The cosmetic surgery industry has been through a period of scrutiny in recent years, particularly after the PIP scandal, when many faulty breast implants had to removed. In the past, many surgeons and clinics have been able to operate with limited regulations imposed upon them.
As more and more people have turned to cosmetic surgery in recent times, both invasive and non-invasive, the number of negligent procedures being recorded has also increased incrementally.
The government hopes to stamp out rogue clinics that offer poor quality cosmetic procedures by working with the Quality Care Commission to identify and name consistently poor cosmetic clinics to make the public aware of their track record and hopefully stamp out poor practice.
The CQC currently has data recorded on over 10,000 providers since 2014 but has focused on medium to larger sized institutions with high patient numbers like NHS Trusts, GP practices and independent hospitals and although it does inspect cosmetic surgery clinics as well, it doesn’t give them a rating like the larger healthcare providers.
The government aims to change this and include them in the rating scheme so that they will have their care quality posted on line for all to see, be it “outstanding”, “good”, “requires improvement” or “inadequate”.
The Department of Health is going to use the CQC to rate an extra 1,000 facilities offering cosmetic procedures and pregnancy termination services /substance misuse advice over the next 8 weeks in a consultation rating programme.
The government wants the focus to be on ‘informed choice’ for these services and to make sure poor practice is highlighted.
The health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said:
“Anyone who chooses to have a cosmetic procedure should have high quality and safe care – and that’s why we have a tough regulator in place to help people make an informed decision,” “Our proposals to extend the CQC’s powers to rate more providers are an important step forward in improving standards and will help to end the lottery of poor practice in parts of the cosmetic industry.”
If you have been unfortunate enough to have experienced poor care from a private clinic or NHS surgery then contact us now at Thorneycroft Solicitors today for a free no-obligation assessment of your case on 0800 1979 345 or complete our online enquiry form.
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