This week we saw lots of articles and reports relating to the GMC’s ‘tough new standards’ that will be introduced from June 2016.

How will the new guidelines affect you, the patient?

These guidelines have been put in place not to protect us Surgeons and Doctors but to protect you the patient, the member of the public and to create a professional and compliant arena in which you are able to undergo cosmetic and non surgical treatments safely.

Well in fact although these are reported as new guidelines, they are in fact points that I fully support and many of which I already follow within my practice. So for me little will change although we are always looking to enhance our patient journey to ensure a safe and quality clinical service from consultation through to surgery/treatment and then into aftercare, so will most certainly be re-visiting each of these guidelines to ensure we remain compliant.

So what are the guidelines?

·         Advertise and market services responsibly – all advertising must be true and factual and must not use promotions such as discounts to entice patients to proceed with surgery

·         Give patients time for reflection – Ensure patients have the opportunity to consider the information they have been given and not feel pressured into having surgery

·         Seek a patient’s consent themselves – Consent must be approved with the surgeon, doctor or nurse prescriber and must not be delegated to another colleague

·         Provide continuity of care – T o ensure that patients have full details of who to contact in an emergency and have full details of any medication prescribed and implants if applicable

·         Support patient safety – Ensure full and accurate records of consultations are made, that there is process in place to record patient safety concerns, and to contribute to programmes to monitor quality and outcomes, including registers for devices such as breast implants.

Sir Bruce Keogh reported that “the GMC is working closely with the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS), which is today also publishing its own set of professional standards, specifically for cosmetic surgery, which will supplement the GMC’s guidance”

Stephen Cannon, Vice President of the RCS and Chair of the Cosmetic Surgery Interspecialty Committee, said “Our professional standards for cosmetic surgery, coupled with the GMC’s new guidance, will raise the bar and make absolutely clear what we expect of all surgeons working in the private sector”

For us here at www.thebeautygurus.com we welcome any guidance in our industry to protect patient further, so if you are considering a cosmetic or non-surgical procedure and would like to visit one of my clinics in Birmingham, Hereford or Worcester please call 0121 794 2369 or visit my website for more information. You can also follow me on Facebook.