Te Kaunihera Pūtaiao Hauora O Aotearoa - Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) issued a revised draft Policy for doctors who wish to perform cosmetic procedures designed to protect patient safety by ensuring procedures are performed by doctors with the appropriate degree of training and experience. We supported the framework dictating the degree of training required for each category of procedure, whilst seeking further adjustments.
RACS worked with the New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons (NZAPS) and Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) to review the revised draft which will replace the 2017 policy. We agreed it represents significant progress in protecting patient safety by ensuring procedures are performed by doctors with the appropriate degree of training and experience.
In general, we support the use of the four-category framework to recognise risk and dictate the degree of training required for each category of procedure. We said Category A, which represents complex surgical procedures and presents the highest degree of risk to patient safety, requires greater clarity on the distinction between structural and non-structural, and visceral and non-visceral, procedures. Certain of these procedures should only be performed by doctors registered in the vocational scope of dermatology if they have completed an MCNZ-approved surgical cosmetic procedures training and had an MCNZ-approved extension to their scope of practice; or are participating in an MCNZ-approved surgical cosmetic procedures training course and perform Category A cosmetic procedures only as part of that training.
The proposal is also for doctors operating within an extended scope of practice to participate in a CPD programme approved by MCNZ. We believe this requirement should be strengthened by explicitly stating the CPD programme must be relevant to the extended scope in which the doctor is working. We offered to be actively involved in accrediting the CPD programme.
RACS worked with the New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons (NZAPS) and Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) to review the revised draft which will replace the 2017 policy. We agreed it represents significant progress in protecting patient safety by ensuring procedures are performed by doctors with the appropriate degree of training and experience.
In general, we support the use of the four-category framework to recognise risk and dictate the degree of training required for each category of procedure. We said Category A, which represents complex surgical procedures and presents the highest degree of risk to patient safety, requires greater clarity on the distinction between structural and non-structural, and visceral and non-visceral, procedures. Certain of these procedures should only be performed by doctors registered in the vocational scope of dermatology if they have completed an MCNZ-approved surgical cosmetic procedures training and had an MCNZ-approved extension to their scope of practice; or are participating in an MCNZ-approved surgical cosmetic procedures training course and perform Category A cosmetic procedures only as part of that training.
The proposal is also for doctors operating within an extended scope of practice to participate in a CPD programme approved by MCNZ. We believe this requirement should be strengthened by explicitly stating the CPD programme must be relevant to the extended scope in which the doctor is working. We offered to be actively involved in accrediting the CPD programme.