JCCP: a personal and professional journey

The Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP) has been an area of contention since the moment it was announced, and it still remains so for many aesthetic practitioners and other professionals within the industry. It's no secret that I objected to so many aspects of the Council at the point of its conception, and for some time after. However, just as they have been on a journey of growth and development, I have been on my own journey with my opinions towards it. The Council is still not a perfectly formed vessel, but what was initially resentment and mistrust felt by practitioners may now be a degree of misplaced anger and misunderstanding.

The JCCP began on a very difficult footing, born out of a recommendation from Health Education England (HEE) in 2015 that a bipartisan group be formed to create standards and qualification frameworks for those practising in non-surgical aesthetics, namely injectable toxin and fillers, laser and light, hair restoration surgery and skin rejuvenation. Despite many of the Expert Reference Group fighting to block non-healthcare professionals from entering into the former (including some within the beauty sector), the recommendation came in the final HEE report that a Council should be formed to include all practitioners, irrespective of professional background to practise at all levels of the HEE Framework. And so, upon its inception, the Council accepted this with some reluctance. Practitioners branded it a ‘turncoat and a facilitator’ for beauty therapists looking to make quick money and undermine medical professionals. However professional protests were heard, which saw the Council suspend access for beauty therapists to Level 7 injectables and fillers.