Home care glossary.

Home Care Terms A–Z

Jump to: C · D · E · F · H · L · M · N · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V

C

Care Certificate

A set of 16 standards, set by Skills for Care, that define the knowledge, skills and behaviours expected of health and social care workers. It is often used to plan induction for people new to care. It is not a qualification on its own: the Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate is an accredited qualification based on the same 16 standards.

Care Package

The full set of care and support agreed for one person: how many visits, when, how long, and what each visit covers. It may be paid for by the council, the NHS, the person themselves, or a mix.

Care Plan

A written plan of a person's needs, wishes, risks and the support they get, which carers follow at every visit. It should be reviewed regularly and whenever the person's needs change.

In Aim: care planning software.

Continuing Healthcare (CHC)

NHS Continuing Healthcare is free care for adults with long-term, complex health needs, arranged and paid for by the NHS. It can be given at home. Eligibility depends on a person's needs, not their diagnosis, and is decided after a checklist and a full assessment by health and care professionals.

Continuity of Care

Clients being visited by the same small group of familiar carers. It helps build trust, and familiar carers are more likely to notice small changes in a person's health or mood.

In Aim: rota and scheduling.

Controlled Drugs

Medicines controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, such as morphine. Because they carry extra legal controls, agencies record them with extra care, for example with stock counts.

In Aim: eMAR software.

CQC

The Care Quality Commission is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. Every home care agency in England must register with the CQC, which inspects services and publishes ratings. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own regulators.

In Aim: CQC compliance software.

CQC Assessment Framework

The CQC's framework for assessing providers, rolled out from November 2023. It looks at the five key questions through 34 quality statements, using evidence such as people's experiences, staff feedback, observation and processes. The CQC consulted on changes to it in 2025, so check cqc.org.uk for the version in use today.

In Aim: CQC compliance software.

Cyber Essentials

A government-backed scheme, run by the National Cyber Security Centre, that sets the minimum standard of cyber security recommended for organisations of all sizes. Cyber Essentials Plus uses the same five controls but adds independent technical testing to check they work in practice.

In Aim: security and compliance.

D

Data Processing Agreement

A written contract between a data controller, such as a care agency, and a data processor, such as its software supplier, setting out how the supplier handles personal data. Under UK GDPR you need one in place for every IT supplier that processes data for you.

In Aim: a Data Processing Agreement is included with every plan.

DBS Check

A criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service, which covers England and Wales. Care workers usually need an enhanced check that includes the adults' barred list. The DBS Update Service lets a worker keep their certificate up to date so employers can check it online.

In Aim: care recruitment software.

Direct Payments

Money from a person's council personal budget that is paid to them, or to someone they choose, so they can arrange their own care. It must be spent in line with their agreed care plan, and can be used to pay a care provider or to employ carers directly.

dm+d

The NHS Dictionary of Medicines and Devices: a dictionary of descriptions and codes for the medicines and devices used across the NHS. It is the NHS standard for identifying medicines in clinical software, so every system names a medicine the same way.

In Aim: eMAR software.

DoLS

The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards: the process used when the restrictions on a person who lacks capacity may amount to depriving them of their liberty. The care provider, usually a hospital or care home, applies to the local authority, which checks whether the arrangement is in the person's best interests before authorising it.

In Aim: DoLS records sit in Aim Care Manager.

Domiciliary Care

Care and support given to people in their own homes, also called home care or homecare. It can range from one visit a week to several hours a day, or overnight.

Double-Up Call

A visit that needs two carers at the same time, usually for moving and handling with equipment such as a hoist. Both carers need to arrive together, so double-ups need careful planning on the rota.

DSCR

A digital social care record: software that replaces paper care records such as care plans, visit notes and MAR charts. NHS England assesses DSCR systems against core requirements and lists those that pass on its Assured Solutions List.

DSPT

The Data Security and Protection Toolkit: an online self-assessment that lets organisations measure how they perform against the National Data Guardian's 10 data security standards. All organisations that have access to NHS patient data and systems must use it.

In Aim: security and compliance.

E

Electronic Call Monitoring (ECM)

Systems that record when a carer arrives at and leaves a client's home, for example through an app with GPS, a phone call or a QR code. Also called call monitoring. The records show whether visits happened on time and for the planned length, and can be used to check invoices and pay.

In Aim: carer app.

eMAR

An electronic MAR chart, filled in on a phone or tablet during the visit. The office can see doses given, refused, missed or late as soon as they are recorded, instead of waiting for the paper chart to come back.

In Aim: eMAR software.

F

Five Key Questions

The five questions the CQC asks of every service: is it Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led? Services are rated on each one, and those ratings feed into the overall rating.

In Aim: CQC compliance software.

H

Home Care Agency

A business that employs carers to provide domiciliary care to people in their own homes. In England, all home care agencies must register with the CQC.

Homecare Association

The UK's membership body for homecare providers. It works to shape policy on homecare and gives members practical support and tools.

