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Found 202 results
  1. News Article
    Two companies supplying staff to the NHS saw large growth in income and profits last year, annual accounts reveal. Independent Clinical Services, owned by a Canadian private equity firm, saw a growth in turnover of more than 40%, with income growing from £273m to £399m, year on year. A smaller company specialising in recruiting overseas healthcare staff to the UK also saw a bumper year, according to data released last month. Your World Recruitment Ltd’s income increased by nearly a third, going from £50.5m to £66.8m (up 32%), with a similar rise in profits. The company’s strategic report said: “Demand for agency staff and healthcare services in the first half of 2023 has remained strong principally due to staff shortages in the NHS and high waiting lists. “The board expects the challenging market conditions to continue for the remainder of 2023, although demand is expected to remain due to an acute shortage of healthcare workers in the UK and worldwide.” The NHS has been pushing hard for increased overseas recruitment in recent years, to fill domestic gaps." Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 10 October 2023
  2. News Article
    The number of NHS-funded hip replacements carried out last year remained well below pre-covid levels, while the total funded privately nearly doubled to cover the shortfall, new data reveals. The National Joint Registry annual report, which tracks orthopaedic activity across the NHS, showed the number of NHS-funded elective hip replacements carried out at NHS facilities in 2022 was at its lowest level since 2007. However, the number of procedures performed in independent hospitals – both funded by the NHS and funded privately – has increased sharply. Orthopaedics is the biggest single elective specialty, with 847,000 of the current waiting list of 7.7 million on a trauma and orthopaedics pathway. As of July, 43% of these patients had been waiting longer than 18 weeks. The NJR report said: “The independent sector provision has increased hugely [since 2007] particularly in the last few years of covid recovery and there are now more hip replacements carried out in the independent sector than in the NHS. “Despite the cost-of-living crisis the number of hip replacements paid for privately has almost doubled since 2019.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 10 October 2023
  3. News Article
    The boss of Britain’s biggest medicines courier has been told to urgently improve its complaints system by the NHS ombudsman amid concerns patients let down by missing deliveries are repeatedly ignored. In a highly unusual development, Darryn Gibson, the chief executive of Sciensus, has received a written warning from Rob Behrens, the parliamentary and health service ombudsman (PHSO). It says patients “should not be ignored” and must be “listened to and taken seriously” or he will consider taking further action. The PHSO investigates complaints that have not been resolved by the NHS or by private providers of NHS care. Sciensus is the single largest provider of homecare medicines services to the NHS and has contracts worth millions of pounds. In an email seen by the Guardian, Behrens told Gibson he had been unable to investigate most reports received about Sciensus because patients had not been able to complete the company’s complaints process. “That is not acceptable or fair to complainants,” Behrens wrote. In a statement, Sciensus said it worked “very hard” to ensure NHS patients received their medicines on time. Its services had “a 95% satisfaction rating”, it added. The move follows a Guardian investigation that exposed how Sciensus put NHS patients at risk of harm with delayed, missed or botched deliveries of medicines for conditions including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, dementia and HIV. It also uncovered how patients’ alarm at vital drugs and medical devices not arriving at their home was often compounded by a struggle to reach Sciensus to complain and fix the problems. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 19 October 2023
  4. News Article
    The drive to cut NHS waiting lists are becoming ‘disproportionately reliant’ on the private sector, experts have warned, as new data suggests rapid growth in the elective activity carried out by non-NHS providers. Internal figures for activity commissioned by integrated care boards and NHS England, seen by HSJ, suggests the value-weighted activity carried out by private providers has increased by around 30 per cent on pre-covid levels. The value-weighted elective activity carried out by NHS providers rose by just three per cent over the same three-month period, from April to June 2023. The figures relate to activity measured under the “elective recovery fund”, which accounts for the bulk of elective activity. NHSE said it was right to make use of “all available capacity” to treat long-waiters. However, experts said the NHS would struggle to bring down waiting lists without significantly increasing the amount of elective work it did. Waiting list analyst Rob Findlay said independent sector outsourcing was “not genuine backlog clearance, but a way of plugging some of the recurring shortfall in core NHS capacity.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 23 October 2023
  5. News Article
