The NMC is updating its position on the remote prescribing of non-surgical cosmetic medicines, including certain anti-wrinkle injections and aesthetic emergency kit items.
From 1 June 2025, nursing and midwifery prescribers will be required to consult with people face-to-face before issuing prescriptions for these procedures.
We expect all nurse and midwife prescribers to deliver safe and effective prescribing practice every day, but inconsistent regulation of non-surgical cosmetic practice can present risks to people who use these services and the public. Face-to-face consultations support the mitigation of these risks, and adopting this position will better align the NMC with other health and care regulators.
What our research found
We carried out research and stakeholder engagement to understand people’s perceptions of remote prescribing, and the impact any potential changes would have on those administering and receiving non-surgical cosmetic medicines.
In 2024 we commissioned independent public-facing research by the agency Thinks, who engaged with members of the public who had undergone non-surgical cosmetic procedures and those who had not. Meanwhile, the NMC hosted a roundtable event which was attended by:
- regulated health and care professionals who prescribe non-surgical cosmetic medicines
- non-prescribing, regulated health and care professionals who administer non-surgical cosmetic treatments
- unregulated practitioners who administer non-surgical cosmetics treatments such as beauticians
- cosmetic business owners.
The research found that:
- overall, people supported the NMC strengthening its position to better protect the public, and agreed that it would improve safety for people using services
- many people who underwent non-surgical cosmetic procedures had not fully considered how the medicine was obtained when the person administering or injecting it was not a healthcare professional, nor did they realise that these were prescribed medicines
- many people perceived procedures to be overly accessible, taking place within unregulated environments and unsure whether those administering or injecting medicines had sufficient training
- some participants, especially business owners, thought that video consultations should be permitted and that a requirement for face-to-face consultations felt outdated.
Next steps
Importantly, updating our position will protect the public and maintain trust and confidence in the professions. We encourage those businesses to think about how they may need to adapt the way they operate when employing nurse and midwife prescribers. We have heard how they can adopt the approaches used for other regulated professionals for nurse and midwife prescribers.
We’ll continue to engage with our stakeholders from across the UK and we have updated our ‘Useful information for prescribers’ with details about the changes which are due to come into effect on 1 June.
Anne Trotter, NMC Assistant Director of Education and Standards, said:
“Following our research and engagement, we’re confident that our updated position on the remote prescribing of non-surgical cosmetic medicines is in the best interests of public safety and protection.
“Nursing and midwifery prescribers provide competent and effective care to people every day. Face-to-face consultations will further improve their ability to assess people holistically and ensure non-surgical cosmetic medicines are prescribed as safely and appropriately. We’ll continue to engage with our stakeholders, professionals, employers and the public as we bring this new requirement into effect.”
Further information:
- The Code is available on our website.
- We adopted the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Prescribing Competency Framework as our standards of competency for prescribing practice.
- The jointly-agreed High level principles for good practice in remote consultations and prescribing set out the good practice expected of healthcare professionals when prescribing medication online.
- Useful information for prescribers is available on our website.
- The General Medical Council’s remote consultations flowchart offers helpful guidance on the factors to consider around consulting remotely.
