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What is a consultant plastic surgeon?

It's the phrase you'll see on most UK and Irish clinic websites. Here's what it means, and what to check behind it.

3 min read · Updated 18 Oct 2026 · Surgeon Shortlist editorial team

What “consultant” means in the NHS

In the UK and Ireland, “consultant” is the title for a senior hospital doctor who has completed specialist training. A consultant plastic surgeon, then, is a specialist plastic surgeon in a senior post. You'll see the phrase on hospital and clinic websites, and it's a reasonable sign of seniority.

But “consultant” is a job title, not a register entry. What you can check is the register behind it.

The link to the specialist register

The specialist register is the General Medical Council's list of doctors eligible to take up fixed-term, honorary or substantive consultant posts in the NHS. The GMC notes that specialist registration is not a legal requirement for these posts in foundation trusts. If a doctor is on the specialist register, their entry on the medical register says so and lists their specialties.

For a consultant plastic surgeon, look for plastic surgery. BAPRAS says fully qualified plastic surgeons will be on the GMC specialist register for plastic surgery.

Have a surgeon in mind?See what the official register says about them in about a minute.Check a surgeon

Private practice and titles

Private practice works differently. The Royal College of Surgeons of England says there is no legal requirement for a private cosmetic surgeon to be on the GMC specialist register: they need only be registered with, and licensed by, the GMC as a doctor. “Cosmetic surgeon” isn't a protected title in the UK, so a title on a website, consultant or otherwise, doesn't settle the question.

Some plastic surgeons work in both the NHS and private practice. It's fair to ask whether they hold, or have held, an NHS consultant post, and where.

How to check a consultant plastic surgeon in the UK

  • Search the surgeon's name on the GMC's online register.
  • Check they hold a licence to practise.
  • Look for the specialist register, with plastic surgery listed.
  • Read any conditions or warnings in full.
  • In England, check the hospital or clinic is registered with the Care Quality Commission.

Our United Kingdom page has the links, and the credentials glossary explains letters such as FRCS (Plast).

Ireland

Ireland uses “consultant” in a similar way. By law, every doctor must be registered with the Medical Council to practise in Ireland, and the Council says doctors can only practise independently as specialists if they hold specialist registration. Search its online register by name or registration number, then open the full record, where any restrictions or suspensions appear. Our Ireland page explains more.

Royal College of Surgeons of England cosmetic surgery certification is open to surgeons on the Irish Medical Council specialist register as well as the GMC's. For how titles differ by country, read cosmetic or plastic surgeon?

Common questions

What is the GMC specialist register?

The specialist register is the General Medical Council's list of doctors eligible to take up fixed-term, honorary or substantive consultant posts in the NHS, although the GMC notes it is not a legal requirement for these posts in foundation trusts. For plastic surgery, look for “plastic surgery” shown against the specialist register entry.

Source: General Medical Council

Is “cosmetic surgeon” a protected title in the UK?

No. The Royal College of Surgeons of England says there is no legal requirement for a private cosmetic surgeon to be on the GMC specialist register. BAPRAS says fully qualified plastic surgeons are on the GMC specialist register for plastic surgery. Checking the register is the quickest way to see which a surgeon is.

Source: Royal College of Surgeons of England, BAPRAS

How do I check a plastic surgeon in Ireland?

Search the Medical Council's online register by name or registration number and open the full record, which the Council says is where any restrictions or suspensions appear. By law every doctor practising in Ireland must be registered, and the Council says doctors can only practise independently as specialists if they hold specialist registration.

Source: Medical Council (Ireland)

Sources

This guide is general information, not medical advice.