Raising an issue of concern

How to raise a concern

Concerns about a practitioner and about an education/training provider or course all use the same online form. Concerns about the JCCP itself are made by email.

About a practitioner or training providerComplete the online form about a practitioner, or an Education/Training Provider or course. You will receive an acknowledgement within 5 working days for a practitioner, or within 10 working days for an Education/Training Provider or course.About the JCCPEmail complaints@jccp.org.uk - you will receive an acknowledgement within 10 working days.

Who can raise concerns?

As well as patients/clients who have received aesthetic treatments, any member of the public, and anyone who works (or has worked) in the non-surgical cosmetic or hair restoration surgery sector can raise concerns; this includes contractors, product manufacturers, insurers, pharmacists, education and training providers and any other interested party.

What concerns can I raise?

You can raise a concern about any risk, malpractice or wrongdoing you think may harm patients/clients. Just a few examples might include (but are by no means restricted to):

Complaints about the JCCP and its appointed Trustees and the manner in which the Council discharges its functions and responsibilities.
Unsafe patient/client care or treatment experience.
Unsafe working/premises standards.
Inadequate induction or training for practitioners.
Lack of, or poor response to a reported patient safety incident.
Breaches of equality standards.
Matters relating to inappropriate advertising of services or educational provision.
Unacceptable experiences relating to dignity and respect.
Breaches in information governance or data sharing/confidentiality.
Unacceptable performance by one of the JCCP’s approved education and training providers/awarding bodies.

The JCCP Registrar will determine if the matter of concern raised is an appropriate matter to be dealt with by the JCCP.

All complaints about Registrants will be referred to the Chair of the JCCP Practitioner Register Committee for consideration and action.

Guidance

It is often stressful to raise a concern or to complain - this guidance is designed to help you present your issue of concern.

The JCCP assesses and monitors regulated aesthetic practitioners who offer non-surgical aesthetic treatments to ensure they are appropriately qualified, experienced and trained to practise safely. Practitioners accepted onto the JCCP Register (Registrants) agree to practise in accordance with the JCCP/CPSA Code of Practice, which is focused on patient safety and public protection. The needs of patients/clients are the Council’s first priority.

Both the JCCP and its Registrants are required to be open about what they do and have a duty of candour to respect and respond candidly to your concerns. If you believe you have not been well treated, it is best that you say so, so that the problem can be reviewed with the aim of resolution for you (and with you), and so that everyone can learn how to improve and do better in the future.

The JCCP provides two public registers

Practitioner RegisterA Professional Standards Authority (PSA) Accredited Practitioner Register

Education and Training RegisterA Register of Approved Qualifications and Approved Education and Training Providers (which is not accredited by the PSA)

Values of the JCCP

The JCCP also has a duty of candour to ensure that it conducts its business in accordance with its Constitutional responsibilities, Company Law, and the governance requirements of the UK Charity Commission. The JCCP ‘Mission’ places public protection and patient safety at the core of its activities. The JCCP has set out its values against which its functions may be judged and held to account:

Patient safetyTo uphold Patient Safety and Public Confidence as the core driving forces of the JCCP.

Ethical standardsTo operate its Registers of Practitioners and Approved Education and Training Providers under a Code of Practice that embodies robust ethical standards.

Openness, fairness and independenceTo be open, fair, and independent.

Equality, inclusion and diversityTo commit to Equality of Opportunity, Inclusion and Diversity.

PartnershipTo work in partnership with patients and all key stakeholders in the aesthetic industry.

InnovationTo recognise innovation and evidenced-based practice and respond to change.

Protecting the public

We discharge our responsibility to protect members of the Public by:

Strict standardsApplying strict standards for entry to the JCCP PSA accredited Practitioner Register and to the Education and Training Register (non-PSA Accredited) and for continued registration.

Approving qualifications and providersApproving qualifications and education and training providers that deliver qualifications that meet the standards.

Maintaining a registerMaintaining a register of individuals who successfully complete those programmes and approval procedures.

Taking actionTaking action if the standards may not have been met.

Clear and simple proceduresEstablishing clear and simple procedures to enable the public to raise issues of concern about the professional practice of registrants or other key issues of concern related to aesthetic education, training and standards of aesthetic practice.

Accessible informationProviding simple and easily accessible information to the public who are considering non-surgical aesthetic treatments.

Support, and no reprisals

It is natural that you might feel worried about raising a concern. The JCCP understands this and will take your concerns seriously, look into what you say and provide you with the support, advice and guidance to raise your concern.

The JCCP will not tolerate the harassment or victimisation of anyone raising a concern, nor will we tolerate any attempt to dissuade you from raising a concern. Such behaviour would be a breach of our values as an organisation and, if your concern/complaint is upheld following our investigation, this could result in disciplinary action being taken by the JCCP’s Fitness to Practise team against the Registrant concerned.

