1946 Act

National Health Service Act 1946

1973 Act

National Health Service Reorganisation Act 1973

1977 Act

National Health Service Act 1977

1980 Act

National Health Service Act 1980

1990 Act

National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990

1995 Act

Medical (Professional Performances) Act 1995

AA

Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland

AAGBI

Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland

ACTA

Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland

ADGM

Assistant District General Manager

AGMETS

Advisory Group for Medical Education, Training and Staffing

AHA

Area Health Authority

AIMS

Australian Incident Monitoring Study

AIP

Approval in Principle document

APAGBI

Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

ASD

Atrial Septal Defect

Avon HA

Avon Health Authority. The Avon HA came into existence formally on 1 April 1996 following the merger of the former District Health Authority and Family Health Services Authority. It inherited the planning and purchasing roles

AVSD

Atrio-Ventricular Septal Defect

B&DHA

Bristol & District Health Authority. This formally came into existence on 1 October 1991 as the purchasing authority for the Bristol area, and remained until 1 April 1996, when it merged with the Avon Family Health Services Authority to become the Avon Health Authority

B&DPC

Bristol and District Paediatric Committee

B&WDHA

Bristol & Weston District Health Authority. This was formed on 1 April 1982, following the abolition of the Avon Health Authority (Teaching), from the old Bristol Health District (Teaching) and the Weston Health District, which had merged in 1978. B&WDHA continued in existence until the purchaser-provider split took place on 1 October 1991

BAPS

British Association of Paediatric Surgeons

BCAU

Bristol Clinical Audit Unit

BCH

Bristol Children's Hospital. See BRHSC below

BCS

British Cardiac Society

BDH

Bristol Dental Hospital

BEH

Bristol Eye Hospital

BHCAG

Bristol Heart Children Action Group. This group was initially a group of parents who met to provide comfort and support to each other. They called for a Public Inquiry as early as June 1996. However, the BHCAG was not formally convened until March 1998

BMA

British Medical Association

BMH

Bristol Maternity Hospital

BMJ

British Medical Journal

BPA

British Paediatric Association

BPCA

British Paediatric Cardiac Association

BRHC

Bristol Royal Hospital for Children (opened April 2001)

BRHSC

Bristol Royal Hospital for Sick Children (formerly known as the Bristol Royal Children's Hospital (the BRCH); also referred to in evidence as the Bristol Children's Hospital

BRI

Bristol Royal Infirmary, part of the UBH/T, located in central Bristol

BSSG

Bristol Surgeons Support Group. A group largely comprising former patients of Mr Wisheart and Mr Dhasmana, but including parents of children on whom the surgeons had performed paediatric cardiac surgery, and set up following the General Medical Council Hearings in relation to charges against Mr Wisheart, Mr Dhasmana and Dr John Roylance

CABG

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft

CAC

Clinical Audit Committee

CASPE

Clinical Accountability, Service Planning and Evaluation

CAVSD

Complete Atrio-Ventricular Septal Defect

CCNR

Clinical Case Note Review

CCR

Coded Clinical Records

CEP

Continuing Education Points

CEPOD

Confidential Enquiry into Peri-Operative Deaths

CHC

Community Health Council

CHD

Congenital Heart Disease

CHI

Commission for Health Improvement

CHSC

Central Health Services Council

CICU

Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

CME

Continuing Medical Education

CMO

Chief Medical Officer

CNO

Chief Nursing Officer

COG

Clinical Outcomes Group

CPD

Continuing Professional Development

CQI

Continuous Quality Improvement

CSB

Cardiac Surgery Board

CSJWP

Cardiac Surgery Joint Working Party

CSMB

Cardiac Services Management Board

CSR

Cardiac Surgical Register

CSWP

Cardiac Surgery Working Party

CV

Coefficient of Variation: the standard deviation divided by the mean

DAC

District Audit Committee

DGH

District General Hospital

DGM

District General Manager

DHA

District Health Authority

DHSS

Department of Health and Social Security. Established on 1 November 1968 when the two separate Ministries of Health and Social Security were amalgamated

DMO

District Medical Officer

DMT

District Management Team

DNAC

District Nurse Advisory Committee

DoH

Department of Health. Established in July 1988 following the decision to split the DHSS into two Ministries [6]

DSS

Department of Social Security. See also DHSS

DySSSy

Dynamic Standard Setting System

ECG

Electrocardiogram

EFL

External Financing Limit

EL

Executive Letter

ENB

English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting

ENT

Ear, Nose and Throat

ERA

Employment Rights Act 1996

FHSA

Family Health Service Authority

FPC

Family Practitioner Committee

FPCC

Finance, Property and Computing Committee of B&WDHA (q.v.)

GMC

General Medical Council

GOS

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust

GP

General Practitioner

GPFH

General Practioner Fundholder

HA

Health Authority

HC

Health Circular

HCA

Health Care Assistant

HCHS

Hospital and Community Health Services

HDU

High Dependency Unit

HES

Hospital Episode Statistics

HMC

Hospital Medical Committee

HRC

Hospital Recognition Committee

HRG

Health Resource Group

HSE

Health and Safety Executive

ICD

International Classification of Diseases

ICS

Intensive Care Society

ICU

Intensive Care Unit. Also referred to in evidence as ITU. See also CICU and PICU

ITU

See ICU

IV

Intravenous

JCC

Joint Consultants' Committees

JCHMT

Joint Committee on Higher Medical Training

JCHST

Joint Committee on Higher Surgical Training

JCSAC

Joint Consultants Specialist Advisory Committee

JPAG

Joint Planning Advisory Group

LHAC

Local Hospital Audit Committee

LVOTO

Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction

MAAG

Medical Audit Advisory Group

MAC

Medical Audit Committee

MACSOM

Medical Audit and Clinical Standards Outcome Measurement

MDA

Medical Devices Agency

MDI

Medical Database Index

MDU

Medical Defence Union

MDUS

Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland

MEC

Medical Ethics Committee of the BMA (q.v.)

