Progress made in securing patient safety in cosmetic procedures

In the absence of government regulation, the cosmetic surgery industry must fully commit to self-regulation to protect patients undergoing non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as botox, warns Dr. Andrew Vallance-Owen, BUPA group medical director.

Speaking at a Laing & Buisson conference as chairman of the Independent Healthcare Advisory Services' (IHAS) Working Group on Cosmetic Surgery, Dr. Vallance-Owen said: "Speaking plainly, the industry and its patients need regulation and a system to monitor compliance to ensure reasonable standards are set and maintained.

"Lack of adherence to current voluntary codes of practice on advertising is bringing the industry into disrepute and generating negative publicity, as shown by the recent Which? investigation. To maintain consumer confidence, the industry must act quickly to get its own house in order and prove it can self-regulate effectively."

Establishing a quality mark consumers can trust

The IHAS Working Group on Cosmetics Surgery has been at work over the last six months developing a set of key principles for self-regulation in non-surgical cosmetic procedures. These principles will now be taken out to practitioners as a part of an industry-wide consultation process - with the aim of establishing an agreed code of practice and, if it proves feasible, the launch of a quality mark to be awarded to clinics that adhere to the code.

He continued: "The aim of the consultation process is to agree a set of practical and fair principles designed to safeguard patients undergoing non-surgical procedures like botox and dermal fillers. Clearly, there is a delicate balance to be struck to ensure the code is stringent enough to serve its purpose, but not so onerous that the industry is discouraged from committing itself to upholding it."

Before launching the principles, Dr. Vallance-Owen explained the group had reluctantly accepted that – despite several years of lobbying - the Government has clearly decided to make no provision to regulate this section of the cosmetic surgery industry. Indeed, he was concerned that some areas already included in regulation might soon be taken out.

He commented: "The industry must now apply itself to addressing any limitations that critics of self-regulation have identified. Key examples of this include developing accredited training programmes, establishing an inspection mechanism and achieving buy-in from industry bodies with the 'teeth' to tackle those who do not fulfil the requirements of the code once they have signed up. A robust complaints procedure will also be crucial."

Dr. Vallance-Owen continued: "Consumers also have an important role to play – by only taking their business to providers with the quality mark, once introduced, they can help push cowboy providers out of the market."

The proposed principles comprise ten areas. These are: communication, policies and procedures, management of medicines, management of medical emergencies, premises and facilities, advertising, staff qualification, out of hours' arrangements, patient consent to treatment and complaints.