The British Association of Cosmetic Nurses (BACN) membership has well over 1000 members. With COVID-19 restrictions lifting over the UK, there is a lot happening within the association; we are in the middle of face-to-face regional meetings and are busy working our way around the UK, travelling to regions more than ever before. This includes a wide range of educational and business presentations from our industry partners. Dates and venues will be on our website and members will be emailed the itinerary. Board members and regional leaders will be in attendance. It has been a long 2 years.
The BACN backroom staff, Gareth Lewis, Laura Watt and Bec Coleman, who are based at our Bristol headquarters, have also been working hard developing, organising and coordinating our 2022 programme.
Annual membership survey
Bec Coleman has collated some data from our annual membership survey. Although there were only 121 respondents, we still managed to gather some interesting information about our members. The majority of respondents (116) were female, and only seven described their ethnicity as Asian, Black African or Caribbean or mixed heritage, while 78% were prescribers. In regard to experience, 101 respondents have been registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for over 10 years, and 49 answered that they had more than 10 years of experience in medical aesthetics, while 17 said that they had less than 2 years. Some 89 stated that they were lone workers, 93 had read the BACN code of professional conduct and 102 are members of the BACN Facebook group. Some 62 out of 121 stated that they practised full-time in medical aesthetics 4 days or more per week. Finally, 93 of those who participated said that, as a professional organisation, the BACN had met their expectations.
The BACN is now conducting research on the profile of the large group of nurses who joined during and after COVID. We believe many of them may be new to aesthetic nursing.
Digital takeovers and the upcoming Spring Symposium
The BACN will continue to host monthly digital takeovers that are shown on Instagram and provide plenty of resources that members can use. Additionally, we are also partnering with Web Marketing Clinic for ‘Digital drop-in’ sessions, focusing on digital marketing techniques and skills that members can use, which are also monthly.
On 29 April 2022, the BACN is hosting its Spring Symposium at the Royal College of Physicians, London. This one-day event has a packed programme of educational presentations showcasing key figures from the medical aesthetics community with networking opportunities amongst our fellow peers. There are only a small number of tickets available, and, for BACN members, tickets are priced at £175 with group discounts available. Please contact admin@bacn.org.uk for further information.
Ensuring public safety
On 1 March 2022, an amendment to the Health and Care Bill was tabled, confirming the Government's intention to make it an offence for someone to perform a non-surgical procedure without a licence in England. Introducing a licensing scheme will better protect the safety of those seeking elective procedures, such as dermal fillers and neurotoxin injections. The current Health and Social Care Minister, Sajid Javid, said he is ‘committed to protecting patient safety by making it an offence for someone to perform these cosmetic procedures without a licence’ (Department of Health and Social Care, 2022). In a recent interview with the Nursing Times, BACN Chair Sharon Bennett said she hoped the future requirements were ‘sufficiently robust to ensure that public safety was maintained’ (Ford, 2022).
As an organisation, the BACN will continue to campaign for only registered healthcare professionals to be able to perform these procedures. The BACN will be involved in the consultation, working alongside our partner associations in medical aesthetics to ensure that these potentially high-risk procedures are only carried out by those who are regulated healthcare practitioners.
This latest move to safeguard those seeking non-surgical treatments follows legislation from last year, making it illegal to administer dermal fillers or neurotoxins to under those aged under 18 years, which also banned social media influencers and traditional advertising targeting those under 18.
The Minister for Patient Safety, Maria Caulfield, commented that ‘we have seen an unacceptable rise in people being left physically and mentally scarred from poorly performed procedures’ (Department of Health and Social Care, 2022).
The licensing scheme will introduce consistent standards that will focus on training, hygiene and safety standards for premises where patients are treated. The specifics and scope will be determined by extensive consultation, which will include the public. BACN members can be part of the consultation period as individuals and also part of the BACN.
Patient versus client
Recently, there was a very robust discussion on our Facebook group, initiated by our chair Sharon Bennett following on from the Health and Social Care Secretary and Minister for Patient Safety's use of the word ‘patient’. The distinction between patients and clients is a very important one. Our patients are consumers, usually well and elect to have a particular procedure for a variety of reasons. This dichotomy has often fuelled the narrative regarding calling well individuals patients can disempowers them, because of the implication of illness and being unwell, whereas calling them clients reflects a collaborative balanced relationship.
In this discussion, Constance Campion-Awwad made some significant points about our role as nurses, stating that nurses are advocates and guardians of patients and the public. As nurses, we help patients address their central needs, which, in turn, play a critical role in their wellness age management, which can help reduce the burden on the NHS.
Patient care
Nurses working in medical aesthetics are aware of how the human face impacts an individual's sense of self. Factors such as stress, lifestyle choices, hormonal changes, pollution and sun exposure can impact the physiological function of skin, muscles and bone, resulting in structural changes that occur with ageing. The psychopathology of patients does not just include body dysmorphic disorder (BDD); there are other factors that can impact mental health, and, as nurses working in an appearance-focused speciality, we need to have an awareness and understanding of this.
Therefore, patients may be considered to be healthy overall and without co-morbidities, but, with the ageing of the body's largest organ, the skin, when we see our patients for consultation and assessment, we should be thinking of primary prevention, reduction of risk factors, early detection of disease and health promotion.
Deber et al (2005) made an interesting point about the modern patient no longer having patience or being willing to wait without objection or follow advice without criticism. People want instant results and have higher expectations regarding what is actually achievable, even in their role as consumer or client, the old saying about the customer always being right has no basis in evidence. As nurses, it is part of our role to manage those expectations realistically. Ultimately, we are holistically patient-focused, providing a person-centred approach which comes from an ethical framework that underpins our practice. Therefore, not treating can sometimes be the right decision. So, when the time comes, please be a part of the consultation period, your opinion matters.
Aesthetic Awards
Finally, we are delighted to announce that the BACN won the coveted ‘Professional Initiative of the Year’ award at the Aesthetic Awards on Saturday 12 March 2022. Our winning entry was our new updated and expanded code of conduct for aesthetic nurses. A huge thank you to everybody who was involved in submitting the entry and, in particular, to Anna Baker for her amazing work leading the updating process.