Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 - Special Procedures
Introducing the Mandatory Licensing Scheme in Wales - Practitioner Newsletter No. 10
This newsletter provides some updates from the Approved Training Centres offering the RSPH Level 2 Award in Infection Prevention and Control for Special Procedures Practitioners, a short update from the webinar held on 5th December and a further explanation regarding the recently published indicative national licensing fees.
Our response to the first consultation is currently being translated and is due for publication in the new year. We are in the process of finalising the next and final consultation which will give stakeholders the opportunity to respond to our draft regulations. We will advise when this is published.
Any enquiries please contact: Sarah.Jones058@gov.wales.
RSPH - Level 2 Award in Infection Prevention and Control for Special Procedures Practitioners
Updates from the Approved Training Centres
Cognition Training
we have structured our course in a way that allows studios to purchase the course content and exam entries separately making it more cost effective for studios with multiple staff or artists. We will be operating a system where the exam entries are processed on the 20th of each month for the RSPH to then arrange the exam date directly with the candidates themselves.
For further information please contact: info@cognition.training.
Below are the links to the course material and the exam entries as well.
Level 2 award in infection prevention and control for special procedures – Cognition Training
Exam entry for RSPH Level 2 Award in Infection Prevention and Control. – Cognition Training
Torfaen Adult Community Learning
Torfaen Adult Community Learning has now launched an online version of the Level 2 award at a cost of £99. Please follow the link below.
Level 2 Award in Infection Prevention and Control for Special Procedures Practitioners | Torfaen County Borough Council
Qualification Council for Cosmetic Procedures (QCCP)
QCCP IP&C E-learning is rated 10/10 based on practitioner feedback and has a current pass rate of 100%. They are encouraging practitioners to take advantage of the discount currently available for the Level 2 IPC qualification.
Register before the end of 2023 to receive 25% discount on the course fee. Register here RSPH Level 2 Registration - (qccp.org.uk)
Llandrillo College - Grŵp Llandrillo Menai North Wales
This Award in Infection Prevention and Control is offered across the counties of North Wales. Dates and application details can be found on this link: L2 Award in Infection Prevention and Control.
There is a reduction in cost from £185 to £150 from Jan - March 2024, please book early using the above link. Book and pay online. We look forward to welcoming you on the course
Shared Regulatory Services (SRS).
Future dates and details can be found here, Infection Prevention and Control for Special Procedures Practitioners (srs.wales) when they have been finalised. Bookings and enquiries can be sent to training -srswales@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk
MM Training Academy
Practitioners interested in attending should register their interest by visiting www.mmtrainingacademy.co.uk and go to ‘online courses’.
Practitioner Webinar on 5th December on ‘Client consultation and Management
Over 130 practitioners attended this webinar, those of you that attended and would like to receive a certificate please click the links below to complete the feedback forms and a certificate will be emailed to you:
Link 1 = https://forms.office.com/e/nkXtLH62Qp
Link 2 = https://forms.office.com/e/DVptqCE5Mu
The e-learning package will be available to access from the Public Health Wales website in the new year. We will advise you when this has gone live. In the meantime, for those of you that were unable to attend we have summarised the key messages from 2 of the presentations:
NOTE: Many practitioners raised questions at this webinar about the new licensing scheme, we have noted those questions and intend providing answers to them when the draft regulations are published. All questions relating to client consultation will be made into FAQs as part of this learning package.
Malisa Pierri, Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist at the Welsh Epilepsy Centre:
Epilepsy is two or more seizures more than 24 hours apart, 80% of all cases of epilepsy seizures are completely controlled only 20% of seizures vary from severe multiple seizures a day to one seizure every 2 to 3 years. Seizures can be represented in many different forms.
If your client has epilepsy, it is important to ask:
- what type of seizure they have
- what happens when they have a seizure
- when and how often the seizures occur and
- do they have a warning
Then you are better able make an informed decision about whether you can perform the special procedure safely.
For example, if someone has a history of seizures from sleep then you will not have to worry about this person having a seizure while they are awake. In these circumstances the risk of this person having a seizure while receiving a special procedure is negligible.
But for another example, if a client has a seizure once every 3 weeks then the risk of a seizure is considerably higher so you will need to ask if they get a warning, which is usually a feeling or sensation or brain fog. If they do get a warning, then whilst the risk of seizure is quite high the risk of injury is low as they can tell you that they are going to have a seizure and if you are in the middle of a procedure you can stop.
