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Definitions from

Tunstall

Tunstall, one of the largest suppliers of TEC in the UK, has agreed to share their extensive in-house glossary.

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Access control

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A system that controls access to a building, or an area, by controlling the opening of doors.

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Alarm Receiving Centre

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A facility that monitors multiple alarms and reacts to their triggers. They are usually staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Teams who work in ARCs often monitor a range of systems, including telecare services, fire and intruder alarms, CCTV cameras and more. An ARC is sometimes called a Monitoring Centre, Command Centre, Control Centre, Contact Centre or a Response Centre.

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Allied health professional

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Someone trained to perform services in the care of patients but not a doctor or registered nurse.

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Analogue

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Using signals or information represented by a continuously variable physical quantity e.g., tones. It's in contrast to digital.

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Analogue Terminal Adaptor

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A device that connects to a router and provides a traditional telephone connection to a digital network so the user can make calls over the internet. The ATA acts as an intermediary between the telephone and a VoIP server, digitising voice data so that it can be transmitted over the internet.

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Application Programming Interface

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A set of functions and procedures allowing the creation of applications that access the features or data of an operating system, application, or other service.

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Application server

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

This is where the software is installed. Depending on the modules that the customer takes, there could be more than one application server needed. These can be deployed as physical servers - actual hardware installed in a server room with air conditioning and appropriate power supply etc, or Virtual Machines.

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Assisted living

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Equipment that is used to protect people within sheltered housing or extra care housing. The equipment usually consists of, at least, a single control unit and speech modules within each property. This allows alarms to be delivered locally to a House Manager or to an ARC.

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Assistive technology

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Assistive technology enables people to live healthy, productive, independent, and dignified lives, and to participate in education, the labour market and civic life. Assistive technology reduces the need for formal health and support services, long-term care, and the work of caregivers. Without assistive technology, people are often excluded, isolated, and locked into poverty, thereby increasing the impact of disease and disability on a person, their family, and society. [WHO definition]

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Asterisk

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Asterisk is a popular open-source software PABX (Private Automatic Branch Exchange) which can be used in the ARC to handle VoIP calls.

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Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A digital technology that allows the use of a standard copper telephone line to provide high-speed (up to 24Mb/s) data communications. It allows higher speeds in one direction ('downstream' towards the customer) than the other.

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BS8521-1

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Analogue grouped scheme signalling protocol.

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BS8521-2

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A digital grouped scheme signalling protocol. Also known as NowIP.

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Bandwidth

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

The measure of the maximum capacity of a data link in the network.

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Base Station

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

See DECT Base Station

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Battery Backup

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

All telecare units include a battery so that should the mains power fail, residents are not left at risk. OFCOM's position is that 1 hour of battery back-up is sufficient.

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Bed Occupancy Sensor

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A device that monitors if a resident has left their bed and not returned.

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Blood Pressure

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Measurement of the systolic and diastolic pressure level of the blood in the human circulatory system.

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Bring Your Own Device

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Applications can be used on a user's own phone or tablet so the device itself is not required as part of the service.

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British Approvals for Fire Equipment

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

The independent registration body for Third Party Certificated fire safety organisations across the UK.

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CENELEC

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Commission Europeenne de Normalisation Electrique (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation). The European body responsible for the development of the TS50134-9 digital alarm protocol www.cenelec.eu.

Further information

https://www.cenelec.eu

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CO Detector

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A device to detect the gas Carbon Monoxide which is generated by fuel burning devices. This known as the silent killer as it is tasteless and odourless.

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CTI Card

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A piece of hardware that allows a computer to interact with the telephone network.

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CTI Server

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A server that uses a CTI card as part of a PNC installation. A CTI server acts as a controller for the flow of alarm calls through the wider system. It integrates directly with our monitoring software application server and generally works in tandem with a PABX to distribute calls to the right operators during call handling. The CTI is a physical server and cannot be virtualised as it provides the actual termination point for the telephone lines themselves.

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Care Quality Commission

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

An organisation to independently regulate all health and social care services in England.

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Care Staff

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A person(s) that provides care to a resident within their property.

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Central Receiver

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

This is a device(s) that is fitted as part of Assisted Living equipment, to provide radio coverage for radio-based telecare sensors.

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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties. COPD is one of the chronic conditions our remote patient monitoring service and solution can support.

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Chronic condition

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Any health-related illness that requires ongoing management over an extended period of time, usually longer than 3 months. e.g., diabetes, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Also known as a long-term condition.

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Clinical Commissioning Group

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A group of General Practitioners (GPs) that are responsible for commissioning most health and care services for patients. They work with other healthcare professionals and in partnership with local communities and Local Authorities. Their role is defined in the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

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Command Centre

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

See ARC (Alarm Receiving Centre).

