Decontamination Glossary
The Healthcare Estates and Decontamination sector employs a number of terms and acronyms that we have used throughout this website in order to explain our services.
Find some commonly used terms defined below.
AE
Authorising Engineer. These are independent engineers (appropriately qualified/experienced individuals) who are authorised to take responsibility for the management of safety guidance recommended by the Department of Health.
See our Authorising page and IHEEM page.
AP
Authorised Person. These individuals are responsible for a specific discipline that contributes to the running of a hospital within government guidelines.
AVM
Auditing Validating Monitoring. That is who we are and what we do!
See our About page for more information about AVM Services or have a browse around our website. If you don’t get the information you want, please contact us.
CPD
Continuing Professional Development. A common practice of recording the skills, knowledge and experience that professionals gain (formally or informally) as they work.
As well as providing many training courses with City & Guilds accreditation, our courses also contribute towards CPD.
Decon
Decontamination. Abbreviation often used.
See our Decontamination page.
FDA
Food and Drug Administration. A US government agency that has responsibility for decontamination (among other) sectors. The UK equivalent is The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
HSE
Health and Safety Executive. A UK government agency responsible for the regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare.
HTM
Health Technical Memoranda. Provide comprehensive advice and guidance on the design, installation and operation of specialised building and engineering technology used in the Healthcare Estates sector.
IHEEM
Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Estate Management. Professional member-based engineering institute involved in implementing government policy in the Healthcare Estates sector.
See our IHEEM page.
MHRA
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Regulatory authority with responsibility for the authorisation, granting, renewal, variation, suspension, and revocation of licences, certificates, or other regulatory mechanisms relating to those medicinal products and medical devices for human use which are clinically investigated, marketed, supplied, manufactured, or assembled in the UK.
NHS
National Health Service. AVM was set up by the NHS in 1989 and we have been its decontamination partner ever since.
SOP
Standard Operating Procedure. The documentation of processes that an organisation uses to ensure services (or products) are delivered consistently each time.
SSD
Sterile Services Department. Department responsible for ensuring that equipment and instruments are fit for use by the medical staff e.g. surgeons or other ‘end users’.
Validation
Documented procedure for obtaining, recording and interpreting data to show that a process will consistently produce product complying with pre-determined specifications.
