Recommendations & Conclusions
26 items
1
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Accepted
We urge the Government to immediately initiate a comprehensive cross-government strategy that brings together, at the very least, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and the Department for Education to tackle the current growing problem of body dissatisfaction and its related …
Government response. The government agreed on the need for cross-government work but stated there is no immediate need for a standalone strategy, as departments are already collaborating and existing initiatives like the Every Mind Matters campaign and the Healthy Child Programme address …
Department of Health and Social Care
2
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Acknowledged
We recommend that the Department of Health and Social Care, along with the National Institute for Health Research, commission and fund new research to understand the causal pathways that are leading to a rise in body image dissatisfaction across the population and the impact of social media on body image. …
Government response. The government highlighted NIHR's significant existing mental health research funding and openness to applications on body image, noting ongoing collaborations for eating disorders research. It stated that NIHR will continue to explore ways to address the recommendation for new research …
Department of Health and Social Care
3
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Accepted
We urge the Department to ensure more is done to make the diagnosis and treatment of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) a priority. From a diagnostic perspective, we recommend that Health Education England update the IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) and EMHP (Educational Mental Health Practitioner) curricula to make training …
Government response. The government agreed that BDD diagnosis and treatment are a priority, stating this is addressed through current training for mental health professionals and NHS talking therapies (IAPT) in line with NICE guidance. It rejected compulsory BDD training for EMHPs as …
Department of Health and Social Care
4
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Accepted
We call on the Government to better equip future generations and their families with the skills and resources required to tackle body image issues. These skills and resources include critical thinking, particularly when it comes to appraising images, and self- worth. We recommend that the Government explores the use of …
Government response. The government committed to improving families' access to resources for body image issues through the £301.75 million rollout of Family Hubs in half of local authorities across England. These hubs will provide guidance on mental health and emotional wellbeing support, …
Department of Health and Social Care
5
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Rejected
We commend the Government’s work to date to introduce Education Mental Health Practitioners within school-based Mental Health Support Teams across the country, as well as the commitment to have a Mental Health Lead teacher in schools. We recommend that the Government review the training of these practitioners to ensure it …
Government response. The government rejected reviewing EMHP training to include spotting early signs of body image issues, believing current arrangements are fit for purpose. It provided an update on the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), with over 500 planned by …
Department of Health and Social Care
6
Conclusion
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Rejected
While we commend the funding set aside for eating disorders to date and the actions taken by the Government so far, we are now of the opinion that a more co- ordinated approach is essential to properly understand and tackle this growing issue
Government response. The government rejected publishing a separate national eating disorder strategy, stating that eating disorders will be considered as part of a broader major conditions strategy under development. It noted NHS England's £54 million investment to expand eating disorder services for …
Department of Health and Social Care
7
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Deferred
We recommend that the Government develops a national eating disorder strategy that aims to understand the causal mechanisms that lead to the development of eating disorders and earmarks adequate funding to bolster existing services as well as to increase investment in research. We further recommend that alongside the quarterly publication …
Government response. The government's response entirely focused on Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs (IPEDs) and anabolic steroid use, outlining work by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), instead of addressing the recommendation for a national eating disorder strategy, research, funding, and addressing regional inequalities in …
Department of Health and Social Care
8
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Deferred
We recommend that the Department commissions a national review of the growing use of anabolic steroids in England as it relates to body image. We further recommend that the Department introduces a national awareness campaign around safe anabolic steroid use. This ought to be coordinated through existing steroid user support …
Government response. The government's response largely deflected the recommendation for a national review and awareness campaign on anabolic steroid use, instead focusing on the Online Advertising Programme (OAP) and its consideration of advertisements that contribute to body image concerns, and engagement with …
Department of Health and Social Care
9
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Deferred
We call on the Government to work with advertisers to feature a wider variety of body aesthetics, and work with industry and the ASA to encourage advertisers and influencers not to doctor their images. We believe the Government should introduce legislation that ensures commercial images are labelled with a logo …
Government response. The government acknowledges the issue and commits to collaborating with other departments to gather robust evidence on screen time's impact before deciding whether to progress with a nationwide public health campaign. It does not commit to working with advertisers or …
Department of Health and Social Care
10
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Acknowledged
We echo the call of our witness Professor Sandeep Ranote for the creation of a national public health strategy akin to the 1970s ‘Green Cross Code’. A ‘Screen Cross Code’ would be a nationwide public health campaign, which would use short effective messages to educate the public on best practice …
