Cosmetic surgery industry in UK 'has key weaknesses'

"I am romantic about the NHS; I love it. All I need to do to rediscover the romance is to look at health care in my own country." Donald Berwick, MD, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

There are fundamental weaknesses in the way cosmetic surgery is carried out in the UK, an official review body says.

The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death found many centres were failing to assess and care for patients properly.

In particular, the poll of 361 sites found patients were at risk from a culture which saw teams "have a go" at operations they rarely performed.

The professional body for cosmetic surgeons accepted there was a problem...

The researchers from the government-funded safety watchdog looked at all sites that offered cosmetic surgery privately, including some NHS hospitals that have private wings.

Oops.