Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
- The UK's independent regulator of advertising, which investigates complaints and rules on whether adverts break the advertising codes.
- Affiliate
- A person or business paid a commission or reward for promoting a clinic and driving bookings or sales to it.
- Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)
- A mental health condition in which a person is preoccupied with perceived flaws in their appearance that others may not notice.
- Boosted post
- A social media post that a business pays a platform to show to a wider audience, making it a paid advertisement.
- Botulinum toxin
- A prescription-only medicine, often known by brand names such as Botox, injected to relax muscles and reduce wrinkles.
- CAP Code
- The UK rule book for non-broadcast advertising (such as online, social media and print), written by the Committee of Advertising Practice.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Caring (key question)
- One of the regulator's five key questions, asking whether staff treat people with kindness, dignity, compassion and respect.
- Clinical governance
- The system through which a service is accountable for continuously improving the quality and safety of the care it provides.
- Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP)
- The body that writes and maintains the UK advertising codes that the Advertising Standards Authority enforces.
- Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008
- The law that bans misleading and aggressive selling practices that could distort a consumer's decision to buy.
- Cooling-off period
- A set time between booking or consultation and treatment, allowing the person to reflect and change their mind without penalty.
- Dermal filler
- An injectable gel, classed as a medical device, used to smooth lines or add volume to the face.
- Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024
- A UK law strengthening consumer protection, including bans on fake reviews and on hiding compulsory charges (drip pricing).
- Drip pricing
- Advertising a low headline price and then adding compulsory charges later in the buying process, which is unlawful.
- Duty of candour
- The legal duty to be open and honest with a person and their family when something goes wrong with their care.
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
- The UK regulator that oversees financial services, including credit and 'buy now, pay later' finance offers.
- General Dental Council (GDC)
- The body that registers and regulates dental professionals in the UK.
- General Medical Council (GMC)
- The body that registers and regulates doctors in the UK.
- General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
- The body that registers and regulates pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Great Britain.
- Good governance (Regulation 17)
- The legal requirement to run a service well, with effective systems to assess, monitor and improve quality and safety.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting out the fundamental standards that providers of regulated care must meet.
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012
- The law governing how medicines are licensed, supplied, prescribed and advertised in the UK.
- Influencer
- A person with an online following who is paid or gifted to promote products or services to their audience.
- Informed consent
- Agreement to treatment given freely after the risks, benefits and alternatives have been clearly explained.
- Lawful basis
- The legal justification an organisation must have under data protection law before it can use someone's personal information.
- Lead generation
- Marketing activity designed to collect contact details from potential customers so they can be followed up.
- Medical device
- A product, such as a dermal filler, used for a medical purpose that works mainly by physical means rather than as a medicine.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- The UK body that regulates medicines, medical devices and blood components, and acts against unlawful advertising of medicines.
- Near miss
- An event that could have caused harm but did not, by chance or because it was caught in time.
- Nominated Individual
- The senior person responsible to the regulator for supervising how a service is provided.
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
- The body that registers and regulates nurses and midwives in the UK.
- Pay-per-click (PPC)
- Online advertising where the business pays a fee each time someone clicks its advert, for example in search results.
- Person-centred care (Regulation 9)
- The legal requirement to provide care and treatment that is tailored to the needs and preferences of each person.
- Prescription-only medicine (POM)
- A medicine that may lawfully be supplied only on the instruction of an appropriate prescriber; advertising it to the public is banned.
- Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (PECR)
- The law that controls marketing by email, text, phone and similar electronic means, alongside data protection law.
- Registered Manager
- The person registered with the regulator as responsible for the day-to-day running of a service.
- Regulated activity
- A type of care or treatment the law requires a provider to register with the regulator to deliver.
- Responsive (key question)
- One of the regulator's five key questions, asking whether services are organised to meet people's needs.
- Retargeting
- Showing online adverts to people based on websites or pages they have previously visited.
- Safe (key question)
- One of the regulator's five key questions, asking whether people are protected from abuse and avoidable harm.
- Safeguarding
- Protecting people's health, wellbeing and rights and keeping them safe from abuse, harm or neglect.
- Search engine optimisation (SEO)
- The practice of improving a website so it appears higher in unpaid search engine results.
- Single assessment framework
- The structure the regulator uses to judge a service, built around quality statements and five key questions (safe, effective, caring, responsive, well-led).
- Special category data
- Sensitive personal information, such as health data, that data protection law protects with extra safeguards.
- Substantiation
- Documented evidence held before an advert is published that proves an objective claim in it is true.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main data-protection law governing how personal information is collected and used.
- Well-led (key question)
- One of the regulator's five key questions, asking whether leadership, management and governance support good care.
- Whistleblowing (speaking up)
- Raising a concern about wrongdoing, risk or malpractice at work, protected by law.