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A better way to choose a clinic Share this report WhatClinic.com Creating an informed and empowered public And a review of the recommendations made in April 2013 on the regulation of the cosmetic surgery business. WhatClinic.com: Cosmetic interventions

Report: Regulation of the cosmetic surgery business - Creating an informed and empowered public

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Patient Champion @Whatclinic Reviews Best (and Worst!) of UK Government Recommendations for Cosmetic Surgery Clinics. And a review of the recommendations made in April 2013 on the regulation of the cosmetic surgery business.

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Page 1: Report: Regulation of the cosmetic surgery business - Creating an informed and empowered public

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Creating an informed and empowered publicAnd a review of the recommendations made in April 2013 on the regulation of the cosmetic surgery business.

WhatClinic.com: Cosmetic interventions

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Why regulation is key for the long term safety of cosmetic surgery consumers.

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What’s all the fuss about?It was discovered that a company in France had been

cutting corners by using industrial silicone oils as fillers

for their breast implants. Implants from that company had

been shipped to countries all over the world.

The sub-standard implants ruptured or leaked high

amounts of oil, and the health of hundreds of thousands of

women all around the world was compromised.

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How could this happen? Recklessness, greed, oversights, loop holes and a lack of legislation.

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Dangerous LoopholesIn 2010, founder of Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), Jean-Claude Mas was implicated in a breast implant scandal and arrested by French gendarmes for reported bodily harm. However, it has been claimed by certain individuals in the know (such as regulatory bodies, medical professionals and those who work in medical devices companies) that the impotence of the European regulatory system is also to blame.

The then French regulator, AFSSAPS (succeeded in late 2012 by ANSM, the French National Agency of Medicine and Health Products Safety) did not review new devices. Instead, this responsibility was shouldered by one of about 80 European Notified Bodies. The Notified Body involved in the appraisal of PIP was the German TUV Rheinland.

TUV Rheinland approved PIP breast implants for the EU market. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected this type of implant, but nevertheless marketing of said product was sustained for years afterwards.

AFSSAPS began to receive accusations from French specialists regarding PIP implants’ worryingly high rupture rates.

Following an investigation of the factory where PIP implants were produced, these devices were banned from the French market. Other jurisdictions were also forewarned.

TUV Rheinland

TUV Rheinland

Labs

ASSAPS

ASSAPS

PIP PIP PIP

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So what happened next?In the UK, the then Secretary of State for Health, the

Rt Hon Andrew Lansley MP, asked Professor Sir Bruce

Keogh, the NHS Medical Director, to review how the safety

of people considering or undergoing cosmetic interventions

might be better ensured. That report was issued in April

2013.

Read the full report

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The report is

67pages long.

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The report is

67pages long.

But that’s OK. We read it. We picked out bits that were interesting.To patients, to clinics and to us.

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Elective treatments are ones that aren’t necessary but

that really should be carried out by someone with medical

training. These obviously include surgical treatments, but

also include special non-surgical ones too.

The report covers “cosmetic interventions”.What exactly does that include?

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‘Cosmetic interventions’ include surgical treatments like these

• Face-lifts

• Tummy tucks

• Breast implants

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‘Cosmetic interventions’ include non-surgical treatments like these• Dermal fillers

• Botox®

• Laser

• Intense pulsed light (IPL).

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The reporthas a list of all their risks. These make scary reading

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Non-surgical treatments account for nine out of ten of

these procedures and are worth 75% of the market value.

Did you know that cosmetic intervention in the UK was valued at £2.3 billion in 2010, and is estimated to rise to £3.6 billion by 2015?

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What did the review say?It set out recommendations to protect people who choose cosmetic surgery.

If focused on three important areas:

1. High quality care with safe products, skilled practitioners

and responsible providers.

2. An informed public to ensure people get accurate advice

and that the vulnerable are protected.

3. Accessible redress and resolution in case

things go wrong.

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What did the review say?It set out recommendations to protect people who choose cosmetic surgery.

If focused on three important areas:

1. High quality care with safe products, skilled practitioners

and responsible providers.

2. An informed public to ensure people get accurate advice

and that the vulnerable are protected.

3. Accessible redress and resolution in case

things go wrong. An informed public. We liked this bit.

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We liked this report a lot, because it used clear, plain English.

It is detailed, thorough, well supported, non-judgemental and written by experts.

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We liked this report a lot, because it used clear, plain English.

