We understand that there can be a lot of jargon within our industry, so we wanted to make things simple and easy to understand. Below you can find simple explanations for terms. If you can’t find what you’re looking for just contact us and we’ll be happy to explain.

A

Abatement

Abatement (Abated Notional Rent) is an amount by which the Notional Rent payable is reduced to take into consideration improvement works done in respect of the practice premises from capital that was not borrowed or otherwise provided by the contractor.

Access Audit

An assessment of the accessibility of both your surgery premises and the services that you offer.

Acquisition Survey
Survey (building or structural) carried out before purchasing the freehold or leasehold of a property.

AML Policy
Anti-Money Laundering Policy 

B

Break Clause
Break Clauses can be found in tenancy agreements and give the tenants or landlord the right to bring a lease to an end part way through the agreed term.

Building Cost Information Services (BCIS)

Database used to formulate budget costs.

Building Survey

Includes all of the items covered in the structural survey as well as the condition of the fabric of the building.

C

CCG

Clinical Commissioning Group

CMR

Current Market Rent

Condition Survey

Similar to an acquisition survey, but used where the property is not for sale, but the owners wish to know what the condition of the property is, and if any works are necessary.

Construction Design & Management Regulations 2007
Regulations governing the health and safety of construction works.

Contract Administration
Includes items covered in project management as well as formal management of the building contract including cost control.

Cost Rent
A method of reimbursement for GP practices to reimburse the cost of finance from providing new or considerably modified buildings.

CQC

The CQC [Care Quality Commission] are the independent regulator of all health and social care services in England. Their job is to make sure that care provided by doctors, hospitals, dentists, ambulances, care homes and services in people’s own homes and elsewhere meets government standards of quality and safety.

CSU
Commissioning Support Unit

D

DDA Compliance

Compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act.

Defect Diagnosis

Often referred to as building pathology relates to defining a defect to the property (e.g. cracking), what has caused the defect and what the appropriate repair is.

Dilapidations

Defects to a leasehold property that the tenant is responsible for the repair of.
District Valuer / DV
District Valuers are instructed by the PCT to give their assessment, their opinion of value.

Doctors Rents and Rates

Doctors Rent and Rates is the traditional term that has been used for the reimbursement scheme that exists for Doctors to receive payment for their surgery. It is also known as Notional Rent or Current Market Rent (CMR). The scheme is intended to provide Doctors who own their surgeries with a Notional Rent or Current Market Rent as reimbursement for purchasing the surgery.

E

Employers Agent
Professional advisor to the client in a design and build project.

EPC

Energy Performance Certificate

F

FRI

Full Repairing Lease

G

GMS

General Medical Services Contract

I

ICB
Integrated Care Board

IR
Internal Repairing Lease

L

Licence for Alterations

Written permission from a landlord to a tenant allowing alterations to be carried out to the premises.

M

Market Valuation / MV

A Market Valuation is an assessment of the price your property should fetch on the open market.

N

Notional Rent Appeals

During negotiations with the District Valuer regarding Notional Rent, if an agreement cannot be reached an appeal can be made to the Secretary of State. In practice this will be dealt with by the Family Health Service Appeal Unit (FHSAU), which is part of the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA). Following the new Local Resolution Protocol issued in 2010 by the NHSLA, all reasonable effort will have been made to resolve the dispute locally by our Surveyors before a case is referred to appeal. The Notional Rent Appeal process involves making initial request to the FHSAU for the case to be heard. This is followed by formal written submission (including details of comparable evidence) from both the Doctors agents and the District Valuer. Counter submissions follow and the case is investigated by the appointed independent Valuer, followed by their decision.

Notional Rent Reimbursement

Notional Rent is one of the schemes to reimburse Doctors who own their surgery. The Notional Rent remuneration should be based on the Current Market Rental (CMR) value for the property i.e. what it would let for on the open market.

P

Party Wall

A shared wall or structure built on, or adjacent to a boundary.

PFI/PPP – Private Finance Initiative/Public Private Initiative

Partnership agreement whereby a public building is funded using private sector investment.

PMS

Personal Medical Services Contract

Premises Costs Directions

The directions issued by the NHS which govern the valuation of GP surgeries in England.

Procurement
Buying of construction service, i.e. how you get your building/project constructed.

Procurement – Design and Build

The design team consults with the client to formulate the employer’s requirements, which a contractor then uses to formulate the specification and construct the property.

Procurement – Management

Contractor is employed to managed the works on site.

Procurement – Traditional

A specification of works is compiled by the design team, then priced and built by a contractor as per the specification.

Programme of Planned Maintenance (PPM)

A schedule of recommended maintenance for a property, including budget costs required to keep the property in good repair for a specified period of time.

Project Management

Supervision/overseeing of construction works.

R

Reimbursement

The reimburement of your premises costs i.e. Notional Rent / Cost Rent / Business Rates

Reinstatement Cost Assessment
The cost to demolish and rebuild a property i.e. the amount that the property needs to be insured for.

Retention

Amount of money retained by client for a pre-determined period following completion of works in order to cover any defects.

RICS

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

S

Sale and Leaseback

Sale and leaseback is where an investor purchases the surgery from the Doctors and leases it back to them, normally at a rent that is the same as the Notional Rent.

Schedules of Condition

A photographic and descriptive record of the condition of a property usually appended to a lease.

Specification of Works
Detailed account of the works required usually accompanied by drawings.

Structural Survey

Survey looking at the structural elements of the property and its structural condition.

T

Tendering

The works are priced by a contractor looking to win the work.

V

Vendor Survey

A survey report prepared on behalf of the person selling the property, usually in order to speed-up or streamline the selling process.

[printfriendly]