NMC reviewing remote prescribing of cosmetic injections
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is reviewing its position on the remote prescribing of injectable cosmetic products.
Currently, nurses can prescribe these injections without any face-to-face contact with the person receiving them and without adequate access to their medical records.
“We want to strengthen our position on what safe and effective prescribing practices look like”
Anne Trotter
Once prescribed, the injections can then be administered by another professional who does not have a prescribing qualification such as a beautician.
Among the products that are being prescribed in this way are certain anti-wrinkle and weight-loss drugs.
The NMC already states that “remote prescribing is unlikely to be suitable for injectable cosmetics”. However, nurses are not banned from doing so and therefore the practice still happens.
In contrast, other healthcare regulators like the General Medical Council require their registrants to carry out face-to-face consultations before issuing these drugs.
The NMC is now looking to “strengthen” its guidance on this matter.
However, it wants to hear more from the people involved in administering and receiving these treatments as well as other interested individuals and organisations.
While it is not holding a formal consultation, the NMC is planning a series of roundtable and focus group events and is appealing for participants to come forward.
Anne Trotter, NMC assistant director of education and standards, said: “Nurses and midwives are integral to the safe and effective delivery of person-centred care, including the prescribing and administration of medicines.
“They are entrusted to provide high-quality care that is evidence based and in line with our code and standards – but we know concerns remain about the remote prescribing of non-surgical cosmetic medicines.
“We’re clear that remote prescribing is unlikely to be suitable for injectable cosmetics. However, we want to strengthen our position on what safe and effective prescribing practices look like, so that we can deliver on our primary purpose of protecting the public.”
Anyone wishing to get involved and share their views can express an interest by emailing educationandstandards@nmc-uk.org.
The announcement by the NMC comes amid moves in recent years to tighten regulations around cosmetic procedures, which have been rising in popularity in the UK.
