Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of regulation of the cosmetics industry.

The Government Response to the Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions was published in February 2014. It accepted the majority of the recommendations of the independent Review chaired by Sir Bruce Keogh, which published its report in February 2013 with recommendations on improving the quality of care, informing and empowering the public, and ensuring there were resolutions and redress available when interventions go wrong. A work programme was put in place, with relevant partners, to take forward the recommendations, which are now starting to come into effect to help improve standards for practitioners and the public.

In April 2016, the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) published Professional Standards for Cosmetic Surgery for clinicians working in the cosmetic field. It also launched a patient information hub in June 2016 and has set in place a minimum dataset to assist the collection and collation of data related to cosmetic surgical activity. The General Medical Council (GMC) published new guidance for doctors performing cosmetic procedures which came into effect from 1 June 2016. The Care Quality Commission has also developed a new inspection framework which will take account of the new RCS and GMC requirements.

Earlier in the year, Health Education England (HEE) published qualification requirements for practitioners performing non-surgical cosmetic procedures. A Joint Council of Cosmetic Practitioners has recently been established that will look to build on the work of HEE by developing qualification requirements to deliver non-surgical cosmetic procedures, and aim to improve the standards and safety of the cosmetic industry. A breast and cosmetic implant registry was launched in October 2016 by NHS Digital, and NHS England aims to improve the reporting of adverse incidents and device failure to support overall improvement. In addition, NHS Choices is contributing information and advice on cosmetic interventions for the public.