Occupations and Terms of Reference › Aesthetic clinic medical director
Universal terms of reference · POS-268 · version 1.0 · status: draft · next review 2027-10-27
Aesthetic clinic medical director
To lead the medical standards of the aesthetic service, so that every treatment is clinically safe, consented and audited.
Each part of this page links to the related trainings, competencies and policies. The links are the same for every facility, so an organisation can see at a glance what a role requires and what it is trained in.
Job description
Job summary. You lead the clinical side of the aesthetic service. You set treatment standards, approve protocols, review complications, and make sure consent and medicines are controlled.
Reports to: Medical director.
Leads or supervises: Aesthetic physician (injectables), Dermatologist (aesthetic lead), Nurse injector, Cosmetic nurse practitioner, Consent and complication follow-up nurse.
What you do on a typical day
- Set and approve treatment protocols.
- Review every serious complication.
- Approve the list of treatments offered.
- Audit consent and clinical records.
- Report to the medical director.
Working conditions and demands
- Clinic sessions and on-call review.
- Clinical and office work.
- Some evening review of complications.
What good looks like
- Treatments are safe and consented.
- Complications are reviewed and learned from.
- Offers match what is clinically approved.
Place in the organogram
Reporting line, from the top: see the organogram on the Occupations page. The lines above and below this role are listed in section 3.
1. Golden rules
These rules apply in every setting.
- Every client or patient is assessed before they start any service, and the service is adjusted to their needs.
- Services stay within the scope of training and licence; anything beyond it is referred.
- Consent is informed and recorded before any procedure or programme.
- Adverse events and complaints are reported the same day and learned from.
- Clients' privacy and records are protected at all times.
- Prices, claims and promotions are honest and match what is delivered.
- Staff are trained and competent for their role before they work alone.
- Where the client's health or safety is at risk, work stops and the right person is called.
2. Identification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position code | POS-268 |
| ISCO-08 | 1342 (skill level 4) |
| ESCO | to map |
| Department | Aesthetic |
| Facility types | Aesthetic |
3. Reporting line and working relationships
Reports to: POS-012. Supervises: POS-269, POS-270, POS-271, POS-272, POS-278.
| Works with | Nature of the relationship |
|---|---|
| Aesthetic clinic manager | Operations and budget. |
| Pharmacist (aesthetic drug supply) | Drug supply and safety. |
| Patient safety lead | Incident review. |
4. Key accountabilities
| Domain | Accountability | Evidence of delivery | Checked | Linked competencies | Linked trainings | Linked policies | Standards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protocols | Approves protocols and the treatment list. | Protocols approved and current | Quarterly | C-01 | T-05 | POL-SAFEG | 2 |
| Complications | Reviews every serious complication within 72 hours. | Reviews within 72 hours 100% | Monthly | C-02 | T-05 | POL-INC | 2 |
| Consent | Audits consent and records quarterly. | Consent audit at standard | Quarterly | C-01 | T-05 | POL-SAFEG | 2 |
5. Decision rights
| The post holder decides | Consults or escalates |
|---|---|
| Treatment protocol within the approved list | Treatments outside the approved list (CMO) |
| Clinical review of a single case | Serious complications (CQO and patient safety lead) |
6. Qualifications and experience
| ID | Qualification | Mandatory | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q-01 | Medical licence, current | Yes | per regulator |
| Q-02 | Aesthetic medicine certificate | Yes | Lifetime |
| ID | Experience | Minimum years | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-01 | Clinical practice including aesthetic or dermatology work | 5 | Yes |
7. Training requirements
Recommended common practice. Each facility adapts the list to its national law. Essential items apply in every setting; recommended items apply where resources allow.
