A BROMSGROVE campaigner has been joined by the town’s MP in welcoming new measures to crack down on ‘black market’ cosmetic procedures.
Nicky Robinson, a regulated medical aesthetics provider in Blackwell, has been working with MP Bradley Thomas to campaign for the introduction of mandatory licensing for non-surgical aesthetic treatments.
Nicky met Mr Thomas last year where she raised concerns with the local MP about the damage being done to individuals by a largely unregulated group of practitioners.
On the floor of the House of Commons Mr Thomas demanded the Government introduces a legal requirement for licensing to protect professional clinicians and the country’s health.
Mr Thomas said unregulated treatments are a growing health crisis and welcomed Government action, but warned against delays – urging faster progress to protect patients and trained professionals.
Now the pair are welcoming a Government announcement that only qualified healthcare professionals will be able to perform the highest-risk procedures.
The Government has said priority will be given to introducing regulations to restrict the highest-risk procedures first – such as fillers injected into breasts and genitals.
These must be done by specialised healthcare workers in Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered clinics. Nicky, who owns NR Aesthetics and Skin, is already regulated by the watchdog.
Nicky said the Government’s action is ‘overdue’ and called for safety rules to apply to all procedures, not just high-risk ones, citing recent botulism cases as evidence of the need for ‘comprehensive’ regulation.
Other lower-risk cosmetic treatments – including Botox, lip fillers and facial dermal fillers – will also come under stricter oversight through a new local authority licensing system.
Practitioners will be required to meet rigorous safety, training, and insurance standards before they can legally operate.
A public consultation will be published early next year. This will seek views on the range of procedures which should be covered in the new licensing rules.
Once regulations are introduced, practitioners who break the rules on the highest-risk procedures will be subject to CQC enforcement and financial penalties.
Whilst these measures await a roll-out, there is currently no regulation for medical aesthetic procedures in the UK. Beauty therapists and aesthetic practitioners are not currently bound by any legal training requirements.
The Government also plans to bring in restrictions for under 18s on high-risk cosmetic procedures, unless authorised by a healthcare professional.