Government response. Health Education England, the General Medical Council, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council welcome the recommendation and are committed to ensuring healthcare professionals have the necessary resources and training to discuss and address body image issues. However, the response does …
Department of Health and Social Care
11
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Deferred
We urge Health Education England, the General Medical Council and Nursing and Midwifery Council to collaborate with third sector organisations that are currently educating people about, and promoting awareness of, body image issues, and after a period of assessment, integrate the most effective existing training and resources into all training …
Government response. The government's response does not address the recommendation to integrate body image training into medical, nursing, and midwifery curricula. Instead, it discusses the lack of plans for nationally required annual holistic health and wellbeing assessments and the existing health visiting …
Department of Health and Social Care
12
Conclusion
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Accepted
We were extremely disappointed that during the inquiry, the Government delayed the introduction of restrictions on multibuy deals on food and drinks high in fat, salt, or sugar, including buy-one-get-one-free deals. It is essential that the Government prioritises interventions that provide a healthy environment, rather than focusing solely on individual …
Government response. The government details existing population-wide interventions, such as calorie labelling and location restrictions for high fat, salt, or sugar (HFSS) products, along with successes in reformulation programmes. However, it does not address the committee's disappointment over the delay in implementing …
Department of Health and Social Care
13
Conclusion
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Accepted
We propose that, in line with the introduction of Integrated Care Systems which seek to tackle health inequalities and focus on prevention, the Department ought to bolster the Healthy Child Programme, the programme for prevention and public health of children and young people aged 0–19-year-old and their families. We propose …
Government response. The government details existing work by OHID on person-centred language for obesity and the Better Health campaign, and mentions that the National Child Measurement Programme is trialling new approaches to help parents and professionals discuss weight supportively. However, it does …
Department of Health and Social Care
14
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Deferred
We urge the Government to implement population-level policies that ensure healthier choices and lifestyles are made a priority in tackling obesity rates, rather than schemes that focus solely on weight loss and can engender weight stigma and result in adverse health outcomes. We were disappointed by the Government’s delay in …
Government response. The government deflects the recommendation by detailing the National Institute for Health Research's (NIHR) existing portfolio of research on weight management and policy evaluations, and states that NIHR welcomes funding applications for various health topics but does not ring-fence funds.
Department of Health and Social Care
15
Conclusion
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Deferred
Throughout the inquiry, we have been aware of the importance and complexities involved in tackling obesity rates to improve population health and reducing weight stigma to not perpetuate mental and physical health issues.
Government response. The government's response discusses the introduction of a licensing regime for non-surgical cosmetic procedures, including the scope of work and a plan for delivery by July 2023, but does not address the committee's conclusion regarding the importance of tackling obesity …
Department of Health and Social Care
16
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Deferred
We recommend that the Government undertakes an urgent review of its current campaigns related to obesity and alters any language or media used that fail to 36 The impact of body image on mental and physical health mention being underweight is as big a risk as being overweight. We also …
Government response. The government's response details guidance for doctors offering non-surgical cosmetic procedures and the importance of informed patient choice, but does not address the recommendation to review obesity campaigns for language or integrate weight stigma training into medical, nursing, and allied …
Department of Health and Social Care
17
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Deferred
There needs to be further research to establish how best to tackle obesity while eliminating weight stigma and discrimination, and to establish the efficacy of weight- neutral interventions, and we recommend that the National Institute for Health Research put aside funding for this purpose. (Paragraph 97) Non-surgical cosmetic procedures
Government response. The government's response outlines plans to consider specific premises standards for non-surgical cosmetic procedures and work with the CQC to ensure consistency, but does not address the recommendation for the National Institute for Health Research to fund research on tackling …
Department of Health and Social Care
18
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Acknowledged
The risk of exploitation of vulnerable groups seeking non-surgical cosmetic procedures is too great and we recommend that to prevent further exploitation, the Department immediately draws up a clear timeframe for the consultation process. We urge the Government to make this a priority and to introduce the licensing regime for …
Government response. The government agrees on the need for suitably trained and qualified practitioners for non-surgical cosmetic procedures and commits to working with the Joint Council of Cosmetic Practitioners and other stakeholders to consider whether further education and training requirements are necessary. …
Department of Health and Social Care
19
Conclusion
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Deferred
The dangers posed by non-surgical cosmetic procedures in vulnerable groups have been evident throughout the inquiry. The new licensing regime provides an opportunity to ensure that anyone planning to undertake a non-surgical cosmetic procedure has the time and space to consider their decision, and weigh up the risks and benefits. …
Government response. The government explained the current regulation of dermal fillers as products by the MHRA, mentioning that the MHRA intends to introduce more stringent rules for aesthetic and non-medical products, but stated there are no plans to make dermal fillers prescription-only.
