Aesthetics Practitioners And Treatments To Require Licences In England

Following a number of reports into patient safety and education standards, aesthetics practitioners and treatments will require licences in England.

The Government has announced its plan to introduce new safety measures following an amendment to the Health and Care Bill. It has been confirmed that this will be passed no later than 9th March by the House of Lords. This will then be published and take effect from 1 July 2022.

UPDATE: The House of Lords approved a new national licensing system for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England, on 8th March 2022.

As we have seen over the past few years, cases of complications, frequently arising from botched injectables, have been increasing exponentially.

In a move designed to start addressing this, the Government is now poised to bring in new regulations. The first of these is a system of licensing for cosmetic procedures such as botox and dermal fillers. Licensing of aesthetics practitioners – as well as the treatments themselves – is also planned.

This hotly anticipated announcement means the Health Secretary will now have the power to introduce a licence for non-surgical cosmetic procedures. However, the scope of this licence and further regulations will be determined by the results of an extensive public consultation. It is believed this consultation will span a period of two years.

Safe, ethical aesthetic practice is Harley Academy’s founding principle. It is the reason we exist – to raise the bar in injectables education. Our JCCP-backed Level 7 Diploma in Botox and Dermal Fillers course is the gold standard qualification in UK aesthetic medicine and is highly respected across the industry.

Not only does achieving this groundbreaking qualification – devised by our founder, aesthetics KOL, Dr Tristan Mehta – mark you out as having a high level of knowledge and competence as an injector. It also demonstrates your commitment to in-depth learning, including anatomy, facial ageing, complications prevention and management, as well as safe practice.

Minister for Patient Safety, Maria Caulfield said of the announcement:

“The licensing scheme will introduce consistent standards that individuals carrying out non-surgical cosmetic procedures will have to meet, as well as hygiene and safety standards for premises.

It will focus on those cosmetic procedures which, if improperly performed, have the potential to cause harm such as Botox and fillers.

This amendment in addition to ongoing work with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on the potential to bring certain devices, such as dermal fillers without a medical purpose, in scope of medical device regulations. The government is currently analysing responses from a public consultation which ran to 25 November 2021 and will publish a formal response in due course.”

Founder of Harley Academy, Dr Tristan Mehta said:

“Obviously I’m delighted to hear the announcement. Introducing a licence for aesthetics practitioners and injectable treatments is a great way to build on the previous regulations banning cosmetic injectables for under 18s in England. 

Whilst the consultation process needs to be thorough and in-depth, we have undergone many such processes in recent years. Most recently we had the 2021 APPG inquiry and 2013 the Keogh report recommendations before that. As such, hopefully the Government can take all these acquired insights – from both the public and the industry – into account in order to move swiftly in the interests of making our industry safer for patients. 

In the meantime, any patients considering aesthetic procedures should ensure they check their practitioner is a healthcare professional and suitably qualified.

It is my firm belief that only licensed and regulated medical professionals such as doctors, dentists and nurses should be performing cosmetic injectables. Even then, it should only be those with the appropriate level of specialist training, including anatomical knowledge and a thorough understanding of preventing and managing complications.

This message is at the heart of Harley Academy; the need to ensure medical aesthetics is performed safely, ethically and effectively by confident healthcare professionals. We hope this announcement starts a cascade of much-needed regulations that make completing in-depth, comprehensive and regulated aesthetic medicine training courses mandatory for all injectables practitioners.

I heartily recommend any experienced medical aesthetics practitioners wanting to get a head start on the forthcoming licensing requirements, look into recognised Fast Track qualifications.”

Joint Council of Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP) chair, David Sines, said:

“The JCCP was delighted to receive confirmation that the Secretary of State is now minded to introduce a national system of licensing for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England following his decision to introduce an amendment to the forthcoming Health and Care Bill.

The JCCP places patient safety and public protection at the heart of all of its activities and has campaigned relentlessly over the past four years for the implementation of a nationally approved system of licensing for the aesthetic sector underpinned by mandated standards for education and training for all practitioners.”

Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid said:

“While most of those in the aesthetics industry follow good practice when it comes to patient safety, far too many people have been left emotionally and physically scarred after botched cosmetic procedures.

I am committed to protecting patient safety by making it an offence for someone to perform these cosmetic procedures without a licence.

We’re doing all we can to protect patients from potential harm, but I urge anyone considering a cosmetic procedure to take the time to think about the impact on both their physical and mental health and ensure they are using a reputable, safe and qualified practitioner.”

For more information on how to become a safe and effective #HarleyTrained aesthetics practitioner, visit our Botox and Dermal Fillers Training Courses page. Alternatively you can book a call with Deneal Basi, our head of student recruitment, who can talk you through your options.