Pictured above: Dr Emma Preston
A new government backed initiative which aims to ensure the
safety of cosmetic treatments such as Botox has been welcomed by a
Shrewsbury dental clinic.
The new scheme, which is applicable to injectable treatments
including dermal fillers, will provide a "Quality Assurance Mark"
to clinics that meet and maintain the requisite standards for good
practice on the basis of their facilities and staff
qualifications.
Dr Emma Preston BDS, who is the lead practitioner in facial
aesthetics at The Dental Spa on Oxon Business Park, said: "With an
estimated 25% growth in the number of injectable treatments carried
out in the UK last year, it was certainly time that both the
industry and the Department of Health recognised the need to
safeguard patients from unscrupulous practitioners."
Under the new scheme individual practitioners as well as
organisations will be able to apply for a "seal of approval" based
on the safety and quality of the treatments they provide. They will
also be judged against industry standards on managing medicines,
infection control and appropriate environments.
A list of approved clinics will be available so that people can
check the credibility of a clinic where they may wish to undergo
the treatment. Whilst this is undoubtedly good news for patients,
Dr Preston says she is however disappointed that the scheme only
calls for voluntary approval.
"At The Dental Spa we have for some time operated out of Care
Quality Commission registered premises," she says, "but we are one
of only a few clinics in the country to do so. My concern is that a
great many clinics will not bother to apply for the new
initiative's Quality Assurance seal of approval unless it becomes a
statutory requirement. In the meantime we must hope that people
will become aware of its existence and check to see who they are
dealing with before getting treatment."