Glossary


A - Listing

  • Access

    The extent to which people are able to receive the information, services or care that they need.

  • Action plan

    A statement which shows what an organisation intends to do in response to the findings of a review, investigation, audit or inspection.

  • Acute and specialist trusts

    Acute and specialist trusts manage one or more hospitals. They are responsible for ensuring that the hospitals provide patients with high-quality care and treatment, and that these services are efficient and effective. This includes services for inpatients, outpatients and emergency care. It can also include services that are provided in the community, for example through health centres, clinics or in a person's home. Some trusts act as centres of expertise for more specialised care, while others may be attached to universities and help to train healthcare professionals.

  • Aggregate

    To collect or gather information or data into one score or rating.

  • Ambulance trusts

    Ambulance trusts provide patients with transport to and from hospital, including responding to emergency (999) calls. They also assess patients and decide whether they need to go to hospital, provide emergency care and treatment and, increasingly, provide care to patients out of hours.

  • Annual health check

    The annual health check is the Healthcare Commission's assessment of the performance of all NHS organisations in England.