JCCP updates industry on its progress

The Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP) hosted a stakeholder meeting in London to update the industry on its progress last month.

The JCCP headed by Interim Chair – Professor David Sines, CBE, is now gathering momentum as it is looking to complete its development phase with a targeted launch in June 2017 and the aim of being operational by November 2017. The JCCP is the newly proposed ‘self-regulating’ body for the non-surgical aesthetics industry in England formed after the publication by the Government of its policy on regulation in the sector in January 2016. The primary aim of the JCCP is to provide a mechanism that can enable the public to clearly identify safe practitioners across all non-surgical aesthetic treatments (see separate presentation on JCCP – February 2017).

Since January 2016 Professor Sines has led a huge group of industry stakeholders, professionals and technical advisers engaged in developing:

• Standards – Educational, Clinical and Practice based – in conjunction with the Cosmetic Practice Standards Authority (CPSA) 
• Governance arrangements  
• Education, Training and Accreditation frameworks  
• Premises standards  
• Register of practitioners  
• Register of Education, Training and Accreditation partners

The development phase is now heading towards its completion and has reached the following milestones: Agreement on the type, structure and format of the JCCP Registers

The JCCP will operate two voluntary registers with a clear set of standards to be observed and specific entry requirements:

Register 1: List of approved education, training and accreditation providers

Register 2: Annotated list of JCCP Registered Practitioners who meet the education, clinical and practise based standards adopted by the JCCP. The register is divided into two parts:

•  Those persons delivering non-surgical treatments registered with Professional Statutory Bodies (PSB’s) – General Medical Council (GMC), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), General Dental Council (GDC), General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and the Health Care Professionals Council (HCPC). 
• Those persons delivering non-surgical treatments not registered with the PSB’s who meet the JCCP standards and where required work under supervision and oversight of a clinical professional.

Procurement of a Contractor to develop and manage the Register

The JCCP has gone through an open and transparent ‘Expressions of Interest’ process to identify potential contractors who wish to work with the JCCP to develop and operate a technology platform and website to manage its Register(s). Contractors have come forward and the JCCP expects to name its successful partner by April 2017.

Governance of the JCCP

The JCCP has been operating under an interim governance framework since January 2016 with an Interim Chair and interim executive and administrative support. The JCCP has now agreed a formal structure subject to legal clearance and will be announcing this in the next few weeks. The key elements of this will be:

• The establishment of a ‘not for profit’ limited company with charitable status (application pending)
• The JCCP registers to be formally approved by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) – application pending  
• The establishment of a ‘Governance Board’ that will include an Independent Non–Executive Chair and up to 12 members with a majority appointed as independents. These appointments will be done in an open and transparent way.  
• The announcement of a staffing and executive structure for the JCCP which will include the appointment of a permanent CEO and support staff.

Professor David Sines, CBE – JCCP Interim Chair said, "It has been a huge task to get so many stakeholders in the non-surgical aesthetics sector together and to reach a consensus on the role of the JCCP and how it can achieve its primary aim of delivering safer treatments for the public. For the first time working with its sister body the Cosmetic Practice Standards Authority (CPSA) it will be able to identify to the public practitioners and education/training providers who will work to the newly agreed set of educational, clinical and practice standards and within the JCCP Code of Practice. This complex process has involved working with Government Departments, all the Statutory Regulatory Bodies, Professional Associations (Medical and Non-Medical), product and service suppliers, education and training bodies (Regulators like OFQUAL, Higher Education Institutions, Awarding bodies and private training providers), industry sector bodies and many individual and leading practitioners. Over the coming months we will be announcing a series of decisions, actions and programmes that will lead to the formal opening of the JCCP registers in November 2017. I would like to place on record my huge thanks to all those organisations and individuals who have contributed to the development of this important initiative."