Industry bodies join forces in a bid to improve patient safety in the sector

Five prominent groups have joined forces in a bid to improve safety for patients undergoing non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

The groups have come together to form the Clinical Standards Authority for Non-Surgical Cosmetic Interventions (CSA) and the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP) with support from the Department of Health (DoH).

The associations currently involved are The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS); The British Association of Cosmetic Nurses (BACN); The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD); The British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) and The British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM).

These bodies will work together to improve and enforce clinical standards and training and to maintain a register of practitioners. The CSA and the JCCP have already started on these key tasks with the objective of fully launching in April 2017.

Professor David Sines, CBE, has been appointed as the Interim Chair of the JCCP and his first task has been to bring together the key professional medical associations involved in delivering non-surgical services followed by other professional associations and stakeholders. This news comes hot on the heels of the recent publication of the new GMC guidance, which both the CSA and the JCCP welcomed.

Professor David Sines, Interim Chair of the JCCP, said: “In 2013 the Keogh ‘Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions’ found that the regulatory framework had not managed to keep up with the growing cosmetic intervention industry. Sections of the non-surgical cosmetic interventions industry remain largely unregulated, however healthcare professionals have made important strides in improving patient safety. The formation of the CSA and the JCCP is an important step forward.”