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Communication Providers

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Providers of telecommunications (telecoms) infrastructure including BT, Virgin, Sky, Talk Talk, KCOM and Openreach.

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Control Centre

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

See ARC (Alarm Receiving Centre).

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Control Unit

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

This is a central piece of equipment that is used in Assisted Living. It is used to help deliver alarms and control the function of the equipment.

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Critical National Infrastructure

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

The facilities, systems, sites, information, people, networks and processes, necessary for a country to function and upon which daily life depends. In the UK, there are 13 national infrastructure sectors: Chemicals, Civil Nuclear, Communications, Defence, Emergency Services, Energy, Finance, Food, Government, Health, Space, Transport and Water.

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DECT Base Station

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

This forms part of the DECT system that is used in Assisted Living equipment.

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DECT Handset

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

This is a cordless telephone that is used in Assisted Living equipment to take alarm calls on and communicate to the resident via a speech module.

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Data Protection Impact Assessment

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A process to identify and manage the data protection risks associated with a project or change.

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Database

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

The storage of data

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Database Server

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

The physical device that stores the database.

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Department of Health and Social Care

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

The Government department leading the nation's health and social care to help people live more independent, healthier lives for longer.

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Device Management Platform

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A tool to monitor, manage and configure virtual devices.

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Digital

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Electronic technology that generates, stores, and processes data. It contrasts with analogue.

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Digital European Cordless Telecommunications

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A standard primarily used for creating cordless telephone systems. It is widely used for both domestic and business purposes and is designed for short-range communication between base stations.

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Digital Technology Assessment Criteria

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Legislation and good practice to ensure digital health tools meet the NHS standards of clinical safety, data protection, technical security, interoperability and usability and accessibility standards.

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Digital health

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A general concept to describe the connection between technology and healthcare.

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Disaster Recovery

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Every ARC will have a disaster recovery plan, so that call handling may continue in the event of an emergency at the primary ARC premises. Some of our customers operate their own DR service from a second location, others provide a reciprocal arrangement between themselves, or use Tunstall Response as a DR provider.

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Dispersed alarms

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A generalised term used to describe assistive technology that can be found in a single dwelling - someone's home, or home like setting.

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Door Entry System

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Regulates access to areas within a home or a group space. There are various kinds of door entry systems that we can use, ranging from keypad door entry systems to biometric door entry systems.

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Door Panel

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A device that allows visitors to call residents' properties, this forms part of Assisted Living equipment.

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Dual Tone Multi Frequency

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

These are the tones that are heard when buttons on a telephone are dialled. These tones are used by telephone networks to send messages over a telephone connection. They are also used by devices such as fax machines, care alarms, burglar alarms and textphones to communicate over ordinary telephone lines. Tunstall's proprietary alarm protocols TTNew/TT92/TT21 all use DTMF as a means of signalling. DTMF specifically sends messages in pairs of tones that are transmitted simultaneously. By comparison, STMF transmits single tones at any one time, this tends to provide a more reliable transmission compared to DTMF. STMF is a proprietary Tunstall technology.

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Emulated Voice Architecture

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

To 'emulate' voice means that the telephone equipment in the exchange (as opposed to the telephone itself) is converting the sounds received by the telephone into digital signals for onward transmission across the network.

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Encryption

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A mechanism to protect data whilst in transit to ensure the data is not visible.

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End to End Digital

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Applying digital technology to all phases of a given business process.

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Ethernet

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A common technology which allows computers on a network to talk to each other.

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Extra care

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A block of self-contained flats with a population generally above 55 years old. The building has care staff and housing management staff. Care is provided to the residents in their property.

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Fibre to the Cabinet

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Access network consisting of optical fibre extending from the access node (exchange) to the street cabinet. The street cabinet is usually located only a few hundred metres from the subscriber's premises. The remaining part of the access network from the cabinet to the customer is usually copper wire but could use another technology, such as wireless.

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Fibre to the Premises

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A form of fibre optic communication delivery in which the optical signal reaches the end user's home or office. Also known as full fibre broadband. FTTP is faster generally than FTTC.

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Firmware

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Permanent software programmed into a read-only memory.

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Fixed Cellular Terminal

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A device with an antenna that gives you instant cellular connectivity so you can hook up to any device that works through a traditional phone line with a dial tone, including telephone handsets, modems and alarm systems.

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General Data Protection Regulation

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

The legislation that covers the key principles along with rights and obligations when processing personal data in the United Kingdom and sits alongside the Data Protection Act 2018.

