Our Standards & Training
Reviewed by Dr Shahe Boghossian, GMC 5204600. Last reviewed 13 Jun 2026.
Doctor-led aesthetic, skin and medical care in Newark, Nottinghamshire.
Most people do some reading before they choose a clinic. If that's you, this is the part that matters: who treats you, how they're trained and overseen, and what happens if something ever goes wrong.
Independently registered
Every practitioner is on a public register
Three named practitioners. Two statutory regulators and a PSA-approved register. Every entry is verifiable in a click.
Dr Shahe Boghossian
Medical Consultant & prescribing clinician
GMC 5204600
Lydia Griffin
Founder, skin & aesthetic practice
JCCP-registered, No. 002569
Doctor-led
Who treats you, and who prescribes
Every treatment is performed by a practitioner whose registration, qualification and demonstrated competency match the specific procedure. Scope is set by clinical governance review, not by who happens to be free that day.
A non-medical practitioner does not face a patient in uncertainty alone.
Following an in-person consultation with our prescribing clinician, in line with current GMC, NMC, GPhC and GDC guidance.
The detail
The prescribing clinician
Any injectable treatment that involves a Prescription-Only Medicine is performed under the prescribing authority of Medical Consultant Dr Shahe Boghossian. Dr Boghossian is registered with the General Medical Council, registration number 5204600, and holds a full licence to practise. His entry can be verified at gmc-uk.org.
Every POM injectable treatment plan is agreed individually, in person, before any treatment is given. Remote prescribing for cosmetic injectables is not offered here. All patients must be 18 or older at the time of treatment.
Registered clinical practitioners
Practitioners performing non-POM clinical treatments hold active registration with the relevant statutory regulator. For nurses, that is the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Melanie Van Wellen is the clinic's NMC-registered nurse, PIN 13E2603E, and her registration can be verified on the NMC's public register at nmc.org.uk. Scope of practice is confirmed twice over. Once against the practitioner's active NMC registration, and again against the clinic's own internal competency assessment, which must be completed before anyone treats patients independently.
Aesthetic and skin practitioners
The clinic's skin and aesthetic practice is led by founder Lydia Griffin, who is JCCP-registered (No. 002569). Skin and non-invasive treatments, including HydraFacial, superficial chemical peels and non-device skin treatments, are performed by practitioners who hold the appropriate training qualification for the specific modality and have completed the clinic's internal sign-off assessment under Lydia's oversight. No one performs a treatment here for which that assessment has not been passed and documented.
Trained before they treat
Certified on the device, then signed off here
Manufacturer certification is the starting point, not the finish line. New practitioners do not treat patients independently until the clinic's internal training programme for their specific treatment category is complete. Dr Boghossian signs off medical and injectable work. Lydia Griffin signs off skin and non-medical.
The detail
Injectables
All practitioners performing injectable aesthetic treatments here hold a recognised qualification from a reputable training provider in aesthetic injectables, covering the relevant anatomy, contraindication assessment, technique, and complication recognition and management. Before practising independently, a practitioner completes a structured observation period with Dr Boghossian, then a supervised treatment phase. Independence is granted when he is satisfied with their technique, patient assessment and case documentation. No fixed number of supervised cases triggers automatic sign-off. The decision is clinical.
Energy-based device treatments
Treatments delivered via energy-based devices, including Lumecca IPL and Forma RF on the InMode platform, require formal certification from the device manufacturer's clinical training team before a practitioner delivers any patient treatment. Records of certification are held on file and renewed in line with manufacturer guidance. Manufacturer certification is followed by a supervised patient phase here before independent practice. Brand training alone is not treated as sufficient.
Chemical peels
Practitioners performing chemical peels hold formal qualifications and are assessed at the clinic for peel-level classification, contraindication screening, Fitzpatrick skin type assessment, and post-peel management. The clinic draws a clear line between superficial, medium-depth and deep peels in terms of who is qualified to administer each. Practitioner scope for peel depth is documented and reviewed.
Microneedling
Practitioners performing microneedling hold a relevant qualification for the technique and have completed the clinic's internal sign-off, covering needle-depth parameters, skin preparation, and contraindication review. Microneedling at depths appropriate only to medically qualified practitioners is not performed by those who do not hold that qualification.
Continuing development
Practitioners are expected to maintain active registration where it applies, engage in relevant continuing professional development, and attend clinical update sessions at the clinic. Dr Boghossian reviews emerging evidence and updated regulatory guidance, and communicates protocol changes to the team when the evidence or guidance warrants it. Every protocol update is documented.
Accountable to one doctor
Medical oversight and clinical governance
Dr Shahe Boghossian is the Medical Consultant of The London Road Clinic and holds overall clinical accountability for the standards of care delivered here. He oversees prescribing, reviews clinical outcomes and adverse events, and is the final authority on treatment suitability in contested or borderline cases.
