General Medical Council (GMC)
The UK regulatory body for doctors and publisher of guidelines outlining recommended medical practice with the aim to protect patients and optimise patient care. All doctors must have GMC registration to lawfully practice medicine in the UK.
General Practitioner
A community-based generalist doctor, normally the first point of call for diagnosis and treatment of mild to moderate illness. GPs have historically been called ‘family doctors’.
Holistic
The concept of treating the ‘whole’ patient. It describes not just managing and treating in terms of their disease, but also the wider impact of the disease on their physical, mental and social well-being, and recognising the patients’ own expectations and priorities for healthcare
Hospice
type of tertiary care specialist facility that focuses on caring for patients with chronic, often terminal, conditions where the focus is on managing symptoms rather than cure. Some patients are inpatients based on a hospice ward, while others only visit during the day for specialist treatments that cannot be carried out by primary care services.
Mammogram
radiographical image of the breast tissue.
Outpatients
Specialist-run clinics for the management of patients with needs that cannot be managed in primary care. These patients normally require more specialist assessments, investigations, and treatments. These clinics are run by doctors, specialist nurses, and other HCPs. Patients must be referred by another doctor (e.g. GP or hospital doctor) to access outpatient services.
Palliative Care
A specialty dedicated to providing end of life care.
Primary Care
Community-based care for patients making their first approach to health services regarding a health problem. Examples of primary care services include GP surgeries and drop-in clinics (e.g. sexual health).
Rapport
The relationship a doctor develops with their patient during a consultation. A good rapport is a doctor developing an understanding and appreciation of a patient’s health concerns and priorities and in response the patient putting their trust in the doctor. This has many positive sequelae, such as increased adherence to treatment.
Registrar
A doctor that is training to become a consultant in their field.
Secondary
The provision of higher-level care in a centre with multiple specialist staff and resources, such as a hospital. Secondary care services cannot normally be accessed without a referral from primary care or via emergency admission.
Tertiary Care
Very high-level care provided at a specialist centre often focusing on only one discipline, such as a hospice or a neurorehabilitation centre.
