New Calls For Tighter Regulation In The Industry

Expert medical lawyers representing victims left seriously injured and in need of further treatment as a result of negligence in cosmetic surgery have today backed a Mail on Sunday campaign which calls for tighter regulation to be introduced across the industry.

The article, which flagged concerns from medical professionals, lawyers and former dissatisfied patients about the lack of regulation across the industry, offered advice to those considering cosmetic surgery including:

• Making sure the surgeon appears on the General Medical Council specialist register
• Researching the surgeon’s experience carrying out similar procedures
• Ensuring the surgeon has the correct insurance in place
• Confirming that all aftercare is included in the agreed price of the surgery – including any care necessary should the procedure go wrong

And Irwin Mitchell’s medical law experts have today reiterated calls for the Government to introduce consistent regulation across the industry that protects and reassures patients.

Leena Savjani from the firm, which has represented victims operated on by doctors who, despite being registered and therefore legally entitled to practise medicine, are not surgeons and have no relevant cosmetic surgery qualifications, said: “We have had significant concerns about the cosmetic surgery industry for a number of years now and have repeatedly called for consistent regulation to be introduced which places patient safety at its core.

“The fact that there is no specific regulatory body overseeing doctors carrying out cosmetic surgery, and that those doctors do not need to have any specific surgical qualifications, begs the question, how are patients supposed to know if the person operating on them is reputable?

“We would like to see a fundamental shift in regulation that will not only provide improved support for people whose lives have been turned upside down by complications during surgery, and ensures lessons are learnt, but also reassures those considering treatments in the future that they will not suffer in the same way as so many have before.

 “There needs to be clear and accessible information for patients about what to look for when finding a surgeon, so people can make more informed choices about the treatment they receive. I would also recommend that patients ask their GP for referrals to surgeons with the necessary qualifications to carry out plastic surgery.”

Irwin Mitchell’s team of medical law and patients’ rights lawyers represent people who have suffered as a result of complications in both invasive and non-invasive cosmetic surgery, including dermal fillers such as Novabel.

Read more about Irwin Mitchell’s expertise related to Surgery Claims