It is a detailed, thorough, well supported, non-judgemental and written by experts.

If you are thinking about having cosmetic surgery, or if you work in the business, we highly recommend you read it.

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So there was a great report done, that made lots of sense.

Are we done?

Well, no. Because nothing has actually changed.

What!? Why not?

Well, not YET.

The review made some recommendations.

Over 30 actually.

The first three relate to cosmetic surgery.

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That the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) should establish

a Cosmetic Surgery Interspecialty Committee to set

standards and training across all areas, using experts.

2. That only doctors on a GMC Specialist Register should

perform cosmetic surgery.

The development of clear, credible outcome measures for

cosmetic surgery that people could easily get their hands

on. So people would know honestly what to expect.

3.

1.

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All non-surgical procedures must be performed

under the responsibility of a clinical professional

who has gained the accredited qualification.

Health Education England (HEE) should determine

accreditation requirements for practitioners

administering non-surgical cosmetic treatments

(fillers, Botox, laser, IPL)

A non-commercial independent central register of

practitioners, funded by registration fees.

6.

7&8.

4.

And for non-surgical treatments...

So you might not have to be qualified, but you need to be supervised. You’d think this was the case right now – but no – anyone with a white coat and a credit card can inject your face full of stuff.

Very sensible

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And you can’t get in unless you are qualified, adhere to code of practice which includes

handling complaints and having the right insurance.

BRILLIANT!

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This bit was so good we didn’t want to shorten it one bit:

It’s not a recommendation, more like a giant WTF.

“ Non-surgical procedures 3.33. The Review Committee finds that the current

regulation of non-surgical providers is insufficient to adequately protect public

health and safety. Given the known risks, it is not appropriate that the public has no

more consumer rights when receiving a dermal filler injection than when buying a

toothbrush.

The Review Committee is alarmed by the casual use of some cosmetic interventions

by unqualified individuals, and by reports of people buying injectable products over

the internet and self-administering.”

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This is a great recommendation:UK legislation should be introduced to make fillers a prescription only medical device.

There are lots of solid recommendations that are in direct response to the errors made by

PIP – things like not having to announce factory inspections days in advance.

But it’s this next bit that we think is the most interesting.

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This is a great recommendation:UK legislation should be introduced to make fillers a prescription only medical device.

There are lots of solid recommendations that are in direct response to the errors made by

PIP – things like not having to announce factory inspections days in advance.

But it’s this next bit that we think is the most interesting.

We bet you thought they already were! They’re not. And as a prescription only medical device, they would be subject to better quality controls.

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And another thing - Prescriptions.Making a high risk substance prescription only sounds very sensible.

But when you think about it…

Really think about it…

How does this really help people?

What’s really important (to us anyway) is that: it comes from an approved

pharmaceutical manufacturer who is held to the highest standard, and if it

is used by a qualified professional.

Really – prescriptions add cost, and don’t fix the main problem.

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The report calls for an:

Informed and Empowered Public

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“people need access to independent and evidence-based information to help

inform their decisions.”

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“people need access to independent and evidence-based information to help

inform their decisions.”

Hey! Isn’t that what we do at

WhatClinic.com? OMG, yes it is!

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The report says:There is little reliable data to assist patients in making

assessments of the efficacy and risks of treatments, or of

the expertise and experience of the practitioner.

Totally true. That’s why we started WhatClinic.com

in the first place

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“A patient cannot give

informed consent if they

are not provided with time to

reflect.”Well, maybe, maybe not. But can’t do any harm, certainly.

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The report says:“Patients should be aware of the implications of surgery, the limitations of the

procedure and the potential complications. When the risks of surgery are discussed

patients should be alerted to the risks of medical complications and also the possibility

of an unsatisfactory aesthetic outcome.”

Totally true. That’s why we started WhatClinic.com

in the first place.

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The report looked abroad for learnings.

They looked at Hong Kong, Australia,

Denmark & Sweden.

Very wise.

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In November 2010, the Australian Health Ministers’

Advisory Council published its report Cosmetic Medical

and Surgical Procedures – a National Framework. It made

recommendations to Ministers for improved regulation

across five areas of the cosmetic medical and surgical

industry: the procedures, the promotion of the procedures,

the practitioner, the patient and the place.

They looked to Australia, who had a good think about the same stuff back in 2010.

