Age-restricted treatments and age checks
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You can mark a treatment as age-restricted so the booking system checks a patient is 18 or over before they can book it online, and flags younger adults for an ID check in clinic. This puts the law's "effective systems" defence into your booking flow rather than leaving it to memory.
Marking a treatment as age-restricted
Go to Settings > Treatments, open a treatment and tick Age-restricted (18 and over). Toxin and dermal filler treatments are the usual candidates, because administering or even booking them for an under-18 is an offence under the Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021.
What the patient experiences
When a treatment is age-restricted, the online booking page asks for the patient's date of birth and will not take a booking from anyone under 18, with a clear message explaining why, before any payment is taken. The same block applies when your team books in the diary and through the public API, so there is no side door around it. The diary can only check a patient whose date of birth is on their record: if it is missing, the drawer shows a warning asking you to confirm their age and record an ID check before you book.
Challenge 25 flag
If a patient books an age-restricted treatment and is under 25, an admin alert is added to their record asking staff to check photo ID at the next visit. This mirrors the Challenge 25 approach that trading standards expect, so a booking that is technically over 18 but looks borderline still gets a real-world check.
Recording an ID check
On a patient's record, the ID checks card lets you record a check: the ID document seen (Passport, Driving licence, PASS card, Digital ID or Other), an optional note, and who checked it and when. Building the check into the record is what evidences your due diligence if you are ever asked. For the rare case of a clinically justified under-18 treatment, there is a medical-need override that records the authorising GMC-registered doctor and the reason.
This is not legal advice
These tools help you evidence good practice, but you remain responsible for how your clinic meets its legal duties. If in doubt about a specific case, take your own professional and legal advice.