Process & Cost
Firstly, we are sorry that you (or the person that you are caring for) have come to a stage with your/their illness where traditional pharmaceutical intervention is not managing the symptoms of the disease anymore. We hope that the information here will helpful.
Please note:
– Cannabis medicines will only be considered if the licensed treatments for the patients’ symptoms have been trialled unsuccessfully or considered inappropriate for the patient
– The entirety of the private cannabis prescription system is operated remotely. Consultations are undertaken remotely via video and medicines are securely couriered to the Patients home.
– Each clinic has a different pricing structure, which can be found on their respective website. You can find information on all the cannabis prescribing clinics we work with here- Clinic Link.
– For compliance reasons we cannot publish the price of medicines.
The Patient Journey :
Step 1 – Enquiry and Eligibility Assessment
To start the process, patients should enquire with their chosen cannabis clinic via their website, email or phone number. The Patient will be required to fill out an initial eligibility assessment form. This ensures that patients who can be identified as not eligible at this initial stage avoid the cost of a consultation.
Step 2 – Medical Records and Booking Appointment
In the next step the patient will need to request their medical records or summary of care (SoC) from their general practitioner (GP). This will need to include the proof of diagnosis and medications that have been prescribed (past and present). Once received by the clinic, an appointment will then be made for an initial consultation between the Patient and one of the clinic’s prescribing doctors.
Step 3 – Initial Consultation
Undertaken via video call. There is nothing to prepare in advance of the consultation. In the consultation, patients should speak openly about their condition and symptoms, the medicines they have tried previously and whether they have consumed cannabis or CBD in the past. The requirements for being prescribed cannabis medicines and their costs may also be discussed during consultation.
Step 4 -MDT and Final Decision
The doctor will review the Patients medical records and consult with their clinical team in an MDT (Multi-Disciplinary Team) meeting to establish whether the Patient is a suitable candidate to be prescribed cannabis medicines. Normally this decision will be made within a week of the consultation.
Step 5 – Payment and Delivery
Once a decision has been made the patient will be contacted by phone or email to be told whether they have been approved and, if successful, what has been prescribed. If it’s decided that cannabis medicines are suitable then they will be contacted by the pharmacy to arrange payment and delivery of medicines.
Step 6 – Follow-Ups, Reviews and Prescription Reissue
Going forward, patients are reviewed on a regular basis, usually monthly or quarterly, either with a doctor, nurse or pharmacist. Prescriptions are reissued on a monthly basis and there is a cost for reviews and reissues that varies depending on the clinic.
