FOI 26-335 Non-surgical Complications and Developing Legislation

Freedom of Information Request

Request Date

27 Jul 2026

Response Date

17 Aug 2026

Information Requested

Please provide recorded information held by the Scottish Ambulance Service concerning emergency incidents involving complications or suspected complications arising from non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

For this request, “non-surgical cosmetic procedures” includes, but is not limited to:

a. botulinum toxin injections;

b. dermal fillers;

c. cosmetic injections or skin boosters;

d. chemical peels;

e. microneedling;

f. laser or intense pulsed light procedures;

g. cosmetic tattooing or tattoo removal;

h. platelet-rich plasma procedures;

i. thread lifts;

j. fat-dissolving injections; and

k. other non-surgical procedures performed for cosmetic purposes.

For the period 1 January 2023 to the date of this request, please provide:

The number of emergency calls, ambulance attendances, clinical telephone assessments or patient transfers recorded as involving a complication or suspected complication arising from a non-surgical cosmetic procedure.
Please break down the figures requested under point 1, where recorded, by:

a. calendar or financial year;

b. procedure;

c. type of complication or presenting condition;

d. NHS Board area;

e. whether an ambulance attended;

f. whether the person was treated at the scene;

g. whether the person was transported to hospital;

h. the clinical priority or response category assigned; and

i. the outcome recorded by the Service.

Aggregate figures are requested. No information identifying individual clients, practitioners or addresses is required.

For incidents identified under point 1, please provide the number in which the person who performed the original procedure was recorded as being:

a. an independent aesthetic practitioner who was not a registered healthcare professional;

b. a doctor;

c. a dentist;

d. a nurse or midwife;

e. a pharmacist;

f. another statutory healthcare professional;

g. a practitioner whose professional status was not recorded; or

h. a practitioner whose status could not be established.

Please provide copies of any coding guidance, search terms, clinical definitions, data-entry instructions or reporting procedures used to identify or record:

a. a non-surgical cosmetic procedure;

b. a complication arising from such a procedure;

c. the particular procedure involved;

d. the premises or setting in which the procedure was performed; and

e. the profession or registration status of the person who performed it.

Please state whether the Service’s incident-management or clinical-recording systems contain dedicated codes or structured data fields for complications arising from non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

Where no dedicated code or field exists, please state whether relevant incidents would ordinarily be recorded only within free-text clinical notes.

Please provide copies of any analysis, audit, report, briefing or presentation concerning ambulance incidents associated with non-surgical cosmetic procedures.
Please provide copies of any relevant incident data, analysis, professional advice or other evidence supplied by the Scottish Ambulance Service to:

a. the Scottish Government;

b. Healthcare Improvement Scotland;

c. Public Health Scotland;

d. a Scottish Parliament committee;

e. the Scottish Cosmetic Interventions Expert Group; or

f. another organisation involved in developing the Non-Surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Act 2026 or its associated regulations.

Please provide copies of requests received by the Service for evidence, incident data or professional advice concerning:

a. the Scottish Government consultation on non-surgical cosmetic procedures;

b. procedure classification or risk categorisation;

c. restrictions upon which practitioners may perform specified procedures;

d. requirements to operate from Healthcare Improvement Scotland-registered premises;

e. requirements concerning the presence of an authorised prescriber or healthcare professional;

f. the relevant Bill or Act; or

g. proposed secondary legislation.

Please provide copies of any responses, evidence, advice, recommendations or concerns supplied following the requests identified under point 8.
Please provide records identifying any Scottish Ambulance Service employee or representative who attended or contributed to an advisory group, expert group, workshop or meeting concerning the regulation of non-surgical cosmetic procedures. For each, please provide:

a. the person’s job title or role;

b. the group or meeting attended;

c. the date or period of participation; and

d. the recorded purpose of their involvement.

Please provide copies of any assessment of the anticipated effect of the legislation or associated regulations upon the Scottish Ambulance Service, including any expected change in:

a. the number or severity of emergency incidents;

b. calls concerning adverse reactions or complications;

c. demand for ambulance attendance or clinical advice;

d. incidents arising in informal or unregulated settings;

e. incidents in rural or island areas; or

f. staffing, training or financial requirements.

Please exclude exact duplicates previously disclosed by the Service, but identify the relevant request and provide its public link or reference.

If the Service does not record these incidents in a form that allows the requested figures to be produced, please describe the relevant recording limitation and provide any existing recorded reports, analyses or aggregate figures that can be supplied within the appropriate cost limit.

Where no recorded information is held for a numbered point, please state this separately.

Response

The Scottish Ambulance Service records incidents according to a patient's clinical presentation and the care provided. The Service does not maintain dedicated recording categories for complications arising from non-surgical cosmetic procedures. While information relating to cosmetic procedures may occasionally be captured within free-text clinical notes where relevant to patient care, this information is not recorded in a way that allows these incidents to be routinely identified, searched, analysed or reported upon.

Q1 - The number of emergency calls, ambulance attendances, clinical telephone assessments or patient transfers recorded as involving a complication or suspected complication arising from a non-surgical cosmetic procedure.

The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold this information. Incidents are recorded according to a patient's clinical presentation and the care provided. The Service does not maintain a dedicated code, category or searchable field for complications arising from non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

Information relating to the cause of a patient's condition may occasionally be recorded within free-text clinical notes where relevant to patient care, however it is not recorded in a structured format that can be searched or reported upon. It would take a manual review fo every incident for the time frame requested and complex skill and judgement to assess if the incident related to cosmetic surgery. It is for this reason we have applied section 17 of the Freedom of Information Scotland Act 2002 as information not held.

Q2 – Breakdowns by year, procedure, complication type, NHS Board area, ambulance attendance, treatment at scene, transport to hospital, response category and outcome.

The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold this information. As we have no categories or datasets to identify incidents relating to non-surgical cosmetic procedures in a searchable or reportable format, we are unable to produce the requested breakdowns. It is for this reason we have applied section 17 of the Freedom of Information Scotland Act 2002 as information not held.

Q3 - Information regarding the professional status of the person who performed the procedure.

The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold this information. The professional status of a practitioner who may have carried out a non-surgical cosmetic procedure is not recorded in a structured field within Service systems. It is for this reason we have applied section 17 of the Freedom of Information Scotland Act 2002 as information not held.

Q4 - Coding guidance, search terms, clinical definitions, data-entry instructions or reporting procedures.

The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold any coding guidance, search terms, clinical definitions, data-entry instructions or reporting procedures specifically relating to the identification or recording of complications arising from non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

Q5 - Dedicated codes or structured data fields.

The Scottish Ambulance Service's incident management and clinical recording systems do not contain dedicated codes or structured data fields for complications arising from non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

Where such information is recorded, it would generally only appear within free-text clinical notes as part of the clinical record.

Q6 - Analysis, audits, reports, briefings or presentations concerning ambulance incidents associated with non-surgical cosmetic procedures.