Department of Health and Social Care
20
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Acknowledged
We recommend that the new licensing regime for non-surgical cosmetic procedures includes a commitment to a two-part consent process for anyone considering having a non-surgical cosmetic procedure, including, at a minimum, a full medical and mental health history, as well as a mandatory 48-hour cooling off period between the consent …
Government response. The government stated it will continue to work with relevant stakeholders to ensure consumers can make safe and informed choices about cosmetic procedures, but committed to no specific actions regarding the recommended consent process or cooling-off period.
Department of Health and Social Care
21
Conclusion
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Acknowledged
There should be specific premises standards for all beauty salons and non-CQC registered premises providing non-surgical cosmetic procedures. Local Authority Enforcement Officers should be given extended powers to enforce compliance with a nationally agreed set of premises standards.
Government response. The government stated its general desire for the public to trust medicines and devices used in non-surgical cosmetic procedures and for practitioners to market responsibly, but committed to no action on premises standards or enforcement powers.
Department of Health and Social Care
22
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Deferred
We are convinced that there is a need for a minimum standard to be met in regards to the education and training of practitioners who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures. It is essential to ensure patient safety, and thus should be a central pillar of a future licensing regime. The Professional …
Government response. The government agrees on the need for suitable training and nationally recognised standards for non-surgical cosmetic practitioners. They will work with stakeholders, including JCCP, to consider whether further education and training requirements are necessary, rather than committing to a specific …
Department of Health and Social Care
23
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Rejected
We recommend that the Department review the licencing of dermal fillers to be prescription-only substances, in line with Botox, in order to provide more protection for people undertaking procedures involving dermal fillers.
Government response. The government rejects the recommendation to make dermal fillers prescription-only, stating there are no current plans to do so because they are classified as medical devices rather than medicinal products like Botox. However, they note that the MHRA intends to …
Department of Health and Social Care
24
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Accepted
We recommend that the Department establish a ‘Non-Surgical Cosmetic Procedures’ safety taskforce that comprises each of the regulatory bodies that have input into the sector, including the MHRA, the nine statutory bodies, the ASA and stakeholders like the JCCP, Save Face and other industry bodies. This taskforce’s remit should be …
Government response. The government states it already has effective working relationships with various regulatory bodies and key industry stakeholders. They will continue to work with these groups to ensure consumer safety, thus implicitly declining the recommendation to establish a new safety taskforce.
Department of Health and Social Care
25
Conclusion
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Acknowledged
We welcome the decision to prohibit advertising for cosmetic procedures being directed at under-18s and we look forward to the results of the 12-month review of this new measure
Government response. The government acknowledges the committee's welcome of the ban on advertising cosmetic procedures to under-18s, confirming the ban came into effect on 25 May 2022 through CAP rules covering all media.
Department of Health and Social Care
26
Recommendation
Second Report - The impact of body imag…
Rejected
We recommend that the new licensing regime should include the requirement to display a kitemark and a warning logo on any advertisement for treatments that fall within the regime’s scope. (Paragraph 129) 38 The impact of body image on mental and physical health
Government response. The government implicitly rejects the recommendation for a kitemark and warning logo, citing existing robust regulations for cosmetic surgery advertisements (e.g., ban on targeting under-18s) and explaining that a BSI Kitemark is not a prescribed requirement for medical devices, which …
Department of Health and Social Care