Guide · updated 2 October 2026
What a consent record should show, beyond a signature
A signed form proves a signature. When a question comes up later, clinics are usually asked to show more: what the patient was told, what they agreed to, when, and who took the consent. This guide collects what selected sources say.
This guide summarises public sources for clinic owners. It is not legal or regulatory advice, rules change, and it may be out of date by the time you read it. Check each source and ask your regulator, college or insurer about your own practice.
Why insurers care about the record
An aesthetics insurer, Hamilton Fraser, writes that “in many of the cases we successfully defend, practitioners can demonstrate that risks were explained, informed consent was obtained, and appropriate aftercare advice was provided.”1 Another insurer, Cosmetic Insure, describes a claim in which “one critical piece of evidence was missing: documented written consent.”2
Elements that sources describe
A note of the discussion, not only a form
The Collège des médecins du Québec asks physicians to record an appropriate note in the clinical record reflecting the consent discussion, and to place the consent form in the patient’s record.3
Consent taken by the person who will treat
A UK training provider summarising professional codes writes that “the practitioner who will carry out the treatment must personally conduct the consent discussion.”4 Check the code that applies to your profession.
Time to think
The Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners tells patients to expect a cooling-off period between the consultation and treatment.5 A record that shows when consent was given, relative to the consultation and the treatment, makes this visible.
Separate consent for photographs
The Quebec guide says photographs and video need explicit written consent that states how they will be used.3
A practical checklist for your record
- Which treatment and which plan the consent covers.
- The exact version of the consent form the patient read.
- When it was given to the patient, and when they signed.
- Who held the consent discussion, and a note of it.
- Photo consent, with the uses agreed.
- What happens when the plan changes after consent was given.
This checklist is our summary, not a regulatory standard. ClinicJourney is designed to keep each of these items with the patient’s record. See how consent works in ClinicJourney.
Sources
- Hamilton Fraser, “30 years of aesthetic claims data”. Link
- Cosmetic Insure, “A year in claims: what 2025 has taught us about risk in aesthetic practice”. Link
- Collège des médecins du Québec, guide on aesthetic medicine (2020), pp. 24–25. PDF
- Aesthetics Unlocked, “Informed consent for aesthetic treatments in the UK”. Link
- JCCP, “Navigating no: a patient’s guide to difficult conversations in aesthetics”. Link