NHS words explained: a glossary of NHS terms

Written and reviewed by the UK Hospitals editorial team
Last reviewed: 22 October 2026 · Next review due: 22 April 2027

This guide brings together information from the NHS and other official sources, listed at the end of the page. It is not medical advice.

NHS letters, websites and our own pages use a lot of short names and special terms. This page explains more than 50 of them in plain English, from A&E to waiting list terms. Use the letters below to jump to a word.

In an emergency

Call 999 if someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk. If you need medical help now but it is not an emergency, or you are not sure where to go, use NHS 111 online or call 111.

A

A&E (accident and emergency)
A hospital department for serious injuries and life-threatening emergencies. A&E departments are open 24 hours a day, every day. Not every hospital has one. See going to A&E.
A&E 4-hour standard
An NHS pledge that people should spend no more than 4 hours in A&E, from arriving to being admitted, transferred or discharged. It is a pledge, not a legal right. Our hospital pages show the share of people at each trust’s main A&E departments who left A&E within 4 hours.
AccessAble
A website and app with detailed access guides to places across the UK, including hospitals. Trained surveyors visit each place in person, so you can check access, such as parking and facilities, before you go. It used to be called DisabledGo.
Advocate (NHS complaints advocate)
A free, independent helper who can help you write an NHS complaint and come to meetings with you. They cannot make the complaint for you or give medical or legal advice. Your local Healthwatch can tell you who provides complaints advocacy in your area.

B

Blue Badge
A badge that helps people with disabilities or health conditions park closer to where they are going. In England you apply on GOV.UK and your local council decides. Some people qualify automatically, for example because of certain disability benefits or being registered blind. See hospital car parking.

C

Catchment area (practice area)
The area a GP surgery covers. Most people register with a surgery near where they live, and a surgery can turn you down if you live outside its area. Some surgeries accept patients from further away. See how to register with a GP surgery.
Community hospital
A local NHS hospital that provides community health services closer to home. The community hospitals listed on our site do not have an A&E department, but some have a walk-in centre or urgent treatment centre on site, such as the walk-in centre at Edgware Community Hospital. Check our hospital pages before you go.
Consultant
A specialist doctor who has overall responsibility for your care in a hospital or clinic team. “Consultant-led” care means a consultant’s team is in charge of your treatment, but you may not always see the consultant in person.
CQC (Care Quality Commission)
The independent regulator of health and social care in England. Services such as hospitals, GP surgeries, dentists and care homes register with it. The CQC assesses services, publishes reports and can take action when care is poor.
CQC ratings
Most CQC assessment reports give a service an overall rating: outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate. Hospitals also get ratings for individual services, such as maternity. Some services, such as dental practices, are not rated. Our hospital pages show the latest published rating and the date it was published, and some ratings are several years old.
Crisis line (mental health)
A phone line for urgent mental health help. In England, use 111 online or call 111 and choose the mental health option. If someone’s life is at risk, or you cannot keep yourself or someone else safe, call 999 or go to A&E. Samaritans are free to call any time on 116 123.

D

Day case (day patient)
Treatment, a test or an operation in hospital where you go home the same day and do not stay overnight.
Dental charge bands
NHS dental treatment in England is grouped into 3 charge bands. Band 1 covers a check-up, band 2 adds treatment such as fillings and extractions, and band 3 adds treatment such as crowns, dentures and bridges. You pay one charge for each course of treatment, at the highest band you need. Urgent treatment has its own charge. Some people get free dental treatment. See what you pay for NHS dental treatment.

E

e-Referral Service (e-RS)
The NHS system for booking a first hospital or clinic appointment after a referral. Your referral letter gives a booking reference and a password or access code. You can then book, change or cancel online, in the NHS App or by phone.