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Tighter restrictions on advertising, including

prohibiting cosmetic procedures being offered as

prizes and financial incentive schemes

The introduction of minimum training and accredited

standards for practitioners

A public consultation on regulating unregistered

practitioners

Developing guidelines on consent and follow-up care

Improved, accessible information for people

considering procedures

Clear avenues for redress, regardless of status of

practitioner

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Here’s what they did:

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Nice one, Oz!

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Back to the report...What does it say about advertising?

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So we’re quite interested in this bit. Why?

Well, we’re a marketing service for clinics. Clinics that offer the treatments, both surgical and non-surgical – that is the main focus of this report.

So we’re not unbiased, right?But we want what’s best for the patient. Don’t believe us? Well it’s simple.

Happy, safe patients = more patients over time. This is good for business. Good for clinics = good for us.

Simple.

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The report says, quite accurately that:

“Previous attempts at self-regulation in the industry have failed, largely because

voluntary codes have meant that only the best in this disparate sector commit

themselves to better practice, whilst the unscrupulous and unsafe carry on as before.”

It advises that existing advertising recommendations and restrictions should be updated

and better enforced.

“The use of financial inducements and time-limited deals to promote cosmetic

interventions should be prohibited to avoid inappropriate influencing of vulnerable

consumers.”

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Time limited deals

Financial inducements

Packages

Cosmetic procedures as competition prizes

1.

2.

3.

4.

The report recommended the prohibition of the following calling them “socially irresponsible”

We mostly agree

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but

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It’s very easy to have a good idea. A sensible idea. A logical idea. But when it gets put into

practice, it has effects you

never really thought about.

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When Good Ideas go Bada Case StudyMacro effects from micro

changes.

Baby seats on airplanes. Good idea or bad idea?

Is that a trick question?

Lets look at the US for this.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that

kids ride in child safety seats on airplanes. They looked at

studies which show preventable deaths and injuries have

occurred in children who are just held on laps.

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The FAA also recommends that children sit in child safety seats during air travel.

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The NTSB recommends that children sit in child safety seats or other restraints during air travel.

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But statistically... Road travel is far more

dangerous than airline travel.

Compulsory car seats on

planes will force families to

buy an extra ticket, instead

of restraining the child in

their lap.

More families will travel

long distances by car. Therefore, wait for it…

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Making baby seats compulsory on planes would increase

the number of infant deaths over time, as more families

would be driving long distances, instead of flying.

Nuts, isn’t it?

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You see? Macro effects from micro changes. The growth in popularity of cosmetic intervention has driven governments around the world

to examine safety.

In Singapore regulations have been put in place to improve safety, and to protect people.

They covered hospitals, medical clinics, labs and healthcare establishments.

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In Singapore, restrictions on publicityfor clinics had a far reaching effect. Reviews, testimonials, star ratings and consumer feedback

were all banned. Anything which might make someone

choose one healthcare institution over another.

Outcome: • WORSE FOR PATIENTS.

• No informed choice.

• No access to independent

information.

• And no voice.

Read the full report

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They made LOTS of recommendations. Numbers 32-38

cover things like complaints, insurance cover, and aftercare.

They were all excellent. We hope they all get implemented.

The final area of examination was REDRESS.

but they probably won’t

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What does the report say about medical tourism?

“The Review Committee was very concerned about the

practice of cosmetic tourism with people travelling

abroad for a procedure.”

Lots of people use WhatClinic.com to find

treatment abroad.

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Medical tourism

On page 45 of the report they

list 8 serious issues which

were felt to increase the risk,

difficulties and costs 

surrounding treatment abroad.

“The Review Committee

recognises that people

may consider cosmetic

tourism in future but

recommends that the

individual considers

all aspects of the offer

very carefully, including

limitations of remote care,

and that they speak to

their GP before committing

to such an arrangement.”

And…

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Hmm…One sided much?

Medical tourismOn page 45 of the report they list 8 serious issues which were felt to increase the risk,

difficulties and costs surrounding treatment abroad.

And…

“The Review Committee recognises that people may consider cosmetic tourism in future

but recommends that the individual considers all aspects of the offer very carefully,

including limitations of remote care, and that they speak to their GP before committing to

such an arrangement.”

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Risks and benefits.

By travelling abroad,

patients take on certain

risks. But they also can

avail of greater benefits.

There are two sides to medical tourismThat’s why they go!

• wider range of

treatments

• more choices of facilities

• more experienced

practitioners

• greater privacy

• cheaper prices

If a consumer is fully

informed and empowered

why can’t they decide

where to go?

