New regulation seeks to crack down on nurses and beauticians administering Botox in the United Kingdom

During the past ten years Botox clinics have sprung up on every high street and back alleyway in town. To date there has been poor regulation of the industry and anyone from nurses, to even beauticians, have been carrying out such treatment. In many cases the ‘practitioners’ have only been on a single day course before setting up shop and carrying out the potentially dangerous injections themselves.

Botox is a prescription only medication which means that legally it must be prescribed by a doctor. After the prescription has been issued however there is little regulation on who then administers the injection. In the UK it had become common place for a small group of doctors to issue so-called ‘remote prescriptions’ whereby a nurse or a beautician would administer the injection and the doctor would later issue a prescription, taking a share of the profit from the treatment.

Now, however, the General Medical Council has issued new guidance to doctors on Good Medical Practice regarding the prescription of Botox. The GMC has stated that doctors must now make a full assessment of any patient being considered for Botox treatment, including assessment of their full medical history prior to issuing a prescription. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has welcomed this decision and stated that nurses who issue Botox treatments without a written and signed prescription from a doctor who has actually fully assessed the patient, would be in violation of Standards for medicine management and potentially could face disciplinary action.

The move to tighten regulation of this practice has been welcomed by patient safety groups across the Country. If you are considering Botox treatment there are some simple steps you should take to ensure risks are minimised.

1. See a fully qualified doctor for your initial consultation.
2. Inform the doctor of all details of your past medical history.
3. Ensure the doctor warns you of the risks associated with the treatment (side effects and complication).
4. Ask plenty of questions and don’t feel pressured. Any good doctor will be more than happy to spend time with you to enhance your knowledge of the treatment.
5. Ensure you understand the post-treatment care instructions and what to do, as well as who to contact, should any problems develop.
6. Do not accept any treatment unless you have seen a doctor first.

This article was kindly written for CosmeticSurgerys.co.uk by our friends at Aesthetic-Doctor.com