    The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sent warning letters to pharmacy chains Walgreens and CVS accusing them of illegally marketing eye care products. The FDA’s warning letters said the products in question, which were falsely labelled as potential treatments for conditions like glaucoma, cataracts, and pink eye, should be modified if the companies and manufacturers that make and distribute them want to avoid legal action. “The FDA is committed to ensuring the medicines Americans take are safe, effective and of high quality,” Jill Furman, Director of the Office of Compliance at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement. “When we identify illegally marketed, unapproved drugs and lapses in drug quality that pose potential risks, the FDA works to notify the companies involved of the violations.” Ms Furman wrote in the letter sent to Walgreens: “Your ‘Walgreens Allergy Eye Drops,’ ‘Walgreens Stye Eye Drops,’ and ‘Walgreens Pink Eye Drops’ products are especially concerning from a public health perspective. Ophthalmic drug products, which are intended for administration into the eyes … pose a greater risk of harm to users because the route of administration for these products bypasses some of the body’s natural defences.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 21 September 2023
  6. News Article
    The boss of a large acute trust has accused a private provider of ‘overpromising and underdelivering’ after significant problems emerged with a local arrangement which have piled further pressure on its waiting list. Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust recently discovered at least 1,000 cases were being returned to the trust from independent provider Omnes Healthcare following “complications” with a pathway for ear, nose and throat patients. CEO Matthew Hopkins told a board meeting last Thursday: “I think other parts of the country, like us, are seeing independent sector providers in some cases overpromising and underdelivering. The consequence of that is what we’ve seen in the ENT example.” The contract is managed by Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board, which told HSJ it was “very sorry that some patients may have been waiting longer than they should have been” because of the problems. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 6 October 2023
  7. News Article
    A coroner has warned that a private hospital is relying on NHS ambulances to transport patients despite “being fully aware” of the pressures on the ambulance service and resulting delays. The warning came at the end of an inquest into a patient who died after a 14-hour wait for an ambulance to transfer him from the private Spire hospital in Norwich to the NHS-run Norfolk and Norwich university hospital a few minutes’ drive away. The last two years have seen a succession of inquests relating to ambulance delays. But in the latest case Jacqueline Lake, senior coroner for Norfolk, expressed concerns over Spire hospital’s use of NHS ambulances when complications and emergencies mean its patients need NHS care. “Spire Norwich hospital does not deal with multi-disciplinary and emergency treatment at its hospital and transfers patients requiring such treatment to local acute trusts, usually the Norfolk and Norwich university hospital,” Lake wrote in a prevention of future deaths (PFD) report. “Spire Norwich hospital continues to rely on EEAST [East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust] to transport such patients to the acute hospital, being fully aware of the demands placed on the EEAST generally and the delays which occur as a result.” Research suggests that nearly 600 patients were urgently transferred from private healthcare to NHS emergency care in the year to June 2021 across the UK – around one in a thousand private healthcare patients. But previous analysis by the Centre for Health and the Public Interest (CHPI) thinktank found that some private hospitals were transferring more than one in every 250 of their inpatients to NHS hospitals. ‘“Transferring unwell patients from a private hospital to an NHS hospital is a known patient safety risk which all patients treated in the private sector face – including the increased numbers of NHS patients who are now being treated in private hospitals because of government policy,” said David Rowland, director of the CHPI. “And despite numerous tragedies and despite the fact that politicians and regulators are fully aware of this risk, nothing has been done to address it.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 23 September 2023
  8. Content Article
     On 3 August 2022, Geoffrey Hoad underwent a total hip replacement at The Spire Hospital. On 5 August 2022, Mr Hoad was diagnosed with a paralytic ileus and some respiratory compromise with gradually deteriorating renal function. On 6 August 2022, Mr Hoad’s transfer to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital was agreed due to possible bowel obstruction, possible pulmonary infection and deteriorating renal function.   Ambulance service was called at 18:16 hours and again at 23.45. On 7 August 2022, the ambulance service was called again at 07.38 hours. The ambulance was on scene at 08:26 hours.         The medical cause of death was: 1a) Sub Acute Myocardial Infarction 1b)  Coronary Artery Atherosclerosis 2) Hospital Admission for Post Operative lieus.
