Members' Business — S6M-14436 Stuart McMillan: Regulation of the Medical Aesthetics Industry in Scotland

That the Parliament notes the belief that legislation must be introduced to regulate those operating within the medical aesthetics industry because, at present, only clinics that employ healthcare professionals to offer treatments such as Botox and dermal fillers are regulated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland; considers that this means that lay injectors who are not qualified healthcare professionals are not monitored or regulated by any professional body; recognises the reported growth in demand for medical aesthetics, including in the Greenock and Inverclyde constituency, and believes that regulating the sector would help to improve patient safety; acknowledges the reported physical, mental and emotional impact on members of the public who have endured botched experiences at the hands of lay injectors, and the impact that this can have on the NHS, which, it understands, is where people typically turn to for correctional treatment; considers that these treatments should therefore only be offered to people aged over 18, and that patients should be able to expect that the individual offering these treatments is regulated, and welcomes, therefore, the recent announcement by the Minister for Public Health and Women's Health that the Scottish Government will launch a consultation later in 2024, which, it understands, will include proposals on introducing legislation to regulate the sector in the current parliamentary session.