23/06/2024
A Face to face, in person consultation with a medical professional is a LEGAL requirement in Britain if you are receiving a PRESCRIPTION only injection such as BOTOX , FAT DISSOLVING or VITAMIN INJECTIONS ..
So thankful that this public safety risk of non- medical people injecting products that are commonly unlicensed & from China & practicing out of unlicensed premises is finally being addressed by the government.
After a decade of inaction, the Scottish Government is finally beginning to pay attention. We are hopeful that they will promptly address this healthcare crisis happening across Scotland.
On June 13, a roundtable was held at the Scottish Parliament, with Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) and specialty representatives discussing aesthetic regulation.
Representatives from Scottish Medical Aesthetics Safety Group (SMASG), British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM) and British Association of Cosmetic Nurses (BACN) met with a cross-party group of MSPs to highlight key concerns including non-medical practitioners, counterfeit medicines, unlicensed premises, public awareness and more.
A key issue raised was that of ‘border hopping’ whereby patients from England cross over into Scotland to seek treatment as the rules are more relaxed. Currently, under 18s have been found to cross the border as it is illegal for them to seek treatment in England. There is concern that once the licensing scheme is introduced in England, non-medical practitioners may continue to practise over the border in Scotland if legislation is not also enforced there.
MSP Mile Briggs, who sponsored the roundtable, commented, “It is clear that not enough is being done in Scotland, given that the last five years has seen such an exponential surge in reports from people who have fallen victim to problems from invasive procedures such as toxin and thread lifts. The lack of regulation is deeply troubling and makes it easy for people to procure unsafe products from unlicensed sources, and could be set to get worse in Scotland if it doesn’t follow the example of England. It is high time the Scottish Government takes this matter seriously and makes good on the promises it made a decade ago.”
Following the Keogh Report of 2013, the Scottish Government founded the Scottish Cosmetic Intervention Expert Group (SCIEG) in 2014, with the goal of exploring the need for regulation in the specialty. However, no strategies have yet been implemented.
Aesthetic clinic director and member of SMASG Hamish Dobbie reflected, “The Keogh Report warned politicians of a potential public health crisis. Instead of acting swiftly to protect the public, civil servants have been allowed to procrastinate on new regulation for a decade. Now the public health crisis has arrived and is being fuelled by economic factors, illegal imports, social media advertising and criminal gangs – we need urgent action. Time has run out and politicians must force civil servants and regulatory bodies to implement a solution before we have unnecessary deaths.”
The SCIEG has stated that it would like a regulation proposal to be outlined that coincides with the English licensing scheme. It also suggests other solutions such as giving the police the right to seize illegally imported counterfeit products and bring charges against those selling them; creating an emergency public health task force to issue prohibition orders against dangerous practices; and to eventually introduce a law prohibiting treatments for under 18s.
At the roundtable’s conclusion, MSPs agreed to convene a cross-party group in September, after the Parliamentary recess, to fast track an effective solution.
Thank you to Holly Carver for reporting and publishing in the Aesthetics Journal. 😇🙏
https://aestheticsjournal.com/news/scottish-parliamentary-roundtable-held-on-aesthetic-regulation/?_gl=1*1jdehan*_up*MQ..*_ga*Nzg0Nzc1MTkxLjE3MTg4ODI5ODQ.*_ga_E1G59RTFZ0*MTcxODg4Mjk4My4xLjAuMTcxODg4Mjk4My4wLjAuMA..