  9. News Article
    In 2018 the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (www.baaps.org.uk) dissuaded all its members from performing Brazilian Buttock Lift (BBL) surgery, until more data could be collated. The decision was taken due to the high death rate associated with the procedure. Now, following an extensive four-year review of clinical data, new technology and techniques, BAAPS has published its Gluteal Fat Grafting (GFG) guidelines. Gluteal fat grafting is currently the procedure with the biggest growth rate in plastic surgery worldwide, with an increase of around 20% year-on-year). It has become the most popular means of buttock volume augmentation, overtaking gluteal augmentation with implants. In 2020, The Aesthetic Society statistics recorded 40,320 buttock augmentation procedures, which included both fat grafting and buttock implants. In 2015, there were reports of intraoperative mortality related to pulmonary fat emboli associated with BBL surgery and in 2018 with growing concern about the high mortality rate associated with this procedure BAAPS recommended it was not performed by its members. The development of the present guidelines and recommendations has been stimulated by the evidence that has emerged since 2018, based on scientific review and analysis. BAAPS guidelines now recommend that Gluteal Fat Grafting is safe to perform under two key conditions: Injection into the subcutaneous plane only - there is a plethora of evidence to suggest this significantly reduces mortality related to the procedure perhaps this needs to be changed to – the evidence shows that the only deaths from the procedure have been when fat has been injected into the deeper muscle layer. Intraoperative ultrasound must be used during the placement of fat in the gluteal area to ensure that the cannula remains in the subcutaneous plane – this is the only way that surgeons can be confident they are not in the muscle layer. Read full story Source: BAAPS, 17 October 2022
  10. News Article
    Complaints about non-surgical Brazilian butt lifts and breast enhancements have risen at an “alarming” rate, up from fewer than 5 to 50 in a year, an industry body has revealed. Save Face, a national, government-approved register of accredited non-surgical treatment practitioners, is calling for the procedures to be banned, while the Local Government Association has asked Westminster to take urgent action. Ashton Collins, the director of Save Face, said the organisation had noted an “alarming” increase in complaints about these enhancements, which she said should be banned. Collins said: “No reputable healthcare professional would offer these treatments as they are very high risk. “It’s a new and incredibly dangerous trend which has emerged from social media, a trend people think is a cheaper, risk-free alternative to the surgical counterparts. All the cases reported to us have been carried out by non-healthcare practitioners who have prioritised profits ahead of the safety and wellbeing of their clients. “These treatments are incredibly risky, and we have helped people who have contracted sepsis and have had to undergo surgery to remove the filler. In 2021, we had fewer than five complaints about these treatments. That figure has increased tenfold in the past year alone and we are getting more and more complaints each week.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 2 June 2023
  11. News Article
    Practitioners with no professional medical qualifications use social media to target women and girls, an investigation by undercover Times reporters has found. The medicines regulator has begun an investigation after undercover Times reporters found beauticians offering to inject women with “black market” Botox, putting them at risk of being disfigured for life. Practitioners with no professional medical qualifications used social media to target women and girls, suggesting the treatments were safe and would enhance their looks. Many used products that have not gone through safety checks in Britain. Reporters confirmed that at least three practitioners advertising facial injections on social media sites were using cheap versions of Botox that are not licensed in the UK. Campaigners say they are receiving increasing reports of disfigurements such as permanent facial scarring and large sores caused by injections with unlicensed versions of Botox, often carried out in people’s homes and at beauty salons. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it was reviewing the findings and would “take appropriate regulatory action where any non-compliance is identified”. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said the practices uncovered were “totally unacceptable” and officials were looking into whether legal changes were needed “to ensure no one is harmed”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 2 February 2022
  12. News Article
