18 June 2012
The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) welcomes the final report of the expert group on Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) breast implants and the further advice for women who have received PIP breast implants. The collection and analysis of data from PIP implants in the final report will enable women to make more informed decisions about their own implants as well as highlighting the need to put in place mandatory data collection for all implants.
The five professional surgical organisations involved in breast implant surgery have updated their clinical guidance for the care of patients with PIP implants. The guidance provides patients with practical advice on what to expect and on their rights, gives information to GPs about where to refer different groups of patients and advises surgeons on treatment. The guidance is available here.
The College is currently drawing up a set of professional standards for cosmetic surgery and will contribute to the Government’s review of the regulation of the cosmetic surgery industry, when it begins. We are committed to working with the Government to ensure a robust, open and transparent regulatory system is in place.
Professor Norman Williams, President of The Royal College of Surgeons, said:
“The PIP breast implant issue brought into sharp focus the need for better regulation and surveillance for all surgical implants. With the publication of the final report by the expert group, it is time to look to the future to ensure no patient experiences unnecessary harm or distress from substandard surgical implants. It is the view of the College that we should, as a minimum, have mandatory databases for all surgical implants and associated techniques which would provide ongoing patient safety data. New surgical devices, and the techniques required to implant them, must be regulated so that they can be safely introduced into our health-care system, disseminated appropriately and monitored in the long term.”
Notes to editor:
The five professional surgical organisations who jointly produced the clinical guidance are the Association of Breast Surgery, British Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Aesthetic Surgeons, British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, Federation of Surgical Speciality Associations and the Royal College of Surgeons.
If you have any queries please contact:
Esther Williams – Email: ewilliams@rcseng.ac.uk; T: 020 7869 6047
Katie Bennett – Email: kbennett1@rcseng.ac.uk; T: 020 7869 6052
Out-of-hours: 07966 486 832
