Time to get certified

By Olive Carterton

Every surgeon performing cosmetic surgical procedures is being urged by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) to apply for its new certification, which it says will enhance the profession’s reputation and make the surgery industry safer for patients.

The development aims to help patients identify a surgeon in their geographical area with the appropriate training and experience to perform a specific procedure.

Cosmetic surgery is not a defined surgical specialty and historically there have been no common standards available to the surgeons who perform it.

The new certification system will address this and, it is hoped, allow the public and employers to distinguish highly qualified, experienced specialists from those working without adequate insurance or the necessary specialist training.

Surgeon applicants will have to provide evidence of their training, professional skills, clinical skills, knowledge and experiences, and must attend an RCS-accred­ited professional behaviours masterclass.

The RCS said professional and ethical aspects of practice, including the relationship with the patient, are the most common reasons for unsatisfactory outcomes in cosmetic surgery. Therefore, demonstration of knowledge and skills in this area is an integral part of the certification process.

RCS vice-president Mr Stephen Cannon (right), chairman of the Cos­metic Surgery Interspecialty Committee (CSIC), said: ‘You only have to page through the adverts in lifestyle magazines to know cosmetic surgery is a booming industry in the UK. However, what many don’t know is that the law currently allows any doctor – surgeon or otherwise – to perform cosmetic surgery in the private sector.

‘The RCS believes this certification system will help patients to find a certified surgeon, who has the appropriate training and experience to carry out a procedure such as a tummy tuck or nose job.

‘We also hope it will improve the reputation of a profession, which, at times, comes under intense criticism in the media, sometimes with good reason.

‘The vast majority of surgeons performing cosmetic surgery in the private sector are meeting the highest standards of patient care, but we want to make sure this is the case in every hospital and clinic around the country.’

Surgeons will be able to obtain certification in one or more groups of closely related procedures as long as they are on the GMC specialist register in a specialty that demonstrates training and experience in the chosen area of practice, and they can demonstrate they meet certification requirements.

Following Sir Bruce Keogh’s Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions, the RCS was asked to set up a Cosmetic Surgery Interspecialty Committee (CSIC) to make cosmetic surgery safer for patients.

In response, and in consultation with CSIC members, it agreed to develop a certification system for surgeons performing cosmetic surgical procedures.

The RCS has also published Professional Standards for Cos­metic Surgery on its website, stipulating that only surgeons with the appropriate training and experience should undertake cosmetic surgery, as well as the ethics and behaviour expected of them.

Surgeons can apply for certification at: https://certify.rcseng.ac.uk

 

Professional Standards for Cos­metic Surgery can be viewed on the Royal College of Surgeons’ website

 

Is there a charge for certification?

Yes. An application in one or more groups of closely related procedures costs £1,500. This does not include the mandatory masterclass on professional behaviours in cosmetic surgery, for which there is a separate course fee.

How long will certification take?

The expectation is it will take an applicant one to two hours to complete online if they have all their evidence to hand. How long it takes will also depend upon how many certification areas an individual chooses to apply for.

Applicants will also have to attend a mandatory masterclass in professional behaviours in cosmetic surgery. Once a completed application is submitted, a response will be received by the applicant within 28 days.

How many surgeons are expected to apply?

The RCS urges all eligible surgeons who perform cosmetic surgery to apply to be certified so they can demonstrate high professional and clinical standards in their area of practice. Initially around 250 surgeons are expected to apply for certification. Thereafter, it hopes around 100 will apply annually.

What will the public be told about certification?

The RCS has already told them that surgeons will be able to apply for cosmetic surgery certification. They have been told that RCS-certified surgeons will have shown that they meet the standards the college has set to perform cosmetic surgery on a particular area of the face or body.

Can non-RCS members apply too?

Yes, certification is open to all surgeons who are on the GMC specialist register in a relevant surgical specialty.

• See ‘GMC grips cosmetic ops’
• Se ‘Nice figures in aesthetic procedures’
• See ‘New clinic for skin chain’