    Lip fillers have grown increasingly popular but the industry is "like the wild west", experts warn, with many patients left in pain and embarrassed by their appearance. As Harriet Green left a salon after getting an injection to add volume to her lips, she was reassured the excess swelling would go down. But three months later her lips were still so bloated she could not close her mouth properly. The 22-year-old from Acle in Norfolk needed three corrective procedures - costing a total of more than £700 - to get them back to normal. Dr Saba Raja, a GP who runs her own aesthetics clinic in Norwich, says she is increasingly having to correct treatments which have gone wrong, describing the experience as "really distressing". "Every month I'm getting enquires from young girls who have gone to a non-medical practitioner for lip or tear trough fillers under the eye and had complications. "They often try to contact the practitioner but due to lack of training they are unable to deal with the complications. It is becoming more and more of a problem." Dr Raja describes the industry as "like the wild west", with people injecting patients "out of the back of their cars" and in kitchens. "Anti-wrinkle injections (Botox) are prescription-only but the injector can be anybody who has been on a day course. Dermal filler (for the lips and face) is not even a prescription-only medication, you can buy it off any website," she says. "A lot of non-medical practitioners are buying cheap filler online, with no idea where it has come from. We really need strict regulations and minimum training standards." Read full story Source: BBC News, 9 May 2023
  13. News Article
    Proposals by the Scottish Government to give a licence to unregistered professionals to carry out cosmetic procedures are “fundamentally flawed” and put lives at risk, leading nurses in the field have warned. A consultation has been launched seeking views on plans for a new regulatory regime of non-surgical aesthetic treatments that pierce or penetrate the skin like dermal fillers or lip enhancements. Ministers want to bring non-health professionals under existing legislation allowing them to obtain a licence to perform these procedures in unregulated premises such as beauty salons and hairdressers. The move comes after a UK-wide review carried out in 2013, by then NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh, identified that little regulation existed within the cosmetic industry. Since then there has been growing concern that people are coming to physical and psychological harm from treatments gone wrong. Leaders at the British Association of Cosmetic Nurses (BACN) told Nursing Times that they were “totally opposed” to non-medical practitioners carrying out injectable beauty procedures. BACN Chair Sharon Bennett said holding a medical, nursing or dentistry qualification should be a “basic prerequisite” before being accepted to an aesthetics training course. SHe said BACN believed even clinically trained practitioners, including nurses, needed further training in aesthetics before working in this “specialist” area. “[This is] because there is no educational framework, training or statutory provision to establish or task beauty therapists to detect disease, care for patients or carry out medical treatment, so to do so would breach public health safety and endanger lives.” Read full story Source: The Nursing Times, 20 January 2020
  14. News Article
    A cosmetic surgeon has been suspended from the UK medical register for nine months for failures in obtaining informed consent, pressuring a patient into surgery by offering a discount, and laughing when passing on a patient’s complaint of sexual assault by another doctor. Ashish Dutta is the nominated member for the European Society of Aesthetic Surgery on the European Commission for Standardisation of Aesthetic Surgery Services. He is also an examiner for the World Board of Cosmetic Surgery. Read full story (paywalled) Source: BMJ, 27 November 2019
  15. News Article
    A cosmetic surgery was forced to close after the health watchdog raised concerns about the safety of its practices. Smethwick's Bearwood Cosmetic Clinic's registration was cancelled by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) last year. The health watchdog's report into the practice is yet to be published, but inspectors have written to other practitioners expressing concerns. It found "unsafe practice" and a lack of appropriate training. The letter from the CQC reveals it has inspected 65 services across the country, about two thirds of independent cosmetic surgery providers and raised concerns about 12. While some were found to be "providing a very good standard of care", there were a number of areas of concern. Ted Baker, chief inspector of hospitals, wrote to providers raising particular concern regarding the use of anaesthetic during liposuction. Inspectors had seen examples of "unsafe practice", he said, and reminded providers that a trained anaesthetist should be present for procedures. The CQC also warned it had found evidence of staff not having appropriate training, a lack of attention to fundamental safety processes and infection control standards not being followed. Read full story Source: BBC News, 31 October 2019
  16. News Article