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“The Review Committee recognises that people may consider cosmetic tourism

in future..”

Over 5o countries have identified medical tourism as one of their national industries. It’s not going anywhere.

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Decisions made today about regulation of the industry

could very well drive more people to go abroad. DOH.In fact…

Macro effects from micro changes, people.

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Here is a full list of all the recommendations.We’ve made some of them a bit shorter.

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Recommendation 1

• The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) should establish a Cosmetic Surgery Interspecialty Committee.

Recommendation 2

• The RCS Interspecialty Committee should work with the CQC and the new Chief Inspector of Hospitals to ensure that providers follow the standards developed. In the meantime, the Review Committee recommends that only doctors on a GMC Specialist Register should perform cosmetic surgery, and that those doctors should work within the scope of their Specialty specific training.

Recommendation 3

• The RCS Interspecialty Committee should be responsible for developing clear, credible outcome measures for cosmetic surgery that are published at individual surgeon and provider level on the NHS Choices website.

Recommendations 4

• All non-surgical procedures must be performed under the responsibility of a clinical professional who has gained the accredited qualification to prescribe, administer and supervise aesthetic procedures.

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Recommendation 5

• Non-healthcare practitioners who have achieved the required accredited qualification may perform these procedures under the supervision of an appropriate qualified clinical professional.

Recommendation 6

• The Government’s mandate for Health Education England (HEE) should include the development of appropriate accredited qualifications for providers of non-surgical interventions by the end of 2013.

Recommendation 7

• All practitioners must be registered centrally. The register should be independent of particular professional groups or commercial bodies, and should be funded through registration fees.

Recommendation 8

Entry to the register should be subject to:

• achievement of accredited qualification

• premises meeting certain requirements

• adherence to a code of practice that covers handling complaints and redress,

• insurance requirements, responsible advertising practice and consent practices

• continued demonstration of competence through an annual appraisal.

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Recommendation 9

• The CQC should work with professional organisations to produce inspection guidelines for cosmetic surgery providers.

• Full participation in all clinical audit and data collection programmes that have been recommended by the RCS Interspecialty Committee should be part of CQC registration requirements and full participation by surgeons should be an essential component of their annual appraisal and revalidation. The CQC should use this data and clinical audit findings to analyse outcomes and assess risk, and this data should be used to guide inspection teams. Risk-based and unannounced CQC inspections should be performed. The inspection teams should have appropriate expertise and experience in this sector.

Recommendation 10

• Data on performance should be made publicly available at surgeon and provider level.

Recommendation 11

• Providers should be required to notify the public on their websites of any CQC inspection concerns or notices.

Recommendation 12

• All providers must keep full patient records, including clear operative records and precise details of any implant or device used. Providers should also be able to access data of implant cohorts readily and this should be available to regulatory authorities. Details of the surgery and implant used must be sent to the patient and to the patient’s GP. Furthermore, the Review Committee accepts the recommendation made by the NCEPOD in its report On the face of it.

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Recommendation 13

• ‘Independent healthcare providers should only allow practising privileges to those cosmetic surgeons who can demonstrate that they have achieved and are able to maintain competence in the procedures which they offer’.

Recommendation 14

• Those training to be non surgical practitioners should have a clear understanding of the requirement to operate from a safe premises, and the responsibilities involved. The training curriculum should include topics such as infection control, treatment room safety and adverse incident reporting. The code of conduct for those on the register should include an obligation to abide by certain clearly defined minimum standards for premises.

Recommendation 15

• The scope of the EU Medical Devices Directive should be extended to cover all cosmetic implants, including all dermal fillers. UK legislation should be introduced to make fillers a prescription only medical device.

Recommendation 16

• The EU General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) should be revised so that products used as part of a professional service are no longer exempt from product safety legislation.

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Recommendation 17

• All European Notified Bodies should be regularly and rigorously assessed and audited, to ensure they all work to the same high international standards; and reports of these assessments should be made public.

Recommendation 18

• There needs to be unannounced inspections of manufacturers of class III and IIb medical devices to ensure production is compliant with the regulations. Reports of such inspections should be made public where possible.

Recommendation 19

• Manufacturers should inform the MHRA when bringing a new product to the UK market and the MHRA should publish a list of the cosmetic devices available in the UK.