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Global System for Mobile Communications

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

The basic network that underpins mobile phone communication. PNC supports alarm calling from numerous GSM devices.

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Grouped scheme alarm

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A telecare alarm installed in a Group Living environment. It will provide telecare services to all residents in the facility, as opposed to a dispersed alarm, which provides services only to a single home/residence.

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Hands-free Voice Switched

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

This is an automated method used in alarm equipment to control the speaker and microphone levels. This is the same technology used in a mobile telephone when the hands-free is enabled.

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Handshake fails

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

An error that occurs when there's a protocol mismatch. The method of transmitting alarm information cannot be read by the ARC.

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Heartbeat

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A short data message sent to an ARC to signify that a device is available and able to raise an alarm event.

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Host Media Processing

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

HMP is another component of an ARC. This is similar to the CTI server but designed to handle modern IP signalling methods. For a few years, while the analogue to digital migration takes place, ARCs will continue to use both CTI for analogue calls and HMP for IP calls.

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Hosted

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Software that is installed, hosted and accessed entirely from a remote server or location. [Extract from definition]

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House manager

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A person(s) that deals with the administration of the property.

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Housing Services Portal

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A device used with Communicall Connect/Vi/Vi IP to locally administer the scheme.

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IP Telephony

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

See VoIP

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IPACS

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Tunstall's propriety IP based signalling method, or protocol. IPACS was designed to offer an IP version of Tunstall's TT21 analogue protocol, including many of the flexible call codes that Tunstall customers use.

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Integrated Care System

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A partnership between the organisations that meet health and care needs across an area, to coordinate services and to plan in a way that improves population health and reduces inequalities between different groups.

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Integrated Service Digital Network

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A circuit-switched telephone network system that allows both voice and data services to be simultaneously delivered over digital lines. It was launched by BT in 1986 to migrate outdated landline technology to digital. It is now heading to end of service and limited availability.

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Interactive Voice Response

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A spoken voice menu used in telephone systems.

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Internet Protocol

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

The protocol used to send digital data over a computer network and/or the internet. The transition to digital essentially means that in the TEC sector there is a shift to IP for alarm and voice communications, moving away from the older analogue equivalents that are being phased out. IPACS, Now IP, SCAIP, CENELEC are all examples of IP signalling methods, or protocols.

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Internet Service Provider

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A company that provides access to the internet.

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Internet of Things

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Devices exchanging data over the internet.

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Learning disability

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors.

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Lifeline Alarm

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A generalised term to describe a telephone-based device that provides communication for use in emergency. A lifeline can be GSM, PSTN based, or IP based. The device is used predominantly in dispersed properties and provides two-way audio to an ARC.

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Light emitting diode

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A device that is used as a visual indicator and can come in varying colours.

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Local Area Network

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

The data network that provides connectivity within a building.

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Lone worker

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

An employee who performs an activity that is carried out in isolation from other workers without close or direct supervision. Such staff may be exposed to risk because there is no-one to assist them.

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Long-term condition

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

See Chronic condition

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Medical Device Regulations

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Regulations that govern the manufacture and sale of medical devices via a notified body. The Integrated Care Platform (ICP) is a medical device.

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Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

An executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in the United Kingdom which is responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work and are acceptably safe.

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Monitoring software

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

The software used to manage the day-to-day operations of an ARC. The core requirement being call handling.

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NHS Digital

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

An Arm's Length Body of the NHS concerned with the design, development and operation of the national IT and data services that support clinicians at work, help patients get the best care, and use data to improve health and care.

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National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

It provides national guidance and advice to improve health and social care.

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Next Generation Network

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

The telephone networks that have an IP core and not run or owned by Openreach.

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NowIP

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

An industry standard digital signalling method that will be used with grouped schemes. (Also known as BS8521-2).

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Nursing home

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A property that provides 24-hour care and residents are high dependency. Residents generally have a single bedroom. Nurse call equipment is used within this property type.

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Office of Communications

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

The government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom.

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On-Premise

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A computer system or software solution that is physically based in an organisation's office/ data centre. This term is often shortened to on-prem.

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Openreach

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

The UK's main provider of telecoms infrastructure.

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Optical Termination Unit

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

This is used with the FTTP service to convert the fibre optic to an analogue telephone socket and a network connection known as a WAN.

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Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

An organisation that ensures only trustworthy digital technology is adopted across health and care.

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Over the Air

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

Software updates, programming of devices and reconfiguring equipment via the Internet. Negates the need for an engineer to visit a person's home.

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Passive Infra-Red

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

A movement detector that senses infra-red changes.

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Patient Reported Outcome Measure

Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd

The quality of care delivered from the patient perspective.

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