    UK plastic surgeons have released new guidelines to try to make Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) procedures safer for people who desire a bigger bottom. Some women have died from the operation, which involves sucking out fat from elsewhere - such as the belly - and injecting it into butt cheeks. The British Association of Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) says the injections should not go very deep to help avoid complications such as dangerous clots. According to the NHS, it has the highest death rate of all cosmetic procedures, and the risk of death from BBL surgery is at least 10 times higher than many other procedures. A major concern is that the injected fat can cause a blockage in a blood vessel in the lungs - called a pulmonary embolism - which can be fatal. This happened to Leah Cambridge, a beautician and mother of three from Leeds. She suffered a massive pulmonary embolism during the operation at a private hospital in Turkey in 2018, a coroner found. BAAPS president Marc Pacifico told the BBC: "Unfortunately we don't know how many people have been going for these risky BBL procedures. We have been recommending against it for a number of years after seeing quite a frightening death rate associated with it. But people have been going abroad to get it done." "Make sure you ask if the surgeon will be using ultrasound for gluteal fat grafting. We are recommending that surgeons should only perform this with real time ultrasound guidance as the only way to ensure the procedure is performed superficially and safely." Read full story Source: BBC News, 10 October 2022
  17. News Article
    More than 100,000 doctors in Australia hold the right to call themselves cosmetic surgeons, without having undergone the specific training to be competent and safe. President of the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery and Medicine Dr Patrick Tansley says cosmetic surgery does not form part of the traditional medical training undertaken in Australia, due to the practice being relatively new. “Society has moved faster than legislation has followed it,” he told Sky News Australia. Dr Tansley said he is advocating for the introduction of a national standard to endorse this area of practice in Australia, where doctors would be placed on a public register for patients to review their accreditation. “Once they had met those standards and then were endorsed, they could be placed on a public register, independently administered by the regulator AHPRA. “And the public would then be able to see, with clarity and transparency, which of those doctors have been trained and accredited in cosmetic surgery.” Read full story Source: Sky News, 23 April 2022
  18. News Article
    People administering Botox or fillers will be required to have a licence under new laws after an “unacceptable” rise in reports of botched cosmetic procedures in the UK. The legislation to protect against rogue practitioners will make it an offence to perform such non-surgical work without a licence after Sajid Javid said “far too many people have been left emotionally and physically scarred” when things have gone wrong. The health secretary recognised that most of those in the aesthetics industry “follow good practice” when it comes to patient safety but said it was time to think about the harm botched cosmetic procedures can have. “We’re doing all we can to protect patients from potential harm, but I urge anyone considering a cosmetic procedure to take the time to think about the impact on both their physical and mental health and ensure they are using a reputable, safe and qualified practitioner,” he said. Maria Caulfield, the minister for patient safety, said the spread of images online via social media has led to a rise in demand for Botox and fillers and there had been a subsequent increase in people suffering the consequences of badly performed procedures. She said: “While these can be administered safely, we are seeing an unacceptable rise in people being left physically and mentally scarred from poorly performed procedures.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 28 February 2022
  19. News Article
    A cosmetic surgeon who did not have adequate insurance for operations that went wrong has been struck off. Dr Arnaldo Paganelli worked privately for The Hospital Group in Birmingham. The Medical Practitioners' Tribunal Service ruled his actions constituted misconduct. Four women took their case to the body and the tribunal heard evidence about his time at Birmingham's Dolan Park Hospital where he made regular trips from Italy to work. Lead campaigner Dawn Knight, from Stanley, County Durham, said too much skin was removed from her eyes during an eyelift in 2012 and they became "constantly sore". She told BBC Radio 4's You and Yours programme she felt relieved Dr Paganelli "cannot injure anyone else on UK soil" and called for the government to tighten regulation around cosmetic procedures to protect the public. "The process has been long, emotional and exhausting. This situation must never be repeated. After all, when are you more vulnerable than when under aesthetic at the hands of a surgeon who has no insurance?" Read full story Source: BBC News, 12 August 2020
  20. News Article
    Nine in 10 beauty clinics are breaking the law by advertising Botox, new research reveals, sparking fresh concern that Britain’s booming £3.6bn cosmetic treatments industry is like the “wild west”. Academics at University College London (UCL) found 88% clinics in London are flouting regulations intended to protect public health banning the advertising of Botox and other forms of botulinum toxin. The disclosure prompted warnings the illegal advertisements could help persuade vulnerable people to undergo injections that could leave them feeling traumatised. Promotion of the anti-ageing substance is illegal because it is a prescription-only medicine, which cannot be advertised under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. A group of beauty professionals who are seeking to rid the industry of its reputation for dubious practices said the findings showed consumers were being subjected to “a tsunami of untamed and unrestricted promotional activity that presents a threat to public protection and patient safety”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 14 April 2023
