Response to government's cosmetic surgery announcement

Commenting on the government’s response to the review of the regulation of cosmetic interventions, Professor Norman Williams, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, said:

“Today’s announcement puts the College in a central role to address the vacuum of regulation and standards that currently exist in cosmetic surgery.

Through a new Interspecialty Committee, the College will set standards of cosmetic surgery, develop measures to help improve outcomes, and provide information to better inform patients' expectations of what they can expect from their surgery.

We can now begin to set clear standards for training and practice to ensure all surgeons are certified as competent to undertake cosmetic surgery irrespective of where they are trained.

The move to review the qualifications required for practitioners undertaking non-surgical cosmetic procedures is a vital step towards improving standards across the industry.

We are also pleased that, as a priority, the review proposes a National Breast Implant Registry should be operational within 12 months. The College has long pressed for mandatory databases for all surgical implants to improve patient safety by keeping an audit trail of device failures and complications.”

Notes to editors

For more information, please contact the RCS press office on:

• 020 7869 6047/6052
• communications@rcseng.ac.uk
• Out-of hours: 07966 486 832