Streeting will ‘improve safety’ for Britons going abroad for cosmetic surgery

The Health Secretary has said he will work to improve safety for Britons travelling abroad for cosmetic procedures in the wake of several deaths.

Wes Streeting said his “strong advice” to British travellers seeking Brazilian butt lifts (also known as BBLs), tummy tucks and other cosmetic treatments was to think carefully before taking up offers that are “too good to be true”.

It comes after several women lost their lives in the last few years after travelling to Turkey for cut-price surgery.

Mr Streeting said: “I think we need to take very seriously this issue of medical negligence and malpractice overseas.

“My strong advice to British travellers is if the offer looks too good to be true, I suspect it is too good to be true, and think very carefully before flying overseas, paying what looks like a kind of rock bottom attractive price, because you may end up paying the consequences for years to come as a result of injuries, which in the worst cases can be life-changing.

“I’m determined to work with international partners to try and improve safety for Brits abroad.

“But we also need to send a strong message to the British public to manage the risks, to do their homework and think very carefully before taking up offers that are too good to be true.”

Asked whether the NHS should be picking up the pieces when things go wrong, he said: “We’re never going to turn people away who are in need of care but this is another pressure the NHS doesn’t need.

“So I would urge Brits – before traveling abroad – to think very carefully before accessing those cosmetic treatments that are currently being marketed at rock bottom prices.”

Kaydell Brown, 38, from Sheffield, signed up for multiple surgeries in Turkey but died after going into theatre on March 26 this year.

In an interview with ITV News, her sister Leanne said: “She went in for surgery at about 9.30am and that was the last time I saw her.”

Another patient, Isabella Crawford, has told how she thought she would die after flying home with blood pouring out of her open wounds.

The 20-year-old flew to Turkey in February after a surgeon recommended she have a “mummy makeover” – which included a tummy tuck, a breast uplift, liposuction and a Brazilian butt lift.

A recent inquest heard how Hayley Dowell, 38, suffered medical complications at a private clinic and died after she had a Brazilian butt lift, tummy tuck and liposuction in October last year.

And a coroner said Janet Lynne Savage, 54, from Bangor, died after major artery trauma during a gastric sleeve weight loss procedure in Turkey in 2023.

Foreign Office data shows that at least six British people died in Turkey in 2023 after travelling abroad for medical procedures.

Overall, 28 British nationals have died in the country following planned surgery since 2019, the data shows.

A UK Government spokesperson said: “We urge anyone considering a medical procedure abroad to review our travel advice and the relevant guidance from the NHS and other professional bodies.”

The Royal College of Surgeons said it was holding a meeting early next month to find solutions to unacceptable standards of treatment.

Those attending include NHS England, the Competition and Markets Authority, the Advertising Standards Authority and surgical associations covering cosmetic and bariatric surgery.

Others invited include the Department of Health, the General Medical Council, the General Dental Council, the Care Quality Commission and the Turkish and Lithuanian Embassies.

Royal College of Surgeons vice president, Professor Vivien Lees, said: “It is incredibly sad that lives are being lost to cut-price surgery abroad. Patients deserve better protection through tighter regulation and education.

“After years of inaction from officials, we are now convening an urgent meeting with experts across health, advertising and trade authorities, together with foreign governments, to address this growing crisis.

“We are calling for a comprehensive approach to safeguard those considering surgery overseas.

“In the UK, our cosmetic surgery board certification scheme sets a vital benchmark to help patients choose board-certified cosmetic surgeons who meet high standards of care and professionalism.

“This is a voluntary scheme which the UK government now has the option to make a mandatory requirement.”

According to the Foreign Office website “the standard of medical facilities and available treatments can vary widely globally and also within countries”.

As well as deaths among Britons, it said “some British nationals have also experienced complications and needed further treatment or surgery following their procedure”.

It said anyone considering travelling to Turkey for treatment should discuss the plans with their own doctor or dentist, adding that “private companies have a financial interest in booking your treatment and their literature should not be your only source of information”.

The website said the Foreign Office “cannot usually help if you have travelled abroad for medical treatment, for example if you have issues with the care received or costs involved.

“Planned medical treatment is considered a commercial arrangement.”

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: “The NHS will always be there for those who need it, but should not be left to pick up the pieces of botched BBLs.

“Not only are they potentially fatal, having the highest death rate of all cosmetic procedures, but dodgy tweakments and surgeries are leaving the NHS to repair the damage and taxpayers to foot the bill.

“I’d urge anyone considering a BBL to think twice before taking up an offer that seems too good to be true.”