NMC to Update Position on Remote Prescribing of Non-surgical Cosmetic Medicines

From 1 June 2025, nursing and midwifery prescribers will be required to consult with people face-to-face before issuing prescriptions for these procedures.

They announced today: "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."

Research and stakeholder engagement were carried out to understand public perceptions of remote prescribing and the potential impact of any changes on those administering and receiving non-surgical cosmetic treatments.

In 2024, independent public-facing research was commissioned by the agency Thinks, which engaged with members of the public who had undergone non-surgical cosmetic procedures, as well as those who had not.

Meanwhile, the NMC hosted a roundtable event attended by a diverse group of stakeholders, including:

• 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, such as beauticians, who provide non-surgical cosmetic procedures

• and cosmetic business owners.

This event provided a platform for a wide range of perspectives on the current practices and challenges within the sector.

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owners, thought that video consultations should be permitted and that a requirement for face-to-face consultations felt outdated.

Importantly, updating the NMC’s position aims to protect the public and maintain trust and confidence in the nursing and midwifery professions. Businesses employing nurse and midwife prescribers are encouraged to consider how they may need to adapt their operational practices. Feedback from stakeholders has highlighted that many of the approaches already in place for other regulated professionals can also be applied effectively to nurse and midwife prescribers.

The NMC will continue to engage with stakeholders across the UK and has updated its ‘Useful information for prescribers’ resource to reflect the forthcoming changes, which are set to take 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.”