(Drafted from bbc.co.uk)

A joint scheme to boost the safety of cosmetic treatments such as Botox does not go far enough, say surgeons.

The initiative from government, medical regulators and cosmetic treatment industry will list clinics with qualified staff and good facilities.

But some surgeons said it would not help to stamp out “rogue” providers.

Organisers insisted they were now working with councils and insurers to put a stop to treatments in places such as nail bars and beauty salons.

Injectable treatments, including botulinum toxin and “dermal fillers”, which reduce the appearance of wrinkles, have been one of the fastest growing cosmetic treatments in recent years.

An estimated 200,000 treatments are carried out a year at approximately 5,000 facilities.

However, even though they can cause problems if wrongly-applied, and good hygiene is needed to reduce infection risk, they currently fall outside the remit of the Care Quality Commission, which oversees medical treatment in the UK.

This means that they can be offered in high street premises such as beauty salons by staff who have no formal medical, dental or nursing qualifications.

The new scheme will offer a “Quality Assurance Mark” to clinics which meet its standards for good practice, backed by a timetable of regular inspections.

This, they say, will enable patients to be better informed about their choice of clinic.

‘Unscrupulous providers’

Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen, chair of the Shared Regulation Group at the Independent Healthcare Advisory Service, which will run the scheme, said it was “excellent news” for consumers and “properly-qualified” practitioners.

He said: “With growth of an estimated 25% of treatments carried out last year alone, the industry and the Department of Health recognised the need to safeguard patients.”

The government has provided £200,000 to help launch the programme, and health minister Mike O’Brien said it would protect the public from “unscrupulous providers”.

However, while the initiative has won support from the biggest cosmetic surgery companies, and the makers of injectable treatments, one group representing experienced cosmetic surgeons described it as a “kick in the teeth” for reputable clinics.

Charles Nduka, from Safer Cosmetic Surgery, said that the only clinics likely to sign up for the scheme were those already operating at the required high standard.

“The government has washed its hands of any responsibility for public safety by not providing an effective regulation scheme, and the shared regulation concept is no substitute.”

Sally Taber, director of IHAS, insisted that the quality mark – or its absence – would be an additional weapon against unsuitable practitioners and poor facilities.

She said that local authorities were increasingly using health and safety legislation to stop beauty salons and nail bars offering cosmetic injections, and that discussions with insurers could make it harder for unregistered clinics and practitioners to get cover.

Nigel Mercer, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said he welcomed the initiative to bring some voluntary regulation to the ‘Wild West” that exists in cosmetic medicine on the high street but that regulation needed to be enforced.

“Unfortunately, the practitioners who are on the ‘fast buck’ fringe do not have to join it, because it is voluntary.”

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