| REGULATORY AFFAIRS | OPINION
required. There are still nurses who are having difficulty accessing courses and a supporting medical practitioner (DMP); however, the BACN are able to direct them to DMPs and are holding a series of V300 meetings across the UK with local universities and experts on hand to advise. The BACN will also be examining the outdated legislation underpinning prescribing in relation to holding stock of medicines for independent prescribers.
Self-regulation Self-regulation outside of the NHS does have its obstacles, such as providing evidence that those in practice maintain their competence. Any assumption that further development in education and evidence of expertise are not necessary is at best outdated and at worst unsafe. Under the current Post-Registration
Education and Practice (PREP) standards of the NMC, nurses and midwives must demonstrate they have completed at least 450 hours of practice and 35 hours of continuing professional development (CPD/CME) every 3 years in order to re- register. By 2015, the NMC revalidation procedure should be in place, which will be far more rigorous than the present PREP process, and will demand greater evidence of CPD and competency. The rapid changes in aesthetic practice
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and
NMC have been either unable or unwilling to recognise that these challenges are shared by an increasing number of nurses working in specialist fields, and as the role of the private sector in all areas of health care grows, professional bodies must come together and examine how the future should look and ensure we are prepared. The BACN has representation on most
of the professional aesthetic committees, allowing us to be instrumental in moving this progressive specialty forward. Last year remote prescribing was
forced into the spotlight after the GMC and NMC both published definitive guidelines preventing the practice of remote prescribing of prescribed cosmetic treatments, such as botulinum toxins, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) quickly followed suit by including these recommendations in theirs. The updated guideline was challenging
Maintaining appropriate
standards of education, training and practice to ensure nurses in aesthetic medicine possess the requisite knowledge and care to patients is a priority.
for many nurses who did not possess the V300 Independent Nurse Prescribers qualification, administered prescribed medicines, and did not work directly alongside a prescribing nurse or doctor. However, a large number of nurses
have now qualified or are undertaking the course at universities across the UK, and it is now acknowledged to be a prerequisite to independent practice in aesthetics. The ability to prescribe is a necessary
qualification to offer patients an accessible, comprehensive and safe service, expand oneÕs practice, and manage unexpected outcomes when immediate prescribed medications are
brought on by advances in medical science also reflect the recognition that skills might not be maintained indefinitely or may deteriorate over time. Maintaining appropriate standards of
education, training and practice to ensure nurses in aesthetic medicine possess the requisite knowledge, understanding and skills to provide professional and ethical treatment and care to patients is a priority, and must be integral to practice. A robust framework is required to ensure clinical governance can be demonstrated and evidenced. The processes to maintain competence
when working privately or alone can be time-consuming and costly.
Continuing professional development The BACN understands the challenges to nurses working in isolation and has been proactive in ensuring that all members across the UK have access to specialist workshops, peer group meetings, closed forums for discussion, annual conference, a Code of Conduct, guidelines for
prime-journal.com | January/February 2013 ❚ 77
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