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Harnessing the power of the UK's hair and beauty professionals to promote self care and welfare in the community

Abstract

TrichoCare believes the UK's influential hair, beauty and barbering profession can make additional positive contributions to our nation's welfare, by participating in health and science training.

40,000 hairdressers, barbers and beauty therapists, as an industry, have been hit hard by Covid19 disruption making them unable to practice. Social distancing and the need to minimise cross-contamination will require adoption of totally new practices for the industry when restarting. Consequently, self care principles for both practitioners and their clients need to be widely communicated and adopted.

Having been at the forefront of science and health training for almost a decade, Trichocare will design and develop a new online educational programme designed specifically for hairdressers launching in just 3 months with the support of Innovate UK. Courses will be a blend of free and paid-for training and qualifications. All will be delivered online using our new Virtual Learning Environment.

This will enable the UK hair and beauty industry to rapidly restart with appropriate virus control measures in place to ensure the wellbeing, health and safety of both staff and clients.

_"Government's long term plan is to support people to manage their own health, tackling health inequalities and reducing pressure on services. These changes should mean that the NHS can start to tackle some of the underlying pressures it faces."_ _(www.longtermplan.nhs.uk)_

Hundreds of Hair Professionals have participated in Trichocare's Ofqual Qualification in Trichology. Our unique expertise and reputation within this specialised market can be deployed to deliver wider and longer-term societal benefits (outputs) by:

1. Promoting welfare and self care messaging to the millions of clients treated each week by in salons
2. Encouraging healthcare interactions to be with pharmacists rather than GPs, saving NHS millions (unnecessary use of NHS services costs an estimated £2.3 billion a year)
3. Improving the value and loyalty of Hair Professionals increasing profitability and sustainability in one of the hardest hit sectors of the UK economy responsible for a £6bn contribution to the UK economy in 2017\.

The short-term immediate promotion of the initiative within and outside the sector will contribute to its much-needed revival with new safety measures in place to control the virus. Longer term socio- economic benefits will see Hair Professionals promoting better health decisions and more efficient interactions with primary healthcare services.

Lead Participant

Project Cost

Grant Offer

TRICHOCARE CONSULTING LIMITED £48,286 £ 48,286

Publications

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