New Rules Will Ban Doctors From Offering Procedures Through Discounts, Loyalty Cards Or Gift Vouchers

Plastic surgeons must not offer procedures through discounts, time-limited deals, refer-a-friend offers, loyalty cards, gift vouchers or as a prize according to new guidelines implemented next month.

Doctors who break the new rules may be stripped of their licence and those found to be in serious or persistent breach could be referred to a public tribunal or suspended from the medical register.

The move follows an independent review by NHS Medical Director, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, to identify ways to better protect patients and tackle unsafe practices in an industry believed to be worth £2.3 billion a year.

Commissioned by the Government following the PIP breast implant scandal, the review has looked at the products used for surgical and non-surgical procedures, the people who administer them, the way they are advertised and the advice and support patients and consumers are given both before and after their chosen procedure.

The review's key recommendations include establishing a registry for breast implants and other devices, which would provide critical intelligence in the event of product failure or recall; an advertising code of conduct should be developed and compliance should be mandatory for all practitioners; and insurance products should be developed to protect patients in the event of product failure, or provider insolvency.

Expert Opinion

"We hear from many clients who have suffered as a result of poor practices in the cosmetic services industry and it's clear that with an industry growing at the rate that it is, increased regulation is needed.

"In adopting the recommendations of the Keogh Review, hopefully we will see an improvement in the safety of cosmetic interventions through better training, robust qualifications for practitioners and advertising regulation." Mandy Luckman - Director of Strategic Growth (Seriously Injured and Vulnerable Audience)

The guidelines are scheduled to be introduced in June, jointly with Royal College of Surgeon's clinical guidance.