Which registers exist, and what each one actually proves

There is no single register of aesthetic clinics in the United Kingdom. There are registers of people, of companies, of authorised financial firms, and two voluntary lists run by private bodies. Each answers one narrow question. Here is how to read every one of them.

6 procedures in this section

Which UK registers exist, and what each one actually proves

There is no single register of aesthetic clinics in the United Kingdom. There are several registers of people, a small number of registers of premises that only cover some clinics, a registe...

Registers / 12 min read

How to read a GMC register entry properly

A GMC entry has several fields and most people read only the first. Full registration means the doctor may practise in the UK. A licence to practise is a separate field, and without one a do...

Registers / 11 min read

How to read an NMC register entry, and what a prescribing annotation means

The Nursing and Midwifery Council register shows whether a person is a registered nurse or midwife, in which part of the register, and whether they hold an annotation as an independent or su...

Registers / 11 min read

Checking dentists, pharmacists and HCPC registered professionals

Dentists and dental care professionals are on the General Dental Council register, and the title on the entry limits what that person may lawfully do. Pharmacists are on the General Pharmace...

Registers / 11 min read

The JCCP and Save Face: what voluntary registers are, and what they are not

The Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners and Save Face are voluntary registers run by private organisations, not statutory regulators. A practitioner appears on one because they applied ...

Registers / 11 min read

Companies House: what a clinic's company record tells you, and what it cannot

Companies House is the free public record of UK companies. It tells you which limited company sits behind a trading name, when it was incorporated, who the directors and persons with signifi...

Registers / 11 min read

Registration and treatment training: what to check

A statutory register establishes a profession and a regulatory status. It does not establish that the person is trained in the treatment you are booking. What evidence of treatment specific training you can reasonably ask for, how to verify it with the awarding body rather than the clinic, and what to make of a job title with no register behind it.

Registers / 9 min read

The verification note

One email a month. What changed in the registers and the law, what a new rule actually requires, and one procedure written out in full. No clinic is ever recommended and none can pay to appear.

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