F

Faster Diagnosis Standard (cancer)
If you are referred urgently because cancer is suspected, cancer should be confirmed or ruled out within 28 days of the referral. You will often have an appointment or tests within 2 weeks. The 28-day maximum is one of your rights under the NHS Constitution.
Foundation trust
A type of NHS trust. Many hospitals in England are run by foundation trusts. They are part of the NHS and must meet the same legal standards of care as other NHS trusts, and NHS care there is free in the same way.
FP57
An NHS receipt and refund form for prescription charges. If you pay but think you may not have needed to, ask the pharmacy for an FP57 when you pay. You cannot get one later.
Friends and Family Test (FFT)
A short, anonymous NHS feedback question asking how your experience of a service was overall, from “very good” to “very poor”. Most NHS services use it, and NHS England publishes the results every month.

G

GP (general practitioner)
A family doctor. GPs are the first point of contact for most NHS care. They treat many conditions, look after long-term health problems and refer you to specialists. Everyone in England can register with a GP surgery for free.
GP surgery (GP practice)
The place where GPs, practice nurses and other staff work. You need to register with one. Find GP surgeries with our service finder.

H

HC2 and HC3 certificates
Certificates from the NHS Low Income Scheme. HC2 gives full help with health costs, such as free prescriptions, dental treatment and sight tests. HC3 gives help with part of the cost. You apply with form HC1, online or by post.
Healthwatch
An independent body that listens to people’s experiences of health and social care and shares them with the people who run services. Every area of England has a local Healthwatch. It can also point you to advice and complaints advocacy.
Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme
A scheme that pays back reasonable travel costs to NHS appointments for some people on low incomes or certain benefits, if a doctor or other health professional has referred them.

I

ICB (integrated care board)
The local NHS body that plans and pays for (commissions) most NHS services in an area, including GP, hospital, mental health and community services. ICBs replaced clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in July 2022. Every part of England is covered by an ICB; the NHS website can find your local ICB. For London, see how the NHS is organised in London.
Inpatient
Someone who is admitted to hospital and stays at least one night. If you go home the same day, you are usually an outpatient or day patient.
Interpreter
If you need help in another language, including British Sign Language (BSL), you can ask for an interpreter. For example, ask at reception in A&E or an urgent treatment centre, or ask when you call 111.

M

Median wait
The middle waiting time: half of people waited less than this and half waited longer. Our hospital pages show it for planned treatment, by specialty.
Minor injuries unit (MIU)
A service for injuries that need attention today but are not life-threatening, such as sprains, cuts and suspected broken bones. The NHS lists minor injuries units alongside walk-in centres and urgent treatment centres, and they are free to everyone.
My Planned Care
An NHS website where you can check waiting times at different hospitals for planned treatment.

N

NHS 111
The NHS service to use if you think you need medical help now but it is not an emergency. Call 111. In England, you can also use 111 online (for ages 5 and over) or the NHS App. It tells you where to go, such as an urgent treatment centre, a pharmacy or an out-of-hours GP. Call 111 for a child under 5.
NHS App
The official NHS app in England. You can use it to manage GP appointments, order repeat prescriptions, see information from your GP health record and book or manage hospital appointments made through the e-Referral Service. See using the NHS App.
NHS number
A unique 10-digit number that helps staff find your health records. You do not need to know it to use NHS services, and having one does not by itself mean all NHS care is free for you.
NHS trust
An NHS organisation that runs services, such as one or more hospitals, mental health services, community services or the ambulance service. One trust often runs several hospitals. Each of our hospital pages names the trust that runs it.
NHS Talking Therapies
NHS psychological therapy for common problems such as anxiety, depression, phobias and OCD. If you live in England and are 18 or over (16 or over in some areas), you can refer yourself without seeing a GP. See NHS Talking Therapies.

