UK’s first national network of medical cannabis clinics

UK’s first national network of medical cannabis clinics ignites a step change in patient numbers

Doctors working for The Medical Cannabis Clinics are now breaking the mould to allow qualifying patients access to cannabis across the country.

The Medical Cannabis Clinics, recently CQC registered, is the UK’s largest and fastest growing chain of private cannabis clinics, with doctors now operating from seven locations across the country and more openings planned over the coming months to meet patient demand. 

Through working in collaboration with the global leaders in medical cannabis education and training, The Academy of Medical Cannabis, the clinic chain has amassed a team of skilled clinicians who have been trained to prescribe cannabis-based medicine.

The demand for cannabinoid medicine has never been more evident after this week’s release of a YouGov poll suggesting a staggering 1.4 million British citizens are resorting to using cannabis illegally in an attempt to treat a range of conditions and symptoms.

According to Jonathan Nadler, Group MD at LYPHE Group: “Patients should be able to access legal medical cannabis but both advocates and doctors have been thoroughly dissatisfied with the lack of progress since cannabis was rescheduled in 2018. Many were outraged when NICE issued their latest recommendations a couple of months ago in which only two cannabis-based drugs, Epidyolex and Sativex, were recommended for use by those suffering from either rare forms of childhood-onset epilepsy or spasticity related to multiple sclerosis. This update left many, including patients suffering from other conditions like fibromyalgia and chronic pain, feeling snubbed by the healthcare institute and the medical community as a whole. NICE’s guidance is often taken as gospel by healthcare professionals who won’t prescribe without its explicit authorisation.”

However the NICE guidance does not override the responsibility of healthcare professionals to carefully assess and assign the appropriate line of treatment in their patients’ best interests. So, through asserting the right to their own clinical discretion around their patient’s treatment and care, specialists are now taking back their power to prescribe, providing high quality and effective medical cannabis care in the process. 

The guidelines specifically state: ‘Once NICE guidance is published, health professionals are expected to take it fully into account when exercising their clinical judgement. However, NICE guidance does not override the individual responsibility of health professionals to make appropriate decisions according to the circumstances of the individual patient in consultation with the patient and / or their guardian or carer.’

Jonathan Nadler added: “Doctors operating with The Medical Cannabis Clinics are not afraid to exercise their knowledge and expertise to write medical cannabis prescriptions for patients who need it. With clinics in London (Harley Street), Birmingham (Solihull), Manchester, Nottingham, Leeds, Newcastle and Bristol, we are proud to be assisting patients across the country.”