IMPORTANT INFORMATION - PLEASE READ
DR RIPPON WOULD NEVER, ON ANY OCCASION, PRESCRIBE A PRESCRIPTION ONLY DRUG TO ANYONE
OTHER THAN FOR HIS OWN PATIENTS HERE AT RIPPON MEDICAL SERVICES LTD., 2 Spinners Yard, Fisher Street.
For those that know Rippon Medical Services you will already be comforted in knowing that we would never use promotional tactics to encourage you to make decisions about carrying out aesthetic procedures. Furthermore, we would like to inform you that we follow The General Medical Council (GMC) guidance to aesthetic practitioners. The standards are outlined in guidance for doctors who offer cosmetic interventions. The guidelines relate to patient consultations, giving patients time to reflect, and responsible advertising.
At Rippon Medical Services we welcomed these guidelines, as they help to create a safer industry entered around you, the patient. These standards came into effect on Wednesday 1 June 2016.
The guidelines state that anyone prescribing a prescription only drug (like Botulinum toxin A) should seek the patients 'valid consent'
The GMC guidelines state that anyone providing cosmetic procedures must put into practice the following standards.
PRESCRIBERS SHOULD SEEK THE CONSENT OF THE PATIENT THEMSELVES
IT IS THE PRESCRIBERS RESPONSIBILITY TO DISCUSS COSMETIC PROCEDURES WITH YOU, making sure you have all the information you need to make an informed decision. This must never be delegated to a third party. (AN INJECTOR WITHOUT A PRESCRIBING QUALIFICATION)
Give patients time for reflection. We must make sure our patients have time to consider the information about the risks and possible outcomes of a procedure, so they can decide whether or not to go ahead with it.
Consider each patient's psychological needs. We must consider any patient's vulnerabilities when discussing cosmetic interventions, and make sure we are satisfied that the requests or the procedure is involuntary.
Work within our competence. If we feel we cannot safely meet your needs, then we must ask for advice or refer you – the patient – to colleague. As cosmetic practitioners, we must recognise our own limits.
Make sure our patients have the information they want. This includes written information to support continuity of care, which explains the medicines or implants used.
Practitioners must market our services responsibly.
Practitioners are unable to use promotional tactics that might risk encouraging you, as our patients, to make ill-considered decisions. We are unable to offer discounts to treatments or offer free treatments as incentives. It is also considered bad practice to offer cosmetic procedures as prizes. These include loyalty schemes. You can find more information about the new guidelines for doctors who offer cosmetic interventions on the GMC website
IF YOUR INJECTOR IS NOT AN INDEPENDENT PRESCRIBER PLEASE BE AWARE THE PRESCRIBER (NOT THE INJECTOR) SHOULD
BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FOLLOWING:
Taking your medical and social history;
Performing a physical examination/assessment as appropriate;
Diagnose the patient;
Recommend appropriate treatment;
Develop a written treatment plan;
Obtain the patient's informed consent;
Provide instructions for emergency and follow up care;
Prepare and date an appropriate medical record;
Sign and maintain written protocols that have a level of detail appropriate for the person who will be performing the procedure; and
Sign and date written standing orders.
The identity of the qualified (To prescribe) practitioner is responsible for the delegation of the procedure including registration number.
A description of appropriate care and follow-up for common complications and side effects, serious injury, or emergencies;
Reference to protocols including;
A statement of the activities, decision criteria, and plan the registered prescriber / practitioner, shall follow when performing or delegating the performance of a procedure, including the method for documenting decisions made and a plan for communication or feedback to the registered prescriber or practitioner concerning specific decisions made; and
A description of what information must be documented by the person performing the procedure.
The Code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives (NMC, 2012)
Good Medical Practice (GMC, 2013)
Record Keeping: Guidance for Nurses and midwives (NMC,2011)
Once a patient has been evaluated and diagnosed in accordance with the requirements above, then the injectors are permitted to perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures under appropriate supervision of the registered prescriber. The medical record must reflect the following: The identity of the qualified (To prescribe) practitioner responsible for the delegation of the procedure including registration number.
A description of appropriate care and follow-up for common complications and side effects, serious injury, or emergencies;
Reference to protocols including; A statement of the activities, decision criteria, and plan the registered prescriber/ practitioner, shall follow when performing or delegating the performance of a procedure, including the method for documenting decisions made and a plan for communication feedback to the registered
prescribers practitioner concerning specific decisions made; and
A description of what information must be documented by the person performing the procedure. Finally, it is important to keep in mind that the registered prescriber is ultimately responsible for the health and safety of the patient and must ensure that the clinic has an appropriate quality assurance procedure, a mechanism to identify complications, and mechanisms to monitor and document quality-control. Further, a registered prescriber may delegate the performance of nonsurgical cosmetic procedures to properly trained individuals only if the registered prescribers developed or approved written protocols for such procedures.
References and Further Reading
The Code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives (NMC, 2012)
Good Medical Practice (GMC, 2013)
Record Keeping: Guidance for Nurses and midwives( NMC,2011)