Glossary of Terms

Across the NHS, Primary Care and the Public Sector, we use many abbreviations and acronyms. This can be to shorten lengthy words and phrases, to save time and to make things easy to remember.

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Glossary of Terms

Terms We Use Regularly

We know that acronyms can confuse and can prevent people from understanding and joining in. Sometimes it feels like acronyms act more like barriers that you can and that you can only understand them if you’re in a particular service.

We hope that the list below helps to explain some of the terms and acronyms you might come across. We always want as many people as possible to understand our work and therefore if you come across abbreviations or terms that need explaining, please email wyicb-wy.conexuscommunications@nhs.net

The list below is sorted alphabetically.

ARRS: Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme: National primary-care scheme that funds new roles (e.g. clinical pharmacists, care coordinators) for PCNs to build multidisciplinary teams in neighbourhoods.
BCF: Better Care Fund: National pooled fund between the NHS and local authorities to support integrated health and social care services and governance at “place".
CIC: Community Interest Fund: Company model created to benefit the community; Conexus Healthcare CIC reinvests surplus to support practices and local primary care.
COO: Chief Operating Officer: Senior executive responsible for day-to-day operations; at Conexus this is combined with Deputy Managing Director and registered manager responsibilities.
GP: General Practitioner: Family doctor and core member of primary care and neighbourhood multidisciplinary teams.
HR: Human Resources: Corporate function overseeing recruitment, people policy and organisational development support to Conexus and PCNs.
ICB: Integrated Care Board: Statutory NHS body that plans and funds services across an ICS; NHS West Yorkshire ICB oversees Wakefield “Place" and its neighbourhood model.
ICS: Integrated Care System: Partnership of NHS, councils and others that plans and delivers joined-up care across a wider area; West Yorkshire ICS includes Wakefield.
INT: Integrated Neighbourhood Team: Core health and care team working at neighbourhood level, aligned to PCNs, providing joined-up, proactive support close to home.
JSNA: Joint Strategic Needs Assessment: Statutory assessment of local population health and wellbeing needs that informs priorities and governance at Wakefield Place.
KPI: Key Performance Indicator: Quantifiable measure (e.g. access times, utilisation) used by boards and committees to track performance against strategy or contracts.
L&D: Learning and Development: Part of OD/HR activity that designs and delivers training, leadership programmes and mentoring for the primary-care workforce.
LMC: Local Medical Committee: Elected statutory body representing GPs; Conexus works alongside the Wakefield and West Yorkshire LMC in system planning.
MDT: Multidisciplinary Team: Group of professionals from different disciplines (e.g. GPs, nurses, mental health, social care) who jointly manage cases in neighbourhood teams.
NNHIP: National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme: The NNHIP is a programme aiming to aiming to enhance healthcare through establishing neighbourhood teams that integrate health, social care and the voluntary sector.
OD: Organisational Development: Planned work to improve culture, leadership, structures and ways of working across Conexus, PCNs and neighbourhood teams.
PCN: Primary Care Network: Group of GP practices (typically 30–50k population) working with partners to deliver services and develop neighbourhood teams.
PHM: Population Health Management: Data-driven approach to segment populations and proactively target support, often used in neighbourhood-health guidance and INT design.
QI: Quality Improvement: Structured method (using data and iterative tests of change) that underpins service redesign and demand-management within neighbourhoods.
QOF: Quality and Outcomes Framework: A voluntary annual incentive program for GP practices in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, introduced in 2004 to reward high-quality care for patients with long-term conditions.
SLA: Service Level Agreement: Formal document setting out service, quality and reporting requirements between commissioners (e.g. ICB/PCN) and providers such as Conexus.
SRO: Senior Responsible Officer: Named executive accountable for successful delivery and governance of major programmes such as BCF or neighbourhood-health implementation.
VCSE: Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise: Sector of charities, community groups and CICs that are core partners in neighbourhood MDTs and Wakefield District Health & Care Partnership.
WDHCP: Wakefield District Health & Care Partnership: Place-based partnership bringing together NHS, council and VCSE organisations to plan and govern services for the district.
WY: West Yorkshire: The wider ICS footprint in which Wakefield Place, Conexus, PCNs and neighbourhood programmes sit.