In 2016, Save Face became the first voluntary register of non-surgical cosmetic practitioners to become accredited by the Professional Standards Authority. In doing so, Save Face became the first body to successfully implement the recommendations made by Keogh and HEE, delivering a much needed vehicle for patients to navigate their way to a safe pair of hands.
Now, two years on, we are delighted to announce that we have successfully renewed our accreditation for the second consecutive year with commendations on our public engagement.
Christine Braithwaite, Director of Standards & Policy at The Professional Standards Authority;
We are pleased that Save Face continues to meet our demanding standards and has successfully passed its annual reassessment. We commended its work to raise awareness of the need to check that cosmetic practitioners are on an accredited register.
Our primary objective has always been to deliver a register that provides unequivocal assurances that mitigate the fundamental risks the public face when selecting a practitioner via traditional means, which meant a rigorous, evidence based verification process. External verification plays a pivotal role in all unregulated sectors and in this one more than most. As our investigations continue to demonstrate, personal assurances cannot always be trusted or relied upon. As a body that accredits practitioners we felt it incumbent upon us to be assessed and verified against a stringent set of standards and we did so by becoming a PSA Accredited register.
Being an accredited register has enabled us to demonstrate that we meet the Authority’s demanding standards. However, in a sector that sadly has so many unscrupulous providers operating from a vast array of environments we felt it was our duty to not only verify the credentials and qualifications of the practitioner but also the environments in which the treatments are carried out. As such, we developed a set of standards that exceed those required by the PSA and we are the only voluntary body to undertake on-site assessments which we feel is an essential component that closes the gap in the overall safety of the patient journey.
Save Face Clinical Director, Emma Davies states;
I am grateful to all those professionals who have chosen to be part of the Save Face register, without that support we wouldn’t have been in a position to achieve all we have done, in such a short period of time. The PSA commendation is well deserved and key, as more than any other measure, influencing patient decisions and choices has the best chance of changing this landscape for the better.
Since our inception in 2014 we have demonstrated that we are a register that successfully connects and engages with the public. In just four short years we have reached millions of people with our public awareness campaigns. We have collaborated with the most prestigious TV and media outlets highlighting risks and promoting safe choices. We have championed our practitioners and given healthcare professionals who practice aesthetic medicine a voice and a platform to differentiate themselves from the unscrupulous and unaccountable.
Being Save Face accredited is a partnership, the practitioners who support our register do so because they want to raise standards and keep their patients safe and in return we work tirelessly to provide them with a register that helps them remain compliant with a set of industry specific standards whilst simultaneously engaging with the public.
We are delighted to enter the new year being our third as part of the accredited registers programme. We would like to thank all of our members for the ongoing support and engagement and we look forward to the year ahead and the many exciting developments and projects we have planned.