The detail
A doctor-led model
The clinic operates a doctor-led model, which means clinical governance is structured around a registered medical practitioner. Dr Boghossian's role is not nominal. He conducts consultations, prescribes POMs, reviews outcomes, and is accessible to the clinical team when questions arise during or between treatments.
Governance structure
The clinic holds regular internal clinical reviews covering adverse event records, treatment outcome observations, practitioner performance and protocol updates. Where an adverse event or near-miss has occurred, Dr Boghossian completes a structured review. Root cause is identified, a protocol adjustment is made if indicated, and the outcome is documented. Patterns are treated as systemic issues that need systemic responses, not as individual incidents to be filed and forgotten. Clinical governance documentation is held securely and is available to the clinic's professional indemnity insurer and, where the law requires it, to the relevant regulatory authority.
Prescribing model
All Prescription-Only Medicines administered here are prescribed by Dr Boghossian following an in-person consultation and individual assessment. The model follows the unified June 2025 guidance from the GMC, NMC, GDC and GPhC, which requires face-to-face assessment by the prescriber before each new course of treatment. Proxy prescribing and remote prescribing for cosmetic injectables are not used here.
Before anything happens
An honest consultation, charged separately
Every patient has an in-person consultation before treatment begins. It is the point at which treatment suitability is assessed, medical history is reviewed, contraindications are identified, and a treatment plan, if appropriate, is agreed.
Consultation fees are charged separately from treatment, on purpose, so there is no financial pressure to proceed. Some consultations end with the recommendation that treatment should wait, or that we do not treat at all.
The detail
What every consultation includes
The consultation covers a structured health and medical history; a visual assessment of the treatment area; and a clinical discussion of the proposed treatment, including its mechanism, the expected result, the realistic range of outcomes, the recovery period, and the potential adverse effects. It also includes a medication review for interactions or contraindications, and a discussion of alternatives or combined approaches where they are clinically relevant. For injectable treatments involving a Prescription-Only Medicine, the consultation is conducted by Dr Boghossian as the prescribing clinician. No POM treatment plan is agreed, and no POM treatment is given, without this assessment having happened in person.
Consultation independence
Consultation fees are charged separately from treatment. This is a deliberate clinical decision. A patient should be able to attend a consultation, receive an honest assessment, and leave without having committed to anything. A consultation here does not oblige the patient to proceed, and it does not oblige the clinic to treat if suitability is not confirmed.
Age verification
All patients must be 18 or older. Age is confirmed at consultation. In line with the Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021, injectable cosmetic treatments cannot be provided to under-18s under any circumstances. This applies to every patient. It is not subject to clinical discretion or parental consent.
Documented, every time
Consent and aftercare
Written informed consent is obtained before every treatment session, and written, treatment-specific aftercare is provided at every appointment. Neither is a generic form.
Written consent and written, treatment-specific aftercare. Every appointment, every time, retained on your clinical record.
The detail
Informed consent
Written informed consent is obtained before every treatment session. It is not a signature on a form presented at the treatment chair. It is a documented record that the patient has received a full explanation of the procedure, understands the realistic outcomes and the known risks, and has had the chance to ask questions and to decline or defer. For POM injectable treatments, consent is part of the prescribing consultation conducted by Dr Boghossian. Where a patient raises a question beyond the treating practitioner's scope, it is directed to Dr Boghossian before treatment proceeds.
Aftercare instructions
Written aftercare instructions are provided at every appointment, specific to the treatment received. Aftercare sets out the expected post-treatment course, the specific activities and products to avoid and for how long, the typical recovery timeline, what to monitor, and clear instruction on when and how to contact the clinic if a concern arises.
Post-treatment access
Patients can contact the clinic directly after treatment. A review appointment is recommended as standard for course treatments and is built into the pathway for injectable procedures. For a patient who develops a concern or an adverse response between scheduled appointments, direct access to the clinic is available and is treated as a clinical matter. Post-treatment access is not limited to scheduled review slots.
If something goes wrong
Planned for the serious end
Good aesthetic medicine plans for the rare day something goes wrong. The clinic's complication and referral pathways were designed by Dr Shahe Boghossian, with the support of registered nurse Melanie Van Wellen, drawing on NHS practice. Born in the NHS, delivered for our patients.
Hyaluronidase is held on site for suspected vascular compromise, alongside a written vascular occlusion protocol that every practitioner treating with HA products has read.
The detail
On-site clinical preparedness
The clinic holds emergency protocols and appropriate medications for the treatment types it offers. For hyaluronic acid injectable treatments, that includes hyaluronidase for immediate management of a suspected vascular compromise event, alongside a written vascular occlusion emergency protocol that every practitioner treating with HA products has read and is familiar with. Practitioners are trained to recognise the clinical signs of vascular compromise and to start the response protocol without delay. The emergency inventory is reviewed before any new treatment category is added.
The escalation pathway
The pathway is written down, not improvised. Each practitioner is trained to recognise a concern early, to act on the on-site protocol, and to escalate. Where a symptom could be consistent with a serious adverse event, the protocol routes it to Dr Boghossian and, if clinically indicated, onward to secondary care along a referral pathway he designed. The clinic does not tell a patient to wait and monitor a symptom that could be serious.
