Keogh report could still leave UK vulnerable to ‘another PIP type storm’ says leading aesthetic surgeon
Sir Bruce Keogh’s investigation of the cosmetic surgery industry could still leave UK vulnerable to ‘another PIP type storm’ according to a leading aesthetic surgeon who runs clinics in both Harley Street and New York.
“I am a hundred percent behind regulation in favour of good medical practice.
“Many of the recommendations are already basic rules of the ethics policy of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, such as not promoting surgery as a prize in a raffle,” said Professor Laurence Kirwan MD, FRCS, FACS.
“But it strikes me that many of these suggestions should be implemented by the licensing bodies such as the General Medical Council and the respective medical societies which already oversee standards.
“Another layer of regulation seems redundant. Hopefully this report will be the beginning of a new era. Unfortunately, I did not see anything in the interim report to explain the regulatory failure of the government when it comes to PIP which was the tinder that sparked the fire in the first place.
“It seems that we are recalling ‘the driver instead of the car’.
“Is the consumer going to be any safer in the future with the current CE system of approval of medical implants?
“No tighter standards, no government liability or corporate responsibility is recommended for the immediate future.
“In that respect I think we are still as vulnerable to another PIP type storm in the future,” said Professor Kirwan.
Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS medical director, has been tasked by the Health Secretary to investigate the regulation, care and safety of products used in the UK cosmetic surgery industry and will be publishing his final report in March 2013.
Sir Bruce has published his initial ‘Summary of Responses’ to the public consultation into cosmetic surgery in the UK.
Sir Bruce said that the public responses ‘send a clear message that the current regulatory framework doesn’t do enough to support consumer rights or patient safety’.
Rajiv Grover, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said, “We are anticipating that the way the whole procedure is presented to the public to be different.
“We have had a decade where we have been seeing marketing tactics and selling of surgery which is more akin to something like double glazing when actually this is a medical procedure.
“It is an operation which will have risks as well as some benefits and the whole presentation of that package should be going back to being a medical procedure rather than a commodity.”
For all the latest news see tomorrow’s (Thursday, January 17) Echo.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Haverhill
Saturday 25 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North west
