
- HON – Health of the Nation
- HSE – Health & Safety Executive
- HSG – Health Service Guidance
- HSI – Health Service Indicator
- HSPI – Health Service Health Services Prices Index
- HV – Health Visitor
- Haemoglobinopathy – the collective name for any group of inherited blood conditions which include sickle cell disease and other related conditions. These diseases result from an abnormality of the production of red blood cells
- Headway – a national association which promotes understanding of all aspects of head injury and provides information, support and services to people with head injury and their families. Headway House, Nottingham Support Group Day Centre offers similar services and the day centre for adults provides structured social rehabilitation through activities which provide daily living skills
- Health Action Zone – a national initiative to target health improvement with fast-track initiatives which sets health in its widest context – looking at the whole community and its contribution to good health as well as providing better integration of services for the prevention of ill health and the provision of treatment and care. The Nottingham area is one of 26 HAZs in England. The HAZ was discontinued in March 2002, with projects and learning taken on by mainstream health serivices.
- HAZ Fellowship Awards – awards offered to front line health and social care staff to enable them to pursue a particular area of interest which contributed to the HAZ and promoted leading edge practice
- Health Community – term to describe all aspects of the NHS in the district, including Health Authority, primary care, hospitals and community services
- Health Implementation Group – a multi-agency group which acts as the HAZ management board
- Health Improvement Programme – a new approach to strategic planning with the focus on improving health. Led by the Health Authority, the Programme outlines a three year rolling cycle of action by NHS, partner agencies and local communities which will deliver both the national and local priorities for improving health
- Health inequalities – differing socio-economic factors – for example unemployment – which have an impact on the good health of an individual and their access to health care services
- Health Informatics – the range of Information Technology and information analysis skills and services required in the NHS
- Health of the Nation – the national long term strategy for health which set out 27 targets for improving the nation’s health in five areas: coronary heart disease and stroke; cancers; accidents, mental illness; HIV/AIDS and sexual health. The new national strategy is due to be launched in 1999, following the publication of the Green Paper, “Our Healthier Nation” in 1998
- Health Outcomes – see Outcome
- Health Partnership – a multi-agency forum which meets periodically throughout the year with the broad role to agree the vision, priorities and plans for programmes of health action.
- Health Promotion – actions and information which helps individuals or communities to improve their health
- Health Service Circulars – replaced Executive Letters in 1997. They are issued by the NHS Executive and provide mandatory guidance to the NHS.
- Health status – the health (or ill health) of a particular area when compared to other areas or with national data. Overall, the Nottingham Health Authority district is average when compared to regional and national indicators of good health. However there is a significant gap between those with good health – and those whose health is poor, with more than 410,000 people living in areas with high deprivation levels
- Health Visitors – health professionals who primarily provide care to families with new born babies and children under five
- Healthcare of the Elderly – a range of specialist services for older people. In Nottingham, health services are provided through Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust, Queen’s Medical Centre and Nottingham Healthcare Trust
- Healthy Living Centres – to be funded from the National Lottery’s New Opportunities Fund, they are intended to offer a range of services to enhance the health and well-being of local people. Initiatives will be developed by community groups, with local funding sources being matched by money from the New Opportunities Fund for successful projects
- Healthy Schools Initiative – Government initiative aimed at ensuring today’s children become the healthy adults of the future. A key component is the promotion and availability of a nutritionally balanced diet, supported through classroom activities and the provision of healthy alternatives in school shops, vending machines and on the menu for school lunches
- Highbury – one of the sites provided and managed by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. Based in Bulwell, services include Healthcare of the Elderly, services for people with learning disabilities and general psychiatry and psychotherapy services
- Holistic approach – describing an approach to patient care in which the physical, mental and social factors in the patient’s condition are taken into account, rather than just the diagnosed disease. The term isapplied to a range of orthodox and alternative methods of treatment
- Hostels Liaison Group – umbrella body for Nottingham’s homelessness organisations
- Human Resources – an organisation’s most valuable asset – the people. HR planning is the systematic and integrated approach to people management, which clearly promotes the objectives of the organisation in a way which maximises the potential of the people working within an organisation
- Hypertension – high blood pressure above the normal range expected in a particular age group
- Hypotension – blood pressure below the normal range expected in a particular age group
- Hypothermia – accidental reduction of body temperature below the normal range
NHS jargon buster – I
- ICU – Intensive Care Unit
- IESCCG – Ipswich and East Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group
- IGS – Income Generation Scheme
- IHSM – Institute of Health Services Management
- IIP – Investors in People
- ILA – Individual Learning Account
- ILM – Intermediate Labour Market Scheme
- IM&T – Information Management & Technology
- IMR – Infant Mortality Rate
- INFO – Information
- IBA – Indicative Prescribing Budget
- IPA – Indicative Prescribing Amount
- IS – Information System
- ISIP – Integrated Service Improvement Programme
- IT – Information Technology
- ITSA – Information Technology Services Agency/ Institute of Trading Standards Administration
- ITU = Intensive Therapy Unit, another name for an ICU
- Illness Prevention – a range of approaches to reducing the risks of ill health and promoting good health. This can be through education and information, encouraging healthy lifestyle behaviour or access to medication or other interventions which prevent the onset of illness
- Inequalities – seehealth inequalities
- Infant Mortality Rate – the number of deaths of infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births in a given year
- Information for Health – a comprehensive strategy for health information and information technology over the next 10 years
- In-patient – a patient who is admitted to hospital for a period of treatment or to undergo an operation. Patients would stay in hospital for 24 hours or more
- Inter-Agency – joint working between different statutory and voluntary agencies involved in service development and provision
- Inter-agency Literacy Group – a partnership of public and private sector organisations working together to boost literacy and promote reading
- Inter-departmental government working party on child prostitution – representatives from health, education and police looking at a new national strategy to support children involved in prostitution
- Intermediate Care – care provided to a person in their own home which allows for earlier discharge from hospital or prevents admission to hospital in the first place. The care is provided by teams of nurses, therapists and care assistants backed up by medical advice when needed
- Interventions – the provision of treatment, medication or care carried out with the intention of improving the patient’s health
- Internal Market – established in 1989/90 by the separation of purchasing and provision of NHS services and commonly used to describe intra-NHS trading
