The General Medical Council has issued a new guideline that will dramatically affect how non-prescribing nurses and beauty therapists practice non-medical aesthetics.
The guideline, which was published on the GMC webstite on the 11th of July 2012, cracks down on remote prescribing practices and singles out prescription of medications used in non-surgical cosmetic procedures.
The ethical guidance starts off re-iterating established procedures for remote prescribing, namely that doctors must adequately assess patients prior to remotely prescribing any medications.
Photo By Javier Rapoport
However, the guideline goes on to state that doctors must “undertake a physical examination of patients before prescribing non-surgical cosmetic medicinal products such as Botox, Dysport or Vistabel or other injectable cosmetic medicines.” In order to make sure that there is absolutely no ambiguity, the GMC document asserts that doctors “must not therefore prescribe these medicines by telephone, fax, video-link, or online.”
While no doubt many beauticians and nurses will be hollering against the new regulations, BotoxTrainingForBeautyTherapists.co.uk agrees with the new ruling. Unfortunately, most prescribing services involved doctors unscrupulously prescribing medications to patients they had never assessed, going against all standing General Medical Council guidelines. Doctors should be actively involved in the management of patients and assess patients in person prior to administration of Botox by non-prescribers. It should be noted however that dermal fillers are medical devices and not prescription medication, therefore the new guidelines should not affect dermal filler administration by beauty therapists or nurses.
The new guidance comes into effect on the 23rd of July 2012.
“New GMC ban on remote prescribing of Botox – in effect July 23rd 2012”
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Watch this BBC expose on the remote prescribing industry (5 mins).
What do you think of the change to the GMC regulations?
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