Correction and clarification: Medicines review in The Podiatrist
The article appeared on page 13 of the January/February issue as part of the Annual Conference 2023 round-up coverage
On page 13 of the January/February magazine, in a column providing updates from the College’s Medicines and Medical Devices Committee, we incorrectly said that it is illegal to offer facial injections of botulinum toxin type A in your podiatry practice, even if you have undertaken additional training.
To clarify, it is illegal to give facial injections as a podiatrist, and to purchase botulinum toxin type A for facial injections as a podiatrist, even if you have undertaken additional training irrespective of whether you are an Independent Prescriber.
However, it is legal to give facial injections if you are a podiatrist who has undertaken additional training and practises under a different, appropriately trained profession. If this is the case you must buy, administer and treat solely under the alternative profession, and make it clear to patients you are not practicing and administering as a podiatrist during that time.
In this scenario, the practitioner must make a clear demarcation between you as a podiatrist in the podiatry side of your business and you as a facial aesthetician in the beauty side of your business. If you fail to do this you could be opening yourself up to a HCPC complaint and potential criminal offence.
Podiatrists who are Independent Prescribers can administer botulinum toxin type A after appropriate training for podiatric reasons and only in the foot and its related structures.
We would also like to clarify that the additional access to the controlled drugs gabapentin, codeine, tramadol and morphine, which is being sought by the Royal College, will – if successful – only apply to independent prescriber podiatrists.
We are happy to correct the record and apologise for the mistake.