Raising a concern is seen by the JCCP, and by its Registrants and Education and Training providers, as a positive and helpful thing to do. Whatever the result of your complaint, there will never be a backlash or reprisal - more likely there will be thanks for helping to improve service user experience and the quality of services in the non-surgical aesthetic sector.

Who deals with your concern

All JCCP Registrants abide by a Code of Practice that requires them to explain to you what to do if you are concerned about your treatment and patient/client experience, and to be open and honest when things go wrong. You can check whether the person you are concerned about is a JCCP Registrant at https://jccp.aloraconcepts.co.uk/register.

All JCCP Practitioner Registrants are required to have a ‘Complaints Procedure’ in place. Ask to see it, read it and discuss your concern with your Practitioner - most often, your concern can be sorted out there and then. If you and your Practitioner cannot agree, the way to resolve your complaint depends on the Practitioner’s type of practice:

Self-employed practitioners may belong to the Cosmetic Redress Scheme (https://www.cosmeticredress.co.uk/), which provides an independent arbitration service to deal with complaints and breaches of consumer legislation, such as perceived unfair treatment.
Large cosmetic chains (for example ‘sk:n’ or ‘The Private Clinic’) will offer their internal processes first and then the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS, http://iscas.cedr.com/), where a completely independent mediator or adjudicator assesses the evidence and makes an adjudication or mediation which is binding upon both you and the provider.
If the Registrant does not offer you a way to make your complaint, or you prefer to come direct, raise your concern with the JCCP using the complaints form above.

Complaints relating to JCCP Practitioner Registrants are the responsibility of the Registrar acting alongside the Chairs of the Fitness to Practice Committee and members of the JCCP Practitioner Register Committee who will review any complaint made against its Registrants in accordance with the JCCP’s published Fitness to Practice procedures (as published on the Practitioner section of the JCCP Website).

The concerns we investigate

The JCCP accepts all concerns about its registrants. However, more serious concerns that could pose a risk to public safety and which may indicate a breach of our ‘Code of Conduct’ may need to be referred to the JCCP Fitness to Practice Committee for investigation. This committee is independent of the JCCP’s internal governance systems and is committed to acting impartially.

The test or ‘threshold’ for referral is, in the first instance, the JCCP Code of Practice. Where non-compliance with the Code presents a concern of sufficient risk, including all issues of public protection against JCCP standards relating to competence and malpractice, the matter is referred to the JCCP Fitness to Practice Committee for investigation. The following concerns typically meet the threshold for such investigation:

Criminal prosecution

Referral from another PSA Accredited Register

Referral from a Professional Statutory regulator (e.g., the GMC or NMC etc.)

Child/adult safeguarding concerns

Potential EDI/discrimination challenge

Bullying and harassment

If the JCCP determines that any of the above thresholds have not been met, we undertake to provide written justification for our decision.

The JCCP will also consider health concerns, including for example substance abuse and alcohol dependency, where there may be a risk of harm. It is aware that some concerns may also cause reputational damage to both the JCCP and the Registrant’s profession, and considers this when reviewing complaints against the thresholds.

When a complaint does not meet the threshold for referral, the JCCP may still ask the registrant to undertake improvement action and/or advise them how to improve their conduct, and expects them to reflect, demonstrate insight, understand the rationale for improvement and reaffirm their commitment to comply with the JCCP Code of Practice. These outcomes are communicated to the complainant, along with the basis for the decisions taken.

How we publish outcomes

It is an important feature of public protection that a member of the public can make safe choices. If a registrant receives a sanction after an investigation, the JCCP publishes the sanction in line with the JCCP publication procedure for fitness to practise and registration outcomes.

What should I do if I am dissatisfied with the outcome of my complaint?

Complainants are invited to initiate the following appeals process after a decision has been made by the JCCP on the outcome of a previously presented complaint. For example:

A complainant has been told that the JCCP will not follow up the concern as it does not meet their definition of a ‘complaint’.
A complainant is dissatisfied with the speed of the follow up process.
The JCCP has completed its investigation of the complaint follow up and the complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome.

The appeals process

Confidentiality

We hope you will feel comfortable raising your concern openly, but you may want to raise it confidentially - your identity is known to the JCCP but to no one else. The JCCP will keep your identity confidential and process your personal data in line with its privacy notice, if that is what you want, unless required to disclose it by law (for example, by the police).

You can choose to raise your concern anonymously, without disclosing your name, but that will make it difficult for the JCCP to investigate thoroughly and to provide you with feedback on the outcome of any investigations.

These guidelines are written in support of the JCCP values and mission. Implementation April 2023; reviewed May 2026.

Documents

JCCP Guide - Making a Complaint or Raising an Issue of ConcernPDF JCCP Procedure - Publication of Fitness to Practise and Registration OutcomesPDF JCCP Code of Practice - 2023PDF