MESB

Medical Education Standards Board

MIWG

Medication Information Working Group

MPD

Medical Policy Division of the DoH

MPS

Medical Protection Society

MRC

Medical Research Council

NBNI

National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for Northern Ireland

NBS

National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for Scotland

NCEPOD

National Confidential Enquiry into Peri-operative Deaths

NEQAS

National External Quality Assessment Scheme

NHS

National Health Service

NHS Trust

We use this generic term to refer to any trust which provides acute hospital care

NHSE

NHS Executive (in existence from April 1 1995)

NHSLA

National Health Service Litigation Authority

NHSME

NHS Management Executive (in existence from May 1989 to March 31 1995)

NICE

National Institute for Clinical Excellence

NICS

Neonatal and Infant Cardiac Surgery

NMC

Nursing and Midwifery Council

NNEB

National Nursery Examination Board

NSCAG

National Specialised Commissioning Advisory Group

NSF

National Service Framework

NVQ

National Vocational Qualification

OBD

Occupied Bed Day

OPCS

Office of Population Censuses and Surveys

OPCS4

OPCS Classification of Operations and Procedures, Fourth Revision

OPD

Outpatient Department

PAC

Performance Assessment Committee

PAD

Patient Administration Database

PAMs

Professions Allied to Medicine

PAS

Patient Administration System

PATS

Patient Analysis and Tracing System

PCC

Professional Conduct Committee

PCG/T

Primary Care Group/Trust

PCS

Paediatric Cardiac Surgery / Paediatric Cardiac (Surgical) Service

PICS

Paediatric Intensive Care Society

PICU

Paediatric Intensive Care Unit

PIDA

Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998

PL

Perfusionist's Log

PMSW(T)

Principal Medical Social Worker (Teaching)

PPC

Preliminary Proceedings Committee of the GMC

PPRC

Policy Planning and Resources Committee

PREP

Post-registration Education and Practice

PS

Pulmonary Stenosis

PTA

Persistent Truncus Arteriosus

RAWP

Resource Allocation Working Party

RCA

Royal College of Anaesthetists

RCCHP

Royal College of Child Health Practitioners

RCGP

Royal College of General Practitioners

RCM

Royal College of Midwives

RCN

Royal College of Nursing

RCP

Royal College of Physicians of London

RCPCH

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

RCSE

Royal College of Surgeons of England

RDPH

Regional Director of Public Health

RGM

Regional General Manager

RGN

Registered General Nurse

RHA

Regional Health Authority

RHMAC

Regional Hospital Medical Advisory Committee

RIDDOR

Reporting on Inquiries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations

RIS

Regional Information System

RMC

Regional Medical Committee

RMO

Regional Medical Officer

RPCMAC

Regional Primary Care Medical Advisory Committee

RR

Relative Risk

RSCN

Registered Sick Children's Nurse

RTC

Radiotherapy Centre

S&WRHA

South and West Regional Health Authority

SAC

Specialist Advisory Committee

SCS

Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland

SEN

State Enrolled Nurse

SERNIP

Safety and Efficacy Register of New Interventional Procedures

SFI

Standing Financial Instruction

SGHA

South Glamorgan Health Authority

SHA

Special Health Authority

SHO

Senior House Officer

SHSC

Scottish Health Services Council

SI

Statutory Instrument

SIFT

Service Increment for Teaching

SIFTR

Service Increment for Teaching and Research

SL

Surgeon's Log

SMAC

Standing Medical Advisory Committee

SMR

Standardised Mortality Ratio

SNMAC

Standing Nursing and Midwifery Advisory Committee

SR

Senior Registrar

SRC

Supra Regional Centre

SRS

Supra Regional Service

SRSAG

Supra Regional Services Advisory Group

STCVS-UK

Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland

SWAANS

South West Audit Assistants Network Services

SWCHR

South West Congenital Heart Register

SWRHA

South Western Regional Health Authority. This became operational from 1 April 1974 and continued until it merged with part of the Wessex Regional Health Authority in 1994, to become the South and West Regional Health Authority. It continued in this form until 1 April 1996

TAPVD

Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Drainage

TGA

Transposition of Great Arteries

TNAC

Trust Nurse Advisory Committee

TQM

Total Quality Management

UBH

United Bristol Hospitals. A group of hospitals servicing Bristol prior to the formation of the UBHT (q.v.) on 1 April 1991 [7]

UBH/T

The term used by the Inquiry to refer to the hospitals comprising the UBH (q.v.) and the UBHT, both before and after Trust status

UBHT

United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust. A teaching trust formed on 1 April 1991, comprising nine hospitals and community centres, providing a comprehensive range of healthcare services both in hospitals and the community. The majority of UBHT hospitals are in central Bristol, whilst community care is provided by staff based in health centres and clinics in central and south Bristol, and parts of Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset

UHW

University Hospital Wales, Cardiff

UKCC

United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting

UKCSR

UK Cardiac Surgical Register

VSD

Ventricular Septal Defect

WL

Wisheart's Log

WNB

Welsh National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting

WTE

Whole-time Equivalent