Health Improvement Scotland (HIS) has recently issued clarification regarding the delivery of Botox and dermal filler treatments in medical aesthetics.
If you are a non-prescriber medic working in aesthetics, it’s important to understand these changes and how they affect your practice.
What’s Happening?
HIS has confirmed that, moving forward:
- A prescriber must be physically present on-site when Botox or dermal fillers are being administered.
- Remote supervision or being within a contactable distance is no longer sufficient.
This applies to all HIS-regulated clinics and is part of wider efforts to improve patient safety and clinical governance within medical aesthetics.
How This Affects Non-Prescriber Medics
Previously, non-prescriber medics could complete their face-to-face consultations with their prescriber and then carry out the treatment without the prescriber present.
This change is part of HIS’s broader move toward standardising injectable treatments and ensuring that complications can be addressed immediately by a qualified prescriber.
For non-prescriber medics:
- You cannot administer Botox or fillers without a prescriber on site.
- Planning your sessions will now require coordination with prescribers to ensure compliance.
- This change may impact scheduling, clinic workflow, and availability of certain treatments.
- Staying compliant is critical – failure to follow HIS guidance could have serious professional consequences.
What You Need to Do
- Review your current workflow – Ensure a prescriber is physically present for all injectable treatments.
- Coordinate with prescribers – Align schedules so treatments can proceed safely and legally.
- Update clinic policies and protocols – Make sure everyone on your team knows the new requirements.
- Stay informed – HIS may issue further updates or guidance as regulation evolves.
- Ask HIS directly if you have questions – They are the definitive authority on compliance.
If you’re unsure about your next steps after these changes you can reach HIS on this email: his.ihcregulation@nhs.scot
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