If a seizure does occur with someone with epilepsy, it’s important to note for the most part it is not a medical emergency (we know they have epilepsy and that they will have seizures). You should create a save environment for them and make sure the person is safe and the seizure will pass. If you are concerned for any reason, you can call for an ambulance.
There are 2 useful websites for risk assessments, different types of seizures and how to keep someone safe if they have a seizure and much more:
Epilepsy action About epilepsy - Epilepsy Action
Epilepsy society https://epilepsysociety.org.uk/about-epilepsy
Emily van der Venter Consultant in Public Health (Mental Wellbeing)
Emily provided a lot of information on managing mental health and mental wellbeing with the purpose of enabling practitioners to signpost their clients to appropriate support should this topic come up in conversation with clients. You as practitioners may also find this information useful, although we acknowledge that you are not experts in this field.
For tips on having a supportive conversation access the free 90-minute online course by Mind “Conversations in the Community”
Active Your Life – free online course to help improve mental health and wellbeing phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/activate-your-life
Call NHS 111 – press 2 service available for people of all ages to talk to someone urgently about their mental health, or if they’re concerned about a family member, available 24/7 in all areas of Wales NHS 111 Wales - Health A-Z : Mental Health and Wellbeing
Licensing Fees
The Directors of Public Protection Wales on behalf of their profession recently proposed national fees for the special procedures licensing scheme when it comes into force in 2024. This followed collaboration with all 22 local authorities in Wales.
These national fees have been calculated on a cost recovery basis only which is a requirement of the Act to ensure that local authorities comply with the case of Hemming v Westminster City Council. Local authorities are forbidden by law to make a profit from licensing scheme fees – they are only permitted to charge what is reasonable to cover their costs.
In the case of the application fee:
- the cost of processing the application up to the point where the local authority decides whether to grant or refuse the licence/approval certificate and
for the compliance fee:
- the cost of the day-to-day running of the scheme, including support and advice to licence holders, enforcement, and monitoring compliance during the licence period.
The Welsh Government will not receive any of the licensing scheme fees and the Welsh Government has no legal power to influence the cost of fees. Ultimately the cost of fees is for local authorities to determine. Welsh Government will however, through regulation set out what local authorities can charge for.
The current registration scheme and the new Licensing scheme
Currently in Wales all individuals who perform one of the four special procedures are registered with their local authority. This registration requires a one-off payment but there are no conditions attached to that registration. Essentially anyone, with or without training or experience, can apply for registration and their local authority is required to grant it. Under this current scheme there are also no consistent enforceable hygiene and infection control standards.
Licensing schemes operate differently in that an individual must meet certain criteria to become licensed and if granted a licence the individual must operate to a specified standard. In the case of the special procedures licensing scheme there will be consistent standards of hygiene and infection control and a more effective and consistent enforcement approach.
This provides a level playing field for licensed practitioners and better protection of public health but requires more resource to implement and monitor. So instead of a one-off fee there is an application fee and a fee to enable local authorities to monitor compliance and every three years licence holders are then required to renew licence/approval. They are renewable to ensure that the terms of the licence/approval are still relevant and that standards that have been approved are being maintained.
The Directors on Public Protection Wales endorsed the following national fees, so they will be the same in every local authority in Wales:
New application
- A special procedure licence - £203
- £159 application fee payable at the time the application is submitted.
- £44 compliance fee only payable after the licence has been granted.
- A new approval/vehicle approval certificate £385
- £244 application fee payable at the time the application is submitted.
- £141 compliance fee only payable after the approval certificate has been granted.
Renewal
- Special procedure licence – £189
- £147 application fee payable at the time the application is submitted.
- £41 compliance fee only payable after the licence has been granted.
- Premises/vehicle approval certificate - £345
- £204 application fee payable at the time the application is submitted.
- £141 compliance fee only payable after the approval certificate has been granted.
The compliance elements of the fees are only payable by those to whom licences or approvals are granted. Should an application be withdrawn by the applicant or if it is refused by the local authority, no compliance fee will be charged. Application fees, however, are not generally refundable as they cover the local authority’s cost of processing the paperwork and making a decision.
Guidance on how the scheme works, what you need to do make an application, and what happens after will be issued nearer to the start date for the scheme.