  21. News Article
    The government has rejected an urgent call by MPs to bring in a new licensing regime for non-surgical procedures such as Botox injections, chemical peels, microdermabrasion and non-surgical laser interventions. Ministers also rejected recommendations by the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee to make dermal fillers available as prescription only substances—as Botox is—and to bring in specific standards for premises that provide non-surgical cosmetic procedures. The government also rejected several recommendations aimed at tackling obesity—including a dedicated eating disorder strategy, annual health and wellbeing checks for every child and young person, and restrictions on buy-one-get-one free deals for foods and drinks high in fat, salt, or sugar. Read full story Source: BMJ, 2 February 2023
  22. News Article
    More than two-thirds of people who are administering cosmetic surgery injections such as Botox in the UK are not qualified medical doctors, a new study suggests. The study is the first survey of who is providing cosmetic injectable services, including botulinum toxin (Botox) and dermal fillers, in the country. Dr David Zargaran, UCL Plastic Surgery, an author of the study, said: “There are well-documented, yet to-date unaddressed challenges in the UK cosmetic injectables market. “Without knowledge of the professional backgrounds of practitioners, we cannot adequately regulate the industry. “Our research highlights that the majority of practitioners are not doctors and include other healthcare professionals, as well as non-healthcare professionals such as beauticians. “The range of backgrounds opens a broader question relating to competence and consent. Read full story Source: The Independent, 24 July 2023
  23. News Article
    A woman who died during an operation for a buttock enlargement in Turkey was not given enough information to make a safe decision about the procedure, a coroner has concluded. Melissa Kerr, 31, from Gorleston, Norfolk, died at the private Medicana Haznedar Hospital in Istanbul, in 2019. Ms Kerr had gone abroad to have what is commonly referred to as a Brazilian butt-lift or BBL, the Norwich inquest heard. The inquest was told Brazilian butt-lift operations carried the highest risk of all cosmetic surgery procedures. The UK has an agreed moratorium on carrying out such operations due to the dangers involved, expert witness and plastic surgeon Simon Withey said in a report for the inquest. Mr Withey said if the risk of the procedure had been explained to Ms Kerr before she had financially committed to the procedure she would not "in all probability" have gone through with it. Coroner Jaqueline Lake said she would be writing a report for the health secretary to try and prevent further deaths from this "risky" procedure. She said she was "concerned patients are not being made aware of the risks or the mortality rate associated with such surgery". She added, while the UK government had no control over what happens in other countries, "the danger to citizens who continue to travel abroad for such procedures continues... and I'm of the view future deaths can be prevented by way of better information". Read full story Source: BBC News, 12 September 2023
  24. News Article
    More than a quarter of million people dipped into their savings or took a loan to pay for a private hospital operation or appointment last year — a record high. This year could exceed that. And who can blame them? With the NHS waiting list at a staggering 7.6 million and monthly strikes by doctors lengthening waiting times, patients are increasingly prepared to jump the queue and pay hard cash to do so. In an effort to cut waits and expand choice for patients, Rishi Sunak is funnelling thousands more NHS patients into the private sector. Yet private healthcare is not without risks, many of which are not fully understood. There is a difference between the NHS, which — for all its faults — has been a dependable, free at the point of use health service for more than 75 years, and the sometimes murky world of private doctors and hospital companies who use them. Can you trust your private doctor? When you look under the bonnet of private healthcare, beyond the glossy adverts, things can get a little uncertain. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 10 September 2023
  25. Content Article
    Demand for surgical and non-surgical cosmetic treatments has spiralled in the past ten years among men and women, especially young women in the 18-34 age group, thanks to social media, reality TV and celebrity endorsements. A corresponding increase in ‘botched’ procedures is putting pressure on the NHS to solve problems created by unregistered, unqualified practitioners.  Official advice is to check your practitioner is qualified and has appropriate insurance. This makes sense but it’s not always easy to know where to look. That’s why the Professional Standards Authority have done the hard work for you. The Check a Practitioner service exists for situations like these. You can check if a practitioner is regulated by law or belongs to a reputable Accredited Register.
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