UK’s General Medical Council offers new guidance on ‘cooling off’ period for patients

The General Medical Council has recommended that doctors who carry out cosmetic procedures must allow patients proper time to consider the treatment before they go ahead with it, according to a press release.

The new final guidance, expected in early 2016, will encompass all doctors in the United Kingdom who carry out cosmetic procedures, both surgical and non-surgical.

The General Medical Council is holding a consultation from June 8 through Sept. 1, 2015, which is available here. The consultation’s purpose is to tighten standards and protect consumers from potential risks involved with cosmetic surgery, Terence Stephenson, General Medical Council chair, explained in the release.

The General Medical Council is an independent organization that works to protect patients and improve medical education and practice across the United Kingdom.

Reference: www.gmc-uk.org