Nurses were reminded that prescription-only medications (POMs) and treatments, including Botox, should not be advertised to the public and that doing so could result in suspension or revocation of their license to practice.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) this week called on nurses and midwives to new advice booklet by the Commission for Advertising Practice (CAP), which provides information about the rules and laws and the possible consequences of breaking them.
The advice leaflet reminds nurses and other healthcare professionals that POM advertising ‘is a breach not only of the CAP code but also of the law’.
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Healthcare professionals were asked that if any advertisements they use refer to POMs, “directly or indirectly”, they should “remove or modify that advertisement” and that future advertisements should also not promote them.
The CAP explained that prescription-only drugs include Botox, Kenalog, and vitamin D and B12 injection.
And he warned: “If you continue to advertise POM, you may face penalties.”
“You could be listed on our non-compliant advertiser page online. We may refer you to an agent or professional association of which you may be a member, to be assessed against their own rules or code of conduct. This could result in suspension of your membership or revocation of your license to practice,” it added.
The commission said it will work with social media platforms to remove non-compliant ads, and that this includes organic posts on a healthcare professional’s social media channel.
The rules apply to ads in all media, he explained, including social media (paid ads and organic posts), pay-per-click ads, direct mail and newspapers.
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“Providing factual information on your own website may be acceptable, provided that no references to POM appear on the home page and that such references are not promotional in nature,” CAP added.
Last year, the Department of Health and Social Care announced its intention to introduce measures to crack down on dangerous cosmetic procedures which it says have “left people maimed, injured and in need of urgent NHS care”.
New government regulations will mean that only qualified healthcare professionals, such as nurses, will be able to carry out ‘high risk’ cosmetic procedures such as Brazilian Butt Lifts.
Tighter oversight of lower-risk cosmetic treatments – including Botox, lip fillers and facial dermal fillers – will also be introduced through a new “local authority licensing scheme”.
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In September, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it had launched a series of criminal investigations into the illegal trade in unlicensed Botox products used in cosmetic procedures after a “spike” in hospital admissions linked to their use.
And in December, nurses urged Scottish politicians to strengthen accountability, training standards and reporting mechanisms for non-surgical cosmetic procedures following increasing reports of unsafe procedures completed by unregulated practitioners.
