Cheshire Image Clinic Practical Support services (CHIPSS)
Cheshire Image Clinic Practical Support services (CHIPSS), was launched by The Cheshire Image Clinic team in march 2008, to provide aesthetic nurse mentoring and career development, within a recognised professional framework, supported by safe, legal and ethical practice. The CHIPSS team consists of six Nurse Independent Practitioners currently working in the field of aesthetics, all of whom can prove evidence of competence.
CHIPSS offers clinical supervision, Pre-Registration Education and Practice (PREP) support; peer group discussion; and legal prescribing amongst its services, while allowing a framework for self-regulation to flourish.
CHIPSS is a unique business model developed by Michelle Irving RGN, NIP, founder of The Cheshire Image Clinic in 1989, and currently a voting member of The Royal College of Nursing Forum for Nurses in Aesthetic Medicine.
"The role of the professional nurse in the field of cosmetology was well established long before Botulinum Toxin became a regular feature in the aesthetic medicine toolbox," commented Michelle Irving RGN, NIP. "Many of us were active in this area when collagen was the only treatment methodology. Many years have been spent establishing excellent relationships with patients who now look to their nurse for more than the filler solution to wrinkles. As nurses, we have led the way in setting the standards which are now incorporated into other documents and it is important not to get left behind but to continue to pave the way forward, further developing both our skills and policies in order that our patients receive the best aesthetic advice and treatment every time they visit. It is a shame that some nurses have actually left the aesthetic arena due to an inability to gain legal prescriptions for their patients but it would be an even greater pity if lack of understanding regarding the regulations led to loss of registration for both doctor and nurse alike."
The CHIPSS team provides "face to face" consultations with other nurses' patients whilst ensuring that they do not step outside their prescribing role during consultations, thus respecting the business of all professionals seeking their support.
