Prof. David Sines, CBE joins Harley Academy as Licensing Advisor

Professor David Sines, CBE, has joined Harley Academy as a Licensing Advisor.

You may well know David from his work as Chair of the Joint Council of Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP), helping to drive up standards in UK aesthetics. What you might not know, is that Harley Academy has worked closely with him since our inception in 2016.

We spoke to David about his appointment and the direction he believes the imminent aesthetics licensing scheme will take…

STRATEGIC ADVICE ON AESTHETICS LICENSING

“I’ve been working with Harley Academy for a number of years, and act as a strategic advisor on licensing, which is a very exciting opportunity,” says David.

“I’m really looking forward to making reality out of the new standards that we believe will support and enhance public protection, and patient safety.”

“Harley Academy was always very important to the JCCP because our journey started as a partnership, back in 2014 when I chaired the Health Education England programme for Non-Surgical Cosmetic Education and Training Standards, for the Department of Health.”

He recalls, “Harley was one of the first educational partners that came along to help us think through the art of the possible…A number of years of consolidated learning, constant improvement of our standards together, and testing those. But also ensuring that quality and patient safety sits at the heart of all we do together.”

Although the government’s plans for the regulation of non-surgical cosmetic procedures and aesthetics practitioners have not yet been announced, they are expected at any moment.

DR TRISTAN MEHTA WELCOMES PROFESSOR SINES

Dr Tristan Mehta, founder of Harley Academy, said of Sines’ engagement, “David has been hugely supportive over the years. Back in 2016, our Level 7 Certificate became the first Ofqual-regulated Injectables qualification, mapped to the original Health Education England guidelines. Since becoming a JCCP-approved training centre, Harley Academy has worked with David to ensure the highest standards of compliance with intended future regulatory change.”

“Professor Sines has a remarkable work ethic and has devoted the last 10 years to driving forward regulation in aesthetic medicine. His ongoing advice and support further advance our combined objective of improving patient safety in this sector.”

DR SINES BRINGS A WEALTH OF REGULATORY EXPERIENCE

“It’s been a long journey,” recounts David. “If you go back to 2011/12, Sir Bruce Keogh, Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health – as it then was – undertook a national review of cosmetic surgery.”

Sir Bruce “identified that many non-surgical procedures were being performed in a way that he considered to be potentially unsafe. He called it ‘the Wild West’, which has been used as a caricature in much of our members of parliament questions, for example.”

“I was asked in 2014 to chair a national review, by Bruce Keogh, to look at the education and training standards for the non-surgical sector. And, as a result of that work, over two years, working closely with Harley Academy and a number of other organisations… we produced a national set of standards for education and training.”

Health Education England framework

He advises that these “became known as the Health Education England framework for Education and Training for Non-Surgical Cosmetic Procedures.”

As a result of his work on the HEE framework, David Sines confirms that “the Department of Health accepted those standards in principle, but advised at that time – the end of 2015 – it wasn’t the right time to enforce them in law.”

This HEE framework is what the Level 7 was built around when our founder, Dr Tristan Mehta, first pioneered this postgraduate injectables course, back in 2016. Our Level 7 Diploma in Botox & Dermal Fillers qualification has gone from strength to strength since then. It is now JCCP-approved, Ofqual-regulated and accredited by VTCT.

FORMING THE JCCP AND PUSHING AHEAD

The knockback didn’t put David and his colleagues off. “The JCCP was formed in January 2016, bringing together the industry in a voluntary manner – not a statutory regulator.” The Department of Health gave them the HEE standards to “review and refine”, which they did. Involving many other relevant individuals and organisations along the way, they produced the JCCP Competency Framework in 2018.

David recalls, “By that time, we’d gathered enough energy from colleagues to realise that that journey to regulation was just starting.”

The JCCP’s 2021 ‘10 Point Plan’ followed and informed the APPG review. It has also helped to shape the regulatory discussions that have led us to our current position.

LEGALLY ENFORCEABLE MINIMUM AESTHETICS TRAINING STANDARDS

“The JCCP has always made it very clear to the government and to our stakeholders – and, of course, to members of the public – that seeking a national standard and an implementable standard of education and training, is the best way to protect members of the public when they seek to undertake cosmetic procedures,” he confirms.

“Harley Academy saw the opportunity to develop those education standards,” David points out. “Through their standards, we also developed and refined our education and training standards, which are now nationally implementable but not legally enforceable.”

"An exemplary standard"

“Without legal enforcement of a standard, there’s an issue. So what Harley has done is it’s taken its own education and training to a new level. It’s worked with an awarding body, VTCT, which the JCCP holds in great regard. This is because the standards that VTCT and Ofqual, our national vocational regulator, map out and put in place, map onto our own standards. Our professional standards for cosmetic practice.”

David continues, “Harley Academy has refined its standards, its ways of teaching, to a national standard. We believe this is really an exemplary standard.”

We’re all on tenterhooks waiting for the hotly-anticipated government announcement. As soon as the report is published, we’ll bring you the details so do follow us on Instagram @harley_academy for updates.

All information correct at the time of publication