The registry

NHS Scotland joined the Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry (BCIR) to help improve the services offered to people with an implant.

Why it’s useful to have a registry

Implant registries are useful because they help find:

• whether a particular implant is causing problems
• people who have implants when concerns have been raised

Who runs the registry?

The BCIR is operated by NHS England (formerly NHS Digital) as a central register for NHS Scotland, NHS England and NHS Northern Ireland to ensure patients are supported appropriately.

The NHS takes its responsibility for looking after information very seriously. It follows the legal rules, guidance and practices known as Information Governance for both:

• collection of the registry data
• IT systems

The BCIR contains details of breast implant procedures in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It covers NHS and independent providers.

Read further information about the creation of the BCIR

There is no information on cosmetic implants apart from breast implants at this time.

The BCIR is supported by cosmetic and surgical professional groups including:

• the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS)
• the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS)
• the Association of Breast Surgery (ABS)

These professional groups ensure experts, doctors and patients are involved within the BCIR processes.

When and why did Scotland join the BCIR?

Scotland joined the registry in 2019.

The Scottish Cosmetic Interventions Expert Group found that it would benefit Scotland to join the BCIR. This resulted in an agreement with NHS England on the safe and secure management of patient information as part of the BCIR.

Scotland’s NHS hospitals are included in the registry. Independent hospitals are joining as soon as possible.

How it works

The registry has been set up to improve the data on the safety of breast implants.

The registry:

• records all implant procedures
• looks at implant information to see if there are safety issues with a type of implant

The registry means that patients can be quickly and accurately contacted if there is a recall.

Read further information about breast and cosmetic implant product recall

Does my hospital need to participate?

The BCIR was set up to ensure patient safety is at the centre of care. To achieve this, NHS Scotland health boards must ensure records are kept safely and effectively. So relevant data for all patients who receive an implant are to be added to the BCIR. This is an essential part of keeping patients safe and a key part of usual clinical care. If you are concerned about this, your data rights can be found as part of the Privacy notice and you should discuss any concerns with your clinician.

Read the patient information leaflet

Implants may be recalled because of concerns around:

• the implant shell (outer layer)
• the implant filling
• a problem with the packaging of the device

Implant recalls are very rare. In the 1990s an oil-filled implant was introduced. It was recalled because of concerns around the filling. This was the last time an implant had to be removed and replaced in people who had them.

Much more recently PIP implants were withdrawn because of concerns around the filling of the implant. The filling was believed to be substandard. This means it did not meet medical safety requirements.

How will I be contacted if there’s a recall?

If there are safety concerns, you will be contacted and recalled for assessment.

NHS Scotland will use your personal details to try and trace your current address. The records on the NHS database will be used.

The organisation that carried out your surgery will be provided with your current address, where available, so that they can:

• contact you
• arrange for the right steps to be taken to ensure your safety

If the organisation that performed the surgery no longer exists, you will be contacted by your local NHS Scotland health board.

If you are an overseas patient, or you have moved overseas, an attempt will be made to contact you at your last known address in your health record. For these reasons, please ensure your GP records are up to date especially your name, address and contact details.

Only hospital or clinic staff with access to the Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry (BCIR) can enter patient information. Any hospital or clinic treating someone with an implant can request access.

The data is collected at the time of the procedure and entered securely into the system.

What data is collected?

The data that your surgical team will send to NHS England (formerly NHS Digital) will include:

• your Community Health Index (CHI) number
• your family name
• your first name
• your current postcode
• your date of birth
• gender
• your surgeon’s name
• details of the surgical procedure
• details of the implant used

How is my data used?

NHS England digital systems

The Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry has a steering group who advise on the operation of the registry. This steering group is made up of representatives from:

• patient groups
• the Department of Health and Social Care
• the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
• the Scottish Government
• relevant professional bodies
• other appropriate agencies

The steering group provides expert advice on:

• clinical matters (keeping patients safe and providing good care)
• content (what the registry says and contains)
• governance (how the registry is kept accurate and safe)
• outputs (what the registry provides to the people who access it)
• reports

NHS England publish regular reports on the data to support BCIR services and their delivery. No identifiable information is included within the reports.

Read the reports about the Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry – NHS England

How is my data kept safe?

There are senior doctors who make sure patient privacy and confidentiality are respected. They’re sometimes called Caldicott Guardians.

The BCIR also adheres to all data protection law and operates to ensure the data system and values are clear and open.

Public Benefit and Privacy Panel

The Public Benefit and Privacy Panel (PBPP) checks requests to share data. It maintains information governance rules of:

• safe people
• safe projects
• safe data
• safe places

NHS England made an application for NHS Scotland to join the registry and it was approved in February 2019. This was reapplied to and updated in October 2023.

Privacy Notice

Privacy and data security are very important to the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland health boards. We take our legal obligations seriously.

Strict measures have been put in place so that the BCIR follows privacy and data security laws.

Data Protection Impact Assessment

A Data Protection Impact Assessment for NHS Scotland’s engagement in the BCIR has been shared with NHS Scotland health boards. Each participating board has signed off on the Information Sharing Agreement.

Privacy notice

Privacy and data security are very important to the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland health boards. We take our legal obligations seriously.

Strict measures have been put in place so that the BCIR follows privacy and data security laws.

Read the BCIR privacy notice