‘Nurse’ is set to be a legally protected term after the Mirror’s Ban the Cosmetic Cowboys campaign – rogue beautificans will no longer be able to call themselves nurses
The term “nurse” will now be legally protected in a major win for the Mirror’s campaign to Ban the Cosmetic Cowboys. The Government will make it a criminal offence for people who are not qualified as a nurse to use the title.
The new law will see rogue beauticians calling themselves a nurse to sell non-surgical procedures like Botox, dermal fillers and laser work fined thousands of pounds. Currently the term “registered nurse” is protected by law but anyone – including those struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for serious misconduct or criminal convictions – can call themselves a nurse.
The Mirror launched the campaign to stop the Wild West in cosmetic surgery in response to hundreds of unregulated clinics offering cut-price and often dangerous treatments by unqualified staff, sometimes with just hours of training. Rogue outlets have caused life-changing injuries and even cost lives.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Nurses carry out lifesaving work every day, and I am determined we do everything we can to support them and safeguard trust in the profession. I’ve been appalled to read reports of so-called nurses spreading dangerous misinformation and harming the public.
“This new legislation will help crack down on bogus beauticians and conspiracy theorists masquerading as nurses, and those attempting to mislead patients. The British people hold nurses in the highest regard, and we trust them in our most vulnerable moments, so patients need to know they are genuinely being seen by a nurse. Now they will.”
The Government warned bogus nurses are running cosmetic clinics offering Botox and dermal filler treatments despite not being registered with the NMC. Some rogue beauticians pose as an “aesthetic nurse” – which is a registered nurse who specialises in performing cosmetic and aesthetic treatments. To become one they must first be a registered nurse, typically with a nursing degree or diploma, and then gain additional training and experience in aesthetic medicine. This may include specialised courses on treatments like Botox, dermal fillers and laser procedures.
It is feared there could be 100,000 to 200,000 “aesthetic practitioners” operating in high streets and from homes. Unlike other countries in Europe, there are few restrictions in the UK on who can perform non-surgical procedures like Botox.
The move also follows the case of antivaxxer Kate Shemirani who compared NHS workers to Nazis claimed the Covid pandemic was a hoax before being struck off as a registered nurse. The Nursing Times reported that she planned to continue to call herself a nurse and wear her nurse uniform. The NMC panel heard how Ms Shemirani had “actively discouraged people from wearing masks, adhering to social distancing, and taking vaccinations”.
At the time of her hearing in 2021 she was an aesthetic nurse in East Sussex, and as such had become a prominent conspiracy theorist and had spoken at protests. On her profile on X, formerly known as Twitter, she currently brands herself a “natural nurse”.
The new Government measures will mean anyone describing themselves as a nurse without the relevant qualifications and registration will be committing a crime. The new legislation, expected to be laid this parliament, follows a campaign by unions and former nurse Dawn Butler MP, who introduced a Ten-Minute Rule Bill earlier this year.
UNISON Head of Health Helga Pile said: “Charlatans and conspiracy theorists mustn’t be allowed to harm patients or damage nurses’ reputation and good standing with the public. It’s only right that anyone that tries to will now feel the full force of the law.”
The new law will include exemptions for relevant professions like veterinary nurse, dental nurse and nursery nurse, where the Government considers the title “nurse” is legitimately used. Speaking on the eve of the Royal College of Nursing’s annual conference in Liverpool from today, General Secretary Prof Nicola Ranger said: “This is an important moment for our safety-critical profession, after years of campaigning.
“A change in the law will recognise the knowledge, professionalism and clinical expertise that comes with being a registered nurse. It will provide better legal protections for nursing professionals and reassurance to patients. Crucially, this is an opportunity to begin the journey to properly valuing nursing as a profession, where respect, reward and investment match the crucial nature of our work.”
There are already some safeguards in place to deter people from pretending to be a nurse. The most serious cases would be captured by fraud offences and depending on the case they can also be prosecuted for other more serious offences like causing grievous bodily harm, assault, or manslaughter.
The Mirror’s Ban the Cosmetic Cowboys campaign has already been backed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer. It is calling for beauty clinics offering potentially dangerous procedures such as Brazilian butt lifts and liposuction to be licensed by the Quality Care Commission. We are also demanding that clinics are legally bound to ensure procedures are surgically safe and carried out only by medical professionals.
And it should be a legal requirement for practitioners who offer non-surgical interventions to have malpractice insurance. Spain and Australia have similar laws Last September we reported that mum-of-five, Alice Webb, 33, had become the first person to die following a liquid BBL in a UK clinic.
Another mum ended up in a coma after a liquid BBL. Sasha, 53, of Bedfordshire, said her practitioner was not a qualified surgeon. She said: “It’s like playing Russian roulette with your life.”
Too many ‘nurses’ in the NHS
Registered nurses go through high-quality undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes and complete a process called revalidation every three years to continually update their skills set. A Freedom of Information request showed that across 93% of all NHS trusts there were more than 8,000 people with the term “nurse” in their job title who had no registered nursing qualifications. The Government insists these workers are supervised and providing important care but their job titles can cause confusion.
Rachel Power, chief executive of The Patients Association, said: “We welcome this commitment to ensuring patients know who is treating them. With health misinformation increasingly common, it’s more important than ever that patients can trust the expertise of those caring for them.”
Other examples included titles such as “Assistant Practitioner Nurse” and “Senior Nurse support”. The people in these roles will be working under the supervision of registrants or hold other qualifications.
The Government says they play a vital part in delivering care to patients but their job titles “do not provide the level of clarity on the specific roles, skills and experience that patients expect”. Mr Streeting said: “This is part of our Plan for Change to fix the NHS and get the right staff working in the right place at the right time.”
Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer for England, said: “The trust that people place in registered nurses is based on the rigorous training and education required to be registered as a nurse which gives us the skills and knowledge to deliver high quality, safe and personalised care. Nurses value this trust and protecting the title of nurse can give added confidence and clarity to patients and the public on who is delivering their care and the skills and knowledge they have.”
Campaign Demands
- All beauty clinics offering potentially dangerous procedures should be licensed by the Quality Care Commission. This includes “high risk” treatments such as BBLs, liposuction, surgical facelifts and surgical eye lifts.
- All procedures must be surgically safe and carried out only by fully trained medical professionals.
- Make it a legal requirement for practitioners who offer non-surgical interventions to have malpractice insurance. Currently it is not mandatory which leaves patients with no avenue for redress when things go wrong.