PSA welcomes consultation on high-risk cosmetic procedures in England
22 Oct 2026
The Department of Health and Social Care has published a consultation on how high-risk cosmetic procedures should be regulated.
Commenting on the launch of the consultation, Alan Clamp, PSA Chief Executive said:
“The PSA has been calling for stronger safeguards around cosmetic procedures for many years, and we welcome these steps towards better protection for the public.
Recent research commissioned by the PSA highlights why action is so important. Nearly half of people surveyed believe aesthetic practitioners are already regulated by law and many are not. These findings highlight a worrying gap between the protections people believe are in place and the reality.
We will examine the UK Government’s proposals for England carefully and we encourage everyone with an interest in this area to respond to the consultation. With women particularly affected by these procedures, it is essential that their experiences, including those who have suffered harm, are heard.
We want to see effective safeguards for people across all four countries of the UK. A licensing scheme will soon be implemented in Scotland and we continue to urge action in Northern Ireland and Wales. In the meantime, people can take steps to protect themselves by checking their practitioner is on a government-backed register before booking a treatment.”
ENDS
Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care
Contact: media@professionalstandards.org.uk
Notes to the editor
- The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) is the UK’s oversight body for the regulation of people working in health and social care. Our statutory remit, independence and expertise underpin our commitment to the safety of patients and service-users, and to the protection of the public. There are 10 organisations that regulate health professionals in the UK and social workers in England by law. We audit their performance and review their decisions on practitioners’ fitness to practise. We also accredit and set standards for organisations holding registers of health and care practitioners not regulated by law. We collaborate with all of these organisations to improve standards. We share good practice, knowledge and our right-touch regulation expertise.
- We also conduct and promote research on regulation. We monitor policy developments in the UK and internationally, providing guidance to governments and stakeholders. Through our UK and international consultancy, we share our expertise and broaden our regulatory insights.
- Our values are – integrity, transparency, respect, fairness and teamwork – and we strive to ensure that they are at the core of our work.