Accident and Emergency (A&E)
A walk-in center at hospitals for when urgent or immediate treatment is necessary.
Acute
An acute illness is one that develops suddenly. Acute conditions may or may not be severe and they usually last for a short amount of time.
Admission beds
Hospital beds that are available for people in a crisis, when care cannot be provided in their own home.
Advocate
An advocate is someone who helps to support a service user or carer through their contact with health services.
Allied Health Professionals (AHPs)
A range of health professionals that includes physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, art therapists, and speech and language therapists.
Anti-psychotic medication
Medication used to treat psychosis. There are several different types of anti-psychotic medication.
Assertive outreach
Assertive outreach refers to a way of delivering treatment. An Assertive Outreach Team actively take their service to people instead of people coming to the team. Care and support may be offered in the service user’s home or in some other community setting. Care and support is offered at times suited to the service user rather than times suited to the team’s convenience.
Assessment
When someone is unwell, health care professionals meet with the person to talk to them and find out more about their symptoms so they can make a diagnosis and plan treatments. This is called an assessment. Family members should be involved in assessments, unless the person who is unwell says he or she does not want that.
Caldicott guardian
The person within a Trust who has responsibility for policies on safeguarding the confidentiality of patient information.
Care pathways
This is the route someone who is unwell follows through health services. The path starts when someone first contacts health services – through their GP or an accident and emergency department, for example. The path continues through diagnosis, treatment, and care.
Care plan
Mental health professionals draw up a care plan with someone when they first start offering them support, after they have assessed what someone’s needs are and what is the best package of help they can offer. People should be given a copy of their care plan and it should be reviewed regularly. Service users, and their families and carers, can be involved in the discussion of what the right care plan is.
Care Program Approach (CPA)
A way of assessing the health and social care needs of people with mental health problems, and coming up with a care plan that ensures people get the full help and support they need.
Carer