O

Ombudsman (Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman)
An independent organisation that makes final decisions on NHS complaints in England that the NHS has not been able to resolve. You usually go to the ombudsman after the end of the local complaints process.
Optical voucher
An NHS voucher that helps pay for glasses or contact lenses, for some people such as children and people on certain benefits. See free NHS eye tests.
Ordinarily resident
Living in the UK lawfully and on a properly settled basis for the time being. NHS hospital treatment is free for people who are ordinarily resident. Some visitors from abroad have to pay. See NHS care for visitors.
Out of hours
The times when your GP surgery is closed, such as evenings and weekends. NHS 111 can direct you to an evening and weekend (out-of-hours) GP or another service.
Outpatient
A hospital or clinic appointment where you do not stay overnight, for example to see a specialist, have a test or discuss results. Some outpatient appointments are by phone or video.

P

PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service)
A free, confidential service in most hospitals. PALS can answer questions, help sort out problems quickly and explain how to make a complaint. See making a complaint.
Pharmacy First
An NHS service where pharmacists in England can treat 7 common conditions, such as sore throat, sinusitis and urinary tract infections in women, without a GP appointment. See Pharmacy First.
Prescription charge
The amount most adults in England pay for each item on an NHS prescription. Many people get free prescriptions. See prescription charges.
Prescription prepayment certificate (PPC)
A certificate you buy in advance that covers all your NHS prescriptions for 3 or 12 months, however many items you need. It can save money if you need several items. There is also a cheaper PPC just for some hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medicines.
Primary care
The NHS services you usually go to first: GP surgeries, community pharmacies, dentists and opticians.
Primary care network (PCN)
A group of local GP surgeries that work together, and with community, mental health, social care, pharmacy, hospital and voluntary services in their area, to support people who need care more often, such as people with long-term conditions.

R

Referral
When a GP or other health professional asks a specialist or another service to see you. You usually need a referral for hospital treatment, except in an emergency. For some services, such as NHS Talking Therapies, you can refer yourself.
Repeat prescription
A way to get medicine you take regularly without seeing a GP each time. Order it through the NHS App, the NHS website, another online service or your GP surgery, and allow up to 5 working days.
Right to choose
In England, in most cases, when a GP refers you for a physical or mental health condition, you have a legal right to choose which hospital or service you go to, including some private hospitals that treat NHS patients. See your right to choose.
RTT (referral to treatment) and “18 weeks”
The time from when a hospital receives your referral, or you book through the e-Referral Service, to when your treatment starts. In England, for non-urgent, consultant-led treatment, you have a legal right to start treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks, with some exceptions. Our hospital pages show how long people are waiting at each trust.

S

Secondary care
NHS care beyond primary care, such as hospital care, mental health services, out-of-hours services, NHS 111 and community services like district nursing. For planned hospital care you usually need a referral.

T

Temporary patient
If you are staying in an area for more than 24 hours but less than 3 months, you can ask a GP surgery to see you as a temporary patient.
Triage
A quick assessment by a nurse or doctor to decide how urgently you need to be seen. In A&E, the most seriously unwell people are seen first, not the people who arrived first.

U

UTC (urgent treatment centre)
A service for urgent problems that are not life-threatening, such as sprains, suspected broken bones, cuts, stomach pain, skin infections and high temperatures. Many can do X-rays and blood tests. You do not need to be registered with a GP. See where to go and urgent care near you.
Urgent dental treatment
An NHS dental appointment for problems that cannot wait, such as severe toothache or a knocked-out tooth. It has its own NHS charge. If you cannot get an appointment, use NHS 111. See emergency dentist.

W

Waiting list
The list of people who have been referred and are waiting to start planned (non-urgent) hospital treatment. While you wait, you may have tests or scans, or medicine to manage your symptoms. See RTT and 18 weeks.
Walk-in centre
A service where you can be seen for minor illnesses and injuries without an appointment. Some services still use this name, and others are now called urgent treatment centres. Like A&E, walk-in centres are free to everyone, including visitors from abroad.

This glossary explains words. It does not give medical advice. If a word on an NHS letter is not explained here, ask the service that sent it, or contact PALS at the hospital.

Sources

We checked this guide against these official pages on 22 October 2026.

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