_SECTION
FOUR

In this chapter:

Promoting positive and informed psychological and emotional health

_{Mindful Aesthetics}

^{Promoting positive and informed psychological and emotional health}

The JCCP has continued to work actively to promote positive and effective messaging to consumers and practitioners, including responsible marketing and the appropriate and ‘safe’ use of social media/Apps that support and promote positive mental health and wellbeing. JCCP Trustees Dawn Knight and Kimberley Cairns have also continued to work closely with the Mental Health Foundation and other agencies to enhance psychological and emotional well-being for members of the public who seek to receive aesthetic treatments. Key areas of activity this year include the provision of advice to MPs, Civil Servants, Regulators and to the ASA on matters such as the implementation of the ‘Online Safety Act’, 2023. The JCCP also benefitted significantly this year through the publication of articles and guidance documents relating to body image and emotional resilience etc. produced by Kimberley Cairns (JCCP Trustee). These documents have been published on our websites by Zoe Cooper, JCCP Project Development Officer.

_{Bringing your complaint to the JCCP}

^{Complaints Reporting}

This reporting year has once again been quite an unprecedented year for the JCCP and for the aesthetics sector. Unfortunately, as in previous years (as is often the case when systems and processes are challenged) the JCCP has received multiple complaints regarding non-JCCP Registrants regarding practice related issues and from members of the public/practitioners regarding exaggerated or misleading claims about the quality, standard or advertising of education and training courses. The JCCP has taken each complaint seriously and has undertaken to contact each Complainant and where appropriate to refer them on to other relevant organisations in order to seek resolution. The JCCP Trustee Board now receives a quarterly ‘complaints’ summary/report for discussion and consideration at each meeting. The complaints process and related activity is most competently co-ordinated and led by JCCP Trustee Sally Taber in association with Dawn Knight (Patient Trustee), ably supported by the JCCP’s Project Development Officer, Zoe Cooper. Despite these challenges once again the JCCP has not received any formal complaints regarding the Council or its associated activities.

Last year, a new JCCP complaints portal was created and launched to enable ease of access for members of the public and stakeholders to submit complaints for consideration by the JCCP Complaints Team. This is the first year that we were able to utilise the portal to generate a full year’s complaint report, informed by both objective evidence and data. The portal has proved to be both efficient and popular with members of the public. The portal also has the facility for regular thematic analytics reports to be produced for both Patient Incident Reporting and Sector Incident Reporting. These reports are presented quarterly to the JCCP Board of Trustees.

This year we have again witnessed an increase in complaints relating to education and training providers. These complaints have been fully investigated and appropriate action taken (where required) through reports to the Advertising Standards Authority and/or to the persons responsible for either the qualifications or for the delivery of the reported education/training programme.

The JCCP also published a new information document entitled ‘Bringing your Complaint to us’ to advise members of the public on when and how to raise a complaint to the Council (February 2024).

"The JCCP maintains an online portal for the public to complain about treatment received from high street providers, although it can offer limited alleviation of any wrongs alleged. In the past year JCCP has received more than 1000 such reports. Analysis reveals a concerning level of exploitation of consumer trust, including false claims to statutory qualifications, use of substances of doubtful provenance, treatments provided under unhygienic conditions, inappropriate advertising and denial of consumer rights to remediation.

I, and Dawn Knight my fellow JCCP Patient Trustee, process these multiple reports. In our view these concerns and challenges to patient safety and public safety must be addressed by enforcing obligatory trading standards for registration and consumer defence, regularly and strictly surveyed by compulsory inspection."

Sally Taber, JCCP Trustee