Where these pathways come from
The clinic's complication and referral pathways were designed by Dr Boghossian, with the support of registered nurse Melanie Van Wellen. They draw on NHS practice and are adapted for a private aesthetic setting. A GMC-registered doctor sets the clinical standard these protocols meet, and is the point the most serious cases escalate to. When a referral is needed, it carries clinical context from a doctor. It is not a letter written blind.
Record-keeping and review
All adverse events and near-misses are documented on the patient's clinical record and logged for internal clinical governance review. Significant events are reviewed by Dr Boghossian, root cause assessed, and any indicated protocol change implemented. The goal of that review is not compliance paperwork. It is that the same event does not happen again.
Added with caution
How we introduce new treatments
New treatments are not added because they are fashionable, because a distributor has offered a promotional launch package, or because a competitor has announced them. They are added when Dr Boghossian is satisfied that the clinical evidence is adequate, the risk profile suits this setting, and the practitioner has completed the required training and internal assessment.
The detail
Evidence review
Before a new treatment is offered, Dr Boghossian reviews the available evidence. Peer-reviewed published studies where they exist, manufacturer clinical data, independent clinical commentary, and the experience of clinical peers. The test he applies is whether he would be comfortable recommending the treatment to a patient by name, standing behind the mechanism and the evidence for it. Treatments with limited or low-quality evidence are not adopted on commercial pressure or trend.
Training before patients
Where a new treatment requires specific practitioner training, that training is completed and assessed before any patient receives it. For device-based treatments, that means formal certification from the manufacturer or distributor. For technique-based treatments, it means a structured programme from a recognised provider, followed by supervised practice under clinical oversight here. The training pathway is defined before the treatment is offered, not discovered during it.
How treatments are presented to patients
When a new treatment becomes available, it is not sold as a breakthrough or as something a patient needs urgently. It is described accurately, with realistic outcome data, at a consultation where individual suitability is assessed. Patients who ask about treatments not yet on the menu are told why, clearly, and without a marketing holding page.
Regulatory context
What we are, and what we are not
We are a private aesthetic clinic. Clinics of this type are not subject to mandatory CQC registration for their current treatment scope, and we do not claim it. We hold ourselves to the standard that would apply if we were.
Complaints are acknowledged within three working days, with a substantive response within 20 working days, and clear escalation routes to the GMC or the NMC.
The detail
General Medical Council
Dr Shahe Boghossian is registered with the General Medical Council with a full licence to practise. His GMC registration number is 5204600, verifiable on the GMC's public register at gmc-uk.org. GMC registration means he is subject to the obligations in Good Medical Practice, to the GMC's Cosmetic Interventions guidance, and to the fitness-to-practise framework.
Nursing and Midwifery Council
Practitioners at the clinic who hold NMC registration are subject to the NMC Code, to the NMC's Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurses, and to the NMC's fitness-to-practise process. Active NMC registration is verifiable on the public register at nmc.org.uk. The NMC has published guidance on the delivery of non-surgical cosmetic procedures, and NMC-registered practitioners here are expected to be familiar with it.
The Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners
The Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners, the JCCP, is a PSA-approved accreditation register established to raise standards across the non-surgical cosmetic sector. Its framework sets out qualification requirements, consultation and consent standards, complication management protocols and continuing development expectations. Its published standards are substantive, evidence-informed, and a credible benchmark for an industry that remains incompletely regulated by statute. The clinic treats them as a useful framework, and they inform the standards applied here.
Professional indemnity insurance
The clinic holds professional indemnity insurance appropriate to the treatments offered, including cover for adverse events arising from injectable and energy-based treatments. Patients are entitled to ask about the clinic's insurance position. The insurer's name is listed in the footer of this website and is available on request.
CQC registration: a note on regulatory context
Aesthetic clinics of the type operated by The London Road Clinic are not subject to mandatory Care Quality Commission registration under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 for their current treatment scope. CQC registration applies to providers of regulated activities defined in that Act and its associated Schedule 1 regulations, which do not currently include the cosmetic and aesthetic treatments offered here. The clinic does not claim CQC registration. Its absence reflects the regulatory framework as it stands, not a governance deficit. The standards applied here are designed to meet what we would expect of ourselves if registration were mandatory. We hold ourselves to that standard regardless.
Complaints and patient rights
Patients have the right to raise a concern about any aspect of their care. To make a complaint, contact the clinic at customercare@londonroadclinic.com. Complaints are acknowledged within three working days and a substantive response is provided within 20 working days. Patients may also raise concerns directly with Dr Boghossian's regulator, the General Medical Council, or with the NMC in the case of NMC-registered practitioners. The escalation routes open to patients are not made deliberately difficult to find.
Dr Shahe Boghossian · Medical Consultant · GMC 5204600 · Verify on the GMC register
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