Recommendation 20

• A system should be developed by the MHRA to link the Unique Device Identifier for all implants to the patient’s electronic record, enabling routine collection through Hospital Episode Statistic (HES) data. This information would enable assessment of implant performance, and the tracking and tracing of patients in case of a safety alert. The use of HES in the private sector hospitals which implant devices into people should be a CQC registration requirement.

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Recommendation 21

• Until such a system is developed, a National Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry should be established and operational within 12 months. All cosmetic surgery providers need to keep a minimum data set that should be defined by the RCS Interspecialty Group. This should include details of the implant, the surgeon, the hospital and appropriate outcomes, and these data need to be held in electronic format until the registry is operational. These data should be easily accessible in the case of a product recall.

Recommendation 22

• The Director of Patient Safety for NHS England should develop a framework to encourage and support the reporting of suspected device failures to the MHRA.

Recommendation 23

• Formal relationships need to be developed between the MHRA, and professional organisations such as the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the Specialist Associations whose members implant medical and cosmetic devices and deal with the consequences of failure.

Recommendation 24

• Assessment of systems for reporting adverse events should be part of CQC’s registration and assessment of providers. Adverse incident reporting should be a standard component of professional appraisals and revalidation.

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Recommendation 25

• Evidence-based standardised patient information should be developed by the RCS Interspecialty Committee on Cosmetic Surgery. This should be done with input from patient organisations. This information should be available on NHS Choices and the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) website.

Recommendation 26

• Patient Decision Aids (PDAs) should be developed for cosmetic procedures and these should be piloted by the RCS Interspecialty Committee on Cosmetic Surgery.

Recommendation 27

• The RCS Interspecialty Committee on Cosmetic Surgery should develop and describe a multi-stage consent process for operations. This consent process should be undertaken by the operating surgeon and its use should be mandated as part of the Code of Practice.

Recommendation 28

• For non-surgical procedures, a record of consent must be held by the provider.

Recommendation 29

• The RCS Interspecialty Committee should develop a code of ethical practice developed for all practitioners of cosmetic interventions, and this should include standards to ensure that any advertising is conducted in a socially responsible manner.

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Recommendation 30

• CAP should extend its guidance note on cosmetic surgery advertising to cover non-surgical cosmetic procedures, and the sponsoring of TV and other programmes.

Recommendation 31

The Review Committee considers that the following advertising practices are socially irresponsible and should be prohibited by the professional registers’ codes of practice:

• Time-limited deals

• Financial inducements

• Package deals, such as ‘buy one get one free’ or reduced prices for two people such mother and daughter deals, or refer a friend.

• Offering cosmetic procedures as competition prizes.

Recommendation 32

• Providers and practitioners should provide continuity of care. Patients should be offered appropriate follow-up and after-care, rather than stand-alone procedures.

Recommendation 33

• All organisations providing cosmetic surgery should have a doctor on the Board as Medical Director who is professionally accountable for all work carried out by the provider organisation and for its procedures, practices and wider activity.

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Recommendation 34

• The remit of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) should be extended to cover the whole private healthcare sector, including cosmetic procedures and ophthalmology. Providers should offer advice on their complaints procedures to their patients, and where appropriate this advice should be available on their websites.

Recommendation 35

• Complaints against providers that are investigated and upheld by the Ombudsman should be publicly available.

Recommendation 36

• All individuals performing cosmetic procedures must possess adequate professional indemnity cover that is commensurate with the type of the operations being performed.

Recommendation 37

• Device manufacturer risk pools should be established. The Department of Health should work with the EU and industry to help support this. This risk pool would meet the costs of complications or corrective surgery in the event of wholesale problems with a device.

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Recommendation 38

• Patients’ rights should be protected even when a provider goes out of business. Providers of cosmetic surgery must either enter a risk pool or have appropriate insurance/financial arrangements to provide treatment following certain complications. The NHS should be able to recoup costs for management of certain complications following cosmetic procedures if the provider has been found to have failed the patient following surgery. A similar arrangement already exists following motor vehicle accidents.

Recommendation 39

• The insurance status of all practitioners should be displayed on the practitioner register.

Recommendation 40

• In order to ensure that all patients are adequately protected, overseas surgeons operating in this country should have the same level of professional indemnity as UK-based surgeons.

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So in summary…

Regulation? Good thing. Prohibition? Bad thing. Informed choice? Good thing. Restriction on information? Bad thing.

You’ve seen the recommendations. Now let’s see what actually happens…

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