Updated information from Medical Board about accreditation of cosmetic surgery facilities

08 Jun Updated information from Medical Board about accreditation of cosmetic surgery facilities

Here is an update about the requirement in the Medical Board of Australia’s (the Board) Guidelines for medical practitioners who perform cosmetic surgery and procedures in relation to accreditation of facilities:

All cosmetic surgery (except certain types of blepharoplasty) must be performed in a facility that is accredited by an Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) approved agency to ACSQHC standards as specified by the Board.

The standards specified by the Board are the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards.

The Board understands that some practitioners are concerned that they will not be able to have their facility fully accredited by 1 July 2023 as required.

The Board acknowledged the concerns and has agreed to allow cosmetic practitioners to continue to perform cosmetic surgery after 1 July 2023 in a facility if it is not yet accredited, if they can provide evidence by 1 July 2023:

• that the facility is registered with a ACSQHC approved accrediting agency, and
• from the agency that they have commenced working toward accreditation and have completed a self-assessment against the NSQHS Standards.

The Board will require all facilities in which cosmetic surgery is performed to be fully accredited against ACSQHC NSQHS standards by 1 July 2024.

The Board will publish information for medical practitioners on its website including FAQs on the FAQ page.