How To Become a Prescriber
(Updated November 2025 — always check the HIS website for the latest guidance)
PRESCRIBING & V300 PLACEMENTS
HIS Changes for Non-Prescribers – What You Need to Know
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
You can keep up to date with the latest news in aesthetics by following us on social media @Inspired_Cosmetic_Training
Becoming a Nurse Prescriber & Getting a V300 Qualification
Thinking about becoming a prescriber? Here’s a quick summary of things you need to know!
Becoming a prescriber can be invaluable for your medical aesthetics career! And here’s how you can do it…
How Do I Become a Prescriber?
Firstly you need to secure a place at one of the universities offering V300 courses
A list of these NMC approved courses can be found on their website and include:
https://www.nmc.org.uk/education/approved-programmes/
- University of Aberdeen
- University of the West of Scotland
- Queen Margaret University
- Edinburgh Napier University
- University of Highlands and Islands
- University of Stirling
- The Robert Gordon University
There are also courses available through Universities in England.
Find a Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DDP) and a Practice Supervisor (PS)
They will act as mentors to guide, assist and asses you through your placement.
Inspired Cosmetic Training can put you in touch with experienced DDP/PS to help you achieve your goal of becoming a competent and safe prescriber.
Provide the University with your HIS registration certificate
This will be part of your application.
Complete Your 90 hours
V300 courses require 90 hours of practice learning and related activities.
SMART Learning objectives will be agreed at the start of the course between you and your DDP.
Examples of these may be:
- Developing a plan and strategy on achieving completion
- Developing a core formulary of drugs used within your scope of practice
- Discussion on case study
- Discussion on systematic and detailed examination in practice (SDEP)
Becoming a prescriber can open so many doors for you and your clinic!
For further details on the V300 course please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at carolyn@inspiredcosmetictraining.com or give us a call on 0141 648 4098.
