“Enhancing consumer protection and confidence”

Founder of The Wright Initiative and Pioneer of Pre and Post Procedure Support for Patients, Norman Wright nominated and accepted as a BSI Committee Member CH/403 for Aesthetic Surgery & Non-Surgical Medical Services

After two years of bringing my PaPPS Initiative, Training and Accreditation to the industry, I am both honoured and delighted to announce that I am now a BSI CH/403 committee member. Huge thanks to my professional body, UKCP, for nominating me for this role on the BSI.

I am most looking forward to being part of the standard development committee paying particular attention to the patient where there is currently no psycho-emotional support for patients having aesthetic or cosmetic procedures. I am also excited about being able to support the work programme through BSI and CEN ensuring that the notion of the person behind the patient is acknowledged, seen, listened to and supported every step of the way.

Part of my role as a committee member will be to represent the interests of patients to be supported rather than assessed for procedures and treatments, as being assessed often pathologies the patient and seeks to identify contraindications for procedures — how suitable you are, how ready you are etc. Alongside this how psychological assessments used within the industry tend to inform more about risk factors and issues rather than support the patient as a whole.

Further issues and concerns I will be considering as a committee member  will be, how clinicians and practitioners recognise  that patients need their Emotional, Relational and Psychological (ERP) well-being to be considered and supported throughout the journey of surgery or treatment. Whether they recognise it or not, patients are vulnerable and unaware of the impacts surgery, aesthetic treatments, with their ongoing replenishment, will have on their ERP well-being pre and post procedure.

The industry needs to appreciate that Patients and Consumers of Cosmetic and Aesthetic procedures are:

Paying £ 3.6 BILLION for services that will have impacts on their ERP well-being and functioning (in the main positive, but sometimes unexpected) and it is essential they consider the ways this may manifest for them pre and post procedure/treatment.

There must be a system of support for the patient that recognises and appreciates the surgical or aesthetic journey the patient is considering.

That the industry appreciates the necessity for patients to have not only their procedure expectations managed, but also the management of their ERP expectations and needs.

That this system of support reflects the person behind the patient, their ERP needs, causes no harm and acts in the patient’s best interest.

The Industry needs to appreciate that they have a duty of care for every patient that walks through their door. Merely considering whether psychological assessments or screening the for the wide range of consumers accessing cosmetic, aesthetic procedures, treatments and products is not sufficient for the increasing number and wide range of consumers. It is now time for the Industry to acknowledge more seriously, the holistic needs of patients, self-regulate for the benefit of the patients to improve the patient journey and integrity of the profession.

As part of this, the industry needs to have a philosophy, moral code and humanistic attitude towards patients that is mutually respectful in the professional relationship, minimises psychological as well as physical harm to both the clinician and the patient, and promotes patients and clinicians’ being active in ensuring that both have the best surgical or aesthetic journey possible.