Responsible Practitioner Scheme Aesthetics Video

Hi, I’m Andrea Teasdale. I’m a senior health response officer with Trading Standards. A key part of my role is supporting businesses on age restricted products and the associated risks to young people.

As cosmetic businesses continue to grow here across Lancaster, it’s more important than ever that we continue to support practitioners, businesses, and keep our young people safe.

Since October 2021, it has been illegal to administer or make arrangements to administer dermal filler or Botox to anyone under the age of 18 in England, even if there is parental consent.

Hi, I’m Kate Huddleston, owner of Defyne Aesthetics in Longridge. For me, safe practice is the foundation of our work.

Following the safe procedures, maintaining high standards helps protect clients and ensures treatments are delivered responsibly. Being part of the responsible practitioner scheme supports that.

It is a positive step for any practitioner who wants to show their commitment to safe professional practice.

Hi, we’re here today at Defyne aesthetics to talk about infection prevention and control. I’m from the infection prevention and control team at Lancashire County Council and we’re here to help you practice safely.

The responsible practitioner scheme will enable practitioners to gain an understanding of the basic principles of infection prevention and control within the field of aesthetic medicine.

Sonia, how will the infection prevention control scheme help us in practice?

So, it focuses on educating practitioners in best practice to promote safe clean care. We use a model called the chain of infection and this focuses on how to prevent the risk of infection occurring and we will obviously teach you how to break the chain and that will in turn help reduce the risk of complications occurring in practice.

What can I do to reduce the risk of infection to my patients?

Okay. So the key element would be strict hand hygiene. Wash your hands for a minimum of 20 seconds is really important and following the correct technique will also help that.

Ensuring your bare below the elbows will also help. It’s best practice to do so, which means having your forearms completely exposed.

If you’re wearing a ring, make sure it’s a plain band, not a stowed ring, and making sure your fingernails are short and clean.

Appropriate PPE must be worn when you’re performing an aesthetic procedure, and this will protect you and your clients.

Other key things to consider would be an appropriate antiseptic skin disinfection. This should be applied to the entire area, not just the injection site.

Another thing to consider would just be ensuring that your hair is tied up when you’re performing an aesthetic procedure, ensuring that it remains off the collar.

So, what environmental cleaning do I need to consider?

I would definitely consider an appropriate disinfectant. This will ensure that you’re reducing the bio burden in the environment. It will need to be done before and after a procedure.

Your clients play a pivotal role in reducing that risk of infection. If they’re not following the aftercare instructions, then they really increase their risk of post-procedure infection.

So, they need to understand the importance of that. Infection control is everyone’s responsibility.

Hi, my name is Katherine. I’m an environmental health officer with Ribble Valley Borough Council.

I work with the food and health and safety team at the local authority and our responsibility is to inspect businesses and check for compliance with legislation.

Environmental health officers have an important role in ensuring that businesses carrying out aesthetics and beauty treatments comply with health and safety legislation.

Personal hygiene and safe working practices are essential in preventing infections and reducing risks.

As regulators, we are here to offer guidance, answer questions, and support you in building safe standards and complying with the law.

We check that the environment is safe and hygienic, policies and procedures are in place, and that staff have undertaken training to prevent the risk of infection.

The trading standards skill survey identified that a number of young people aged 15 to 16 across Lancashire had undergone treatments such as Botox and dermal filler.

Worryingly, they had access to these treatments at beauty salons, aesthetic clinics, and within practitioners homes.

Unfortunately, young people don’t realize the risks associated with these treatments and often see these as part of a general beauty routine.

That’s why it’s so important that we work together to keep our young people safe.

Hi, my name’s Rachel. I’m one of the infection prevention nurses for Lancashire County Council.

There was a time I looked after a young girl who was underage and she did not get consent from her parents and went ahead with having lip fillers.

This did end up terribly wrong as she ended up with an infection which then led to sepsis.

This led to her being admitted to hospital. She then ended up in the ICU. It was a critical condition she was in.

So sepsis is a life-threatening infection which can lead to multiple organ failure and even death.

After seeing this young girl in ICU in front of my own eyes, this was a bit of a shock to myself like to make people realise that they should think before having these procedures as there are complications if you don’t go through the consent forms and have time to think before you go ahead with your treatments.

I would highly recommend signing up to the responsible practitioner scheme as this will enable you to implement safe practice and promote compliance to reduce the risk of complications occurring.

So it’s great to see that here in Lancashire we have the responsible practitioner scheme which will give people confidence in those people who are having beauty and aesthetics treatment and give support to local businesses.

As with all age restricted products here in Lancashire we apply the check 25 approach.

We’re asking all practitioners to assess the age of the client. Challenge anyone who appears under 25 and check the offered ID carefully.

Working with key partners, we’ve developed the responsible practitioner scheme. This is to support businesses and practitioners.

Included in the scheme are age verification toolkits, best practice guidelines, infection control information, and resources on consultation and aftercare.

Whether you’re a business or a freelance practitioner, joining the scheme is a clear way of demonstrating your commitment to safe and responsible practice.

By following the key messages within this video and joining the responsible practitioner scheme, you are demonstrating your commitment to a safer, fairer cosmetic sector across Lancashire.