L

Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS)

A new scheme set out in the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Act 2019 to replace DoLS. It has not been brought into force. In October 2025 the government said it would consult on putting it into practice in the first half of 2026, so check gov.uk for the latest position. Until then, DoLS remains the system in use.

Live-In Care

Care from a carer who lives in the client's home, rather than visiting for set times. Some live-in carers give specialist care, for example for people living with dementia or recovering from a stroke.

Local Authority Framework

An agreement under which a council buys home care from a set of approved providers, at agreed rates and terms. Providers usually join through a tender, and the council then offers care packages to providers on the framework.

M

MAR Chart

A Medication Administration Record: a chart listing a person's medicines, doses and times, where carers record each dose as given, refused or not given. NICE recommends care workers use one to record any medicines support they give.

In Aim: eMAR software.

Mental Capacity Act

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 sets out how to support people aged 16 and over to make their own decisions, and how decisions are made for people who lack capacity. Everyone is assumed to have capacity unless it is shown otherwise, capacity is judged decision by decision, and any decision made for someone must be in their best interests.

N

National Living Wage

The legal minimum hourly pay for workers aged 21 and over, and the top rate of the National Minimum Wage. Rates change on 1 April each year, so check the current rate on gov.uk.

NICE NG67

The NICE guideline "Managing medicines for adults receiving social care in the community". It covers how home care providers should support adults with their medicines, including assessing what support a person needs and keeping accurate MAR charts.

In Aim: eMAR software.

Nominated Individual

A senior person, employed as a director, manager or secretary of the provider, who is responsible for supervising the regulated activity. They are the main contact between the organisation and the CQC and support its registered managers.

P

Person-Centred Care

Care built around the individual: their wishes, routines, history and goals, not just a list of tasks. The person, and the people who matter to them, are involved in decisions about their care.

PRN

From the Latin "pro re nata", meaning "as needed". PRN medicines, such as some pain relief, are given when required rather than at set times, and each should have a protocol saying when it can be given and the most that can be taken.

In Aim: eMAR software.

Q

Quality Statements

The 34 statements in the CQC's assessment framework that describe areas of care quality, such as safeguarding or medicines. Each one sits under one of the five key questions.

In Aim: CQC compliance software.

R

Reablement

Short-term support, often after illness or a hospital stay, that helps a person relearn daily tasks and regain independence at home. It is free, lasts only as long as needed and usually no more than 6 weeks. Any longer-term care that follows may be charged for after a financial assessment.

Registered Manager

The person registered with the CQC to manage a regulated service day to day. Most services must have one, and they have legal responsibilities for how the service is run.

Right to Work

Employers must check that every new employee has the legal right to work in the UK before they start, either from their documents or with a Home Office share code. Employing someone without the right to work can lead to a penalty.

In Aim: care recruitment software.

Risk Assessment

A record of the risks to a client or carer, such as falls, moving and handling or hazards in the home, and the steps taken to reduce them. It sits alongside the care plan and is updated when things change.

In Aim: care planning software.

Rota

The schedule of which carer visits which client, and when. In home care it has to balance each client's needs, carers' availability and skills, and travel between visits.

In Aim: rota and scheduling.

S

Safeguarding

Working with adults who have care and support needs to keep them safe from abuse or neglect. Under the Care Act 2014, councils must make enquiries when an adult may be at risk, so agencies raise concerns with the local council's safeguarding team.

Self-Funder (Private Pay)

A client who pays for their own care, rather than having it paid for by the council or the NHS. Self-funders usually agree terms and pay the agency directly.

Skills for Care

A national charity that works to build a stronger adult social care workforce in England. It provides guidance, tools and workforce data for employers, and publishes the Care Certificate standards.

T

Travel Time

The time carers spend travelling between visits. Under minimum wage rules, time spent travelling between assignments counts as working time, so it must be included when checking that pay meets the minimum wage.

In Aim: rota and scheduling.

U

UK GDPR

The UK's main data protection law, which sits alongside the Data Protection Act 2018. Care records hold health information, which is special category data and needs extra protection.

In Aim: security and compliance.

V

Visit (Call)

One scheduled attendance by a carer at a client's home, such as a 30-minute morning visit. Agencies often use "visit" and "call" to mean the same thing.

In Aim: carer app.

Sources: GOV.UK, Review into the operational effectiveness of the CQC · Care Quality Commission · NHS, Homecare · GOV.UK, Nominated individual role category · NICE NG67 · NHSBSA, dm+d · GOV.UK, Controlled drugs list · HMRC, Travelling time (NMWM08300) · GOV.UK, National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates · GOV.UK, Disclosure and Barring Service · GOV.UK, Check a job applicant's right to work · Skills for Care, Care Certificate · GOV.UK, Care Act factsheets · NHS, Mental Capacity Act · GOV.UK, Liberty Protection Safeguards consultation announcement (October 2025) · Data Security and Protection Toolkit · GOV.UK, Choosing and managing software and IT suppliers as an adult social care provider · NCSC, Cyber Essentials · NHS, Direct payments · NHS, NHS continuing healthcare · NHS, Reablement · Homecare Association · Skills for Care.