GREENOCK and Inverclyde MSP Stuart McMillan says Scotland has a chance to lead the way on the regulation of non-surgical medical aesthetic procedures such as Botox as he led a Holyrood debate on the issue.

The SNP politician has been campaigning for greater regulation of the industry since constituent and practitioner Jill Best brought it to his attention in 2018.

Ms Best, who owns Jill Best Medical Aesthetics Ltd, had raised fears that local patients were being put at risk by unqualified ‘lay injectors’ who were not subject to the same regulatory regime as healthcare professionals like her.

The issue was recently raised by Mr McMillan during a session of the Scottish Parliament after he lodged a motion highlighting the growing demand for the cosmetic procedures in areas like Inverclyde and the need for better regulation of the industry.

He also welcomed the Scottish Government’s plans to launch a consultation on the issue later this year which is set to include proposals for new legislation.

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Mr McMillan said: “People expect lay injectors to be properly trained and to provide safe, regulated treatments, but that is not always the case.

“Without regulation, if a procedure goes wrong, there is little chance of holding that lay injector accountable, and the national health service is left to foot the bill for any corrective treatments.

“In contrast, if a patient goes to a healthcare professional for the same treatment, that professional will be regulated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

“That means that they are a regulated prescriber and will have obtained medicines from a reputable source.

“Furthermore, they must have in place safeguards to ensure that the environment in which they are administering the treatments meets health and safety requirements, and that they have policies in place for what happens if a treatment does not go to plan.”

He continued: “The upcoming public consultation will enable members of the public, as well as healthcare professionals and lay injectors, to have a say on potential regulation.

“It is important that lay injectors are part of the process and have the chance to feed into any changes that are going to affect them.

“The industry is not going away any time soon; societal demand shows that it is very much here to stay, so we should make it as safe as possible for everyone. In my view, that is the important thing.”

Mr McMillan said that a ‘whole range’ of policy decisions would have to be considered to ensure the industry was properly regulated and pledged to work with the Scottish Government and colleagues from across the chamber to tackle the issue.

He added: “Fundamentally, we want to ensure that the industry is as safe as possible for everyone across the country, including my constituents in Greenock and Inverclyde.

“We in Scotland can lead the way, and we have a great opportunity to do so on this particular issue.”

In response to the points raised by Mr McMillan and other MSPs who took part in the debate, Jenni Minto, minister for Public Health and Women’s Health, said officials would work with industry experts and stakeholders to consider what future legislation could look like.

She added: “Our ultimate aim is that all non-surgical cosmetic procedures are carried out by appropriately trained practitioners in an appropriate setting, applying recognised standards and using regulated products. As we know, this is a fast-changing sector.

“Any potential regulation will need to be proportionate, robust and future proofed to capture any emerging procedures. We are working with key stakeholders to get those details right.”