New aesthetics licensing is coming. Will your clinic be ready?

What is the new aesthetics licensing scheme?

Under powers introduced by Section 180 of the Health and Care Act 2022, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is developing a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England — covering treatments such as injectables, dermal fillers, and other procedures that carry a risk of harm if performed unsafely.

Following the Government’s consultation, the direction of travel is clear: practitioners will need a personal licence, and premises will need to meet defined standards, enforced through local authorities. The aim is simple — consumers should be able to trust that whoever treats them is trained, insured, and operating safely.

The proposed three-tier model

The consultation proposed a traffic-light system that groups procedures by risk. Higher-risk procedures face tighter requirements:

Exact procedure classifications and timelines are being finalised by DHSC. The safe assumption for any serious clinic: standards are going up, and evidence of safe practice will be expected.

What will licensed clinics need to show?

While final requirements are being confirmed, the themes are already visible from the consultation and existing healthcare regulation. Expect to need to evidence:

• Practitioner training, qualifications and insurance
• Infection prevention and control (IPC) standards
• Safe management of medicines and products
• Robust consent and record-keeping
• Incident recording and a clear complaints process
• Premises standards and equipment safety

If that list looks familiar, it should — it is the same evidence backbone that underpins CQC readiness. Clinics that build good governance now will not be scrambling when the scheme goes live.

How INTENTIQ gets you ready

INTENTIQ turns your day-to-day clinic activity into a live, evidenced governance record — consent, training and competency, IPC audits, incidents, complaints, medicines and equipment, all in one place. Instead of assembling paperwork when a deadline lands, you build the evidence as you work.

It is designed to support your readiness and help you evidence safe, well-governed practice — whether that is for CQC today or the new licensing scheme as it takes shape.