| ID | Training | Tier | When | Validity | Linked policies | Linked competencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-01 | Facility induction | essential | at_entry | Once | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL · POL-DATA | – |
| T-02 | Safeguarding adults | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-03 | Safeguarding children | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-04 | Data protection and confidentiality | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-DATA | – |
| T-05 | Incident reporting and open disclosure | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-INC | C-01 · C-02 |
| T-06 | Governance, accountability and assurance | recommended | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | – | – |
| T-07 | Emergency and major incident command | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-INC | – |
| T-08 | Speaking up, inclusion and equality leadership | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL | – |
8. Health, fitness and language
| ID | Requirement | Frequency | Tier | Minimum in low-resource settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-01 | Immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases relevant to the setting, documented at entry | At entry or as set | essential | Documented hepatitis B status at entry |
| H-02 | Tuberculosis screening at entry, then as the national rule requires | At entry or as set | essential | Symptom screening at entry and after exposure |
| H-03 | Fitness-to-work assessment at entry and after serious illness or injury | Every 12 months | recommended | Fitness check at entry |
| Language | Level | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| Official language of the country of practice | professional | Yes |
| English | working | Yes |
9. Competencies by level
| ID | Competency | Foundation | Practitioner | Expert | Assessed by | Revalidate | Linked trainings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Aesthetic treatment protocols | Reads protocols | Writes protocols | Sets clinical standards | Protocol audit | Every 12 months | T-05 |
| C-02 | Complication review and learning | Reviews complications | Leads complication review | Designs review system | Complication audit | Every 12 months | T-05 |
10. Performance evaluation
- Probation: 6 months, with a sign-off review (recommended value).
- Appraisal: every 12 months against the competencies and indicators below.
| ID | Indicator | Target | Data source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI-01 | Complications reviewed within 72 hours | 100% | complication log | Monthly |
| PI-02 | Consent audit at standard | 100% | consent audit | Quarterly |
| PI-03 | Protocols current | 100% | protocol register | Quarterly |
11. Career ladder and promotion
| Level | Role | Minimum experience to move on | Qualifications | Competency minimums | Trainings required | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive | Aesthetic clinic medical director | 5 years (recommended) | Q-01, Q-02 | C-01 lead, C-02 lead | T-05 | Executive appointment and performance review |
12. Policies the post holder follows
Each policy is a standard template that the facility adopts and adapts. Templates are maintained centrally, so every facility works from the same version.
POL-SAFEG · Safeguarding adults and children
Purpose: Protect patients from abuse, neglect and harm, and make sure every concern is recognised and acted on.
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
- Recognise signs of abuse and neglect and record them factually.
- Report every concern to the designated safeguarding lead the same shift.
- Do not investigate alone.
- Share information only as the safeguarding procedure allows.
POL-DATA · Data protection and confidentiality
Purpose: Keep patient and staff information private, secure and used only for care and legal purposes.
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
- Access only the records needed for your work.
- Keep records secure; do not leave screens or paper unattended.
- Do not share information without a lawful basis.
- Report any breach to the data protection officer within 24 hours.
Linked trainings: T-10 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-WHISTLE · Speaking up (whistleblowing)
Purpose: Let staff raise patient safety or conduct concerns without fear of reprisal.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Raise a concern with your line manager or the named speaking-up officer.
- If that route fails, escalate to the board or the national regulator.
- Retaliation against anyone who speaks up is a disciplinary offence.
- Concerns are recorded, investigated and the outcome given to the person raising them.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-EQUAL · Equality, diversity and inclusion
Purpose: Give every patient and colleague fair access, respectful treatment and reasonable adjustments.
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
- Treat every person with dignity regardless of background.
- Make reasonable adjustments, including interpreters, for language and disability.
- Report discrimination through the speaking-up route.
- Monitor access and outcomes by group.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 24 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-INC · Incident reporting and open disclosure
Purpose: Report and learn from incidents and near misses, and tell patients honestly when things go wrong.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Report every incident and near miss the same shift.
- Give the patient and family an honest account and an apology where appropriate (open disclosure).
- Take immediate action to protect others.
- Learn: contribute to the review and follow the agreed actions.
13. Standards that name this role
14. Record history
| Date | Change | Approved by |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | Draft record, batch 1 of the position build | Awaiting approval |