Licensing for aesthetic practitioners: What is changing and why?
Learn about what is changing with the update on licensing and the reason why regulations are changing in the aesthetic sector
The Health and Care Act 2022 introduces a new licensing system for all practitioners who provide a range of more invasive non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as the injection of toxins and fillers.
The new regulations will prohibit any individual in England from carrying out specified cosmetic procedures unless they have a personal licence.
It will also prohibit any person from using or permitting the use of premises in England “for the carrying out of specified cosmetic procedures,” unless they have an additional licence for the premises from which they operate.
Once the legislation comes into force, it will make it an offence to operate without a licence.
Yes
No
Read the update on the Health & Care Act 2022 and our guide with the JCCP that covers the frequently asked questions on the non-surgical cosmetic licensing scheme.
The non-surgical cosmetic injectable sector has experienced rapid growth - the market is currently worth around £3.6 billion and is projected to reach £5.4 billion in the next three to four years.
Hamilton Fraser has chronicled the unstoppable rise of the sector in its article: 25 years of leading the aesthetics and cosmetic industry.
But while the sector has boomed, regulations to keep patients safe have failed to keep up, and anyone can carry out potentially life-threatening procedures with little or no training.
There has been lots of publicity in the media about treatments gone wrong, sometimes with life-changing side effects for patients.
Experts and campaigners, who describe the aesthetic sector as like the ‘wild west’, have for some time been calling for greater regulation of non-invasive procedures.
In 2013, a review by Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS medical director for England, said that non-surgical procedures such as fillers to tackle wrinkles, botulinum toxin and laser hair removal were ‘almost entirely unregulated’, and that a person having a non-surgical intervention has no protection or redress. He singled out dermal fillers as a ‘crisis waiting to happen’ and this was corroborated by a British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons survey which found that 69% of its surgeons had seen patients presenting with complications following temporary fillers. He recommended an industry-wide standard of care to which practitioners can be held, including a register of anyone who performs surgical or non-surgical cosmetic interventions.
The Department of Health asked Health Education England to work with professional statutory regulators, royal colleges and stakeholders to review the qualifications required for non-surgical interventions and make recommendations on training.
In 2016 Health Education England published two reports aimed at improving and standardising the training available to practitioners who carry out hair restoration surgery and non-surgical cosmetic procedures, such as botulinum toxin, chemical peels and laser hair removal.
These two reports provided advice on necessary training requirements for practitioners delivering non-surgical cosmetic interventions and hair restoration surgery and led to the establishment of the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP).
A not-for-profit organisation, the JCCP is a self-regulating body for the non-surgical aesthetics market in England.
The primary aim of the JCCP is to enable the public to easily identify safe practitioners across non-surgical aesthetic treatments and provide information to the public seeking non-surgical treatments.
The JCCP has two registers – practitioners who meet standards and trainers who meet standards and are accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
The JCCP has signed memorandums of understanding with key organisations in the aesthetics, dental and medical sectors including the General Medical Council (GMC), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), General Dental Council (GDC) General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), which means that these bodies have a shared intent with the JCCP.
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