Cannabis News
Cannabis Prescription: How to obtain a medical cannabis treatment plan in the UK
In association with medical cannabis clinic LVL Health, which specialises in chronic pain treatments, we have put together a helpful guide to accessing a cannabis prescription here in the UK.
While the medicine is legally available on the NHS, for a number of rare cases, most doctors are not willing to prescribe cannabis for general conditions such as pain relief or anxiety relief.
This is where the private clinics come in, with specialist doctors who have seen the benefits of cannabis and are willing to prescribe the medication to patients in clinical trials, to further the research required to make cannabis prescription readily available on the NHS.
Getting hold of a private prescription can seem like a daunting task, and affording one can be even more problematic with our current cost of living crisis, but we are here to guide you every step of the way – and LVL themselves have a medical access trial you can sign up to called CanPain that will reduce the cost of the prescription.
The conditions that medical cannabis can be prescribed for vary greatly, but the main area it has shown excellent promise in is pain relief.
LVL Health provides relief from a number of long-term chronic pain conditions, such as sciatica, fibromyalgia, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and all manner of specific joint pains such as knee, pelvis, back, and neck.
It is legal for any doctor registered on the specialist register to prescribe medication for any condition if he or she thinks it is in the patient’s best interests. However, you must have tried at least two previous treatments without success.
During an initial consultation, your doctor can discuss any other factors that may affect your suitability, such as previous medical history or psychoses that may prevent you from using a psychoactive substance.
LVL Health has a step-by-step guide to obtaining a prescription from them on their website, that we have provided here to aid you in your journey.
Provide Medical Information
The first step in our patient onboarding journey is to provide further details about your chronic pain condition to check your eligibility for medicinal cannabis treatment. You can do this by clicking the ‘Become a Patient’ button linked below.
You will be required to submit a copy of your medical information. Please have the following documents available ready to be uploaded:
- Scan of photographic ID document (passport or driving licence).
- A clinical letter about your condition and the current status.
- A clinical letter outlining the medication you are currently being prescribed.
- Your most recent blood results.
Consent for Diagnostic Tests
Once you have successfully completed the medical questionnaire and have uploaded the necessary documents, the next step is to provide consent for diagnostic testing.
As part of our onboarding process and to ensure the safety of all of our patients, our partnered clinics will require you to undergo several diagnostic tests to include a Cannabis THC Test, a Pregnancy Test (female only), and a Genetics Test before issuing a prescription for medicinal cannabis.
Multi-Disciplinary Team Meeting
Once you have completed your medical information form and provided consent for the diagnostic tests, the next step in your onboarding journey is to have this information reviewed at our next Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meeting.
Our Multi-Disciplinary Team consists of several health care professionals specialising in chronic pain who will determine if you are eligible for treatment using medicinal cannabis.
Once your case has been evaluated and the team have agreed you are eligible, you will then be invited to proceed to the next step.
Book Initial Consultation
Following the MDT meeting, if you are eligible for treatment using medicinal cannabis you will be invited to book your initial consultation with a specialist doctor.
Upon booking your initial consultation with us, you will be asked to pay the cost of your upfront payment fee and the cost of your first month of treatment. These costs are:
£99.00 – Joining Fee
(Includes Diagnostic Tests, and Doctors Consultation is currently FREE)
£299.00 – Prescription Treatment
(Monthly cost during treatment)
Once you have booked your consultation, you will receive a Zoom meeting link that will connect you directly with your consultant doctor on the day and time specified during the booking process.
Diagnostic Tests
The next step on our patient onboarding journey is to carry out the easy to use diagnostic tests.
Following the booking of your consultation, you will receive a package in the post containing a Pregnancy Test (if appropriate), a Cannabis THC Urine Test and a Saliva Genetic Test.
You will be required to complete the tests as instructed. For the Cannabis THC and Urine Test, you will upload these tests directly to us using the link provided. For the Saliva Genetics Test, simply follow the included instructions and send this back to the laboratory using the pre-paid box provided.
Initial Consultation
On the date and time specified in your booking, you will be connected to the consultant doctor via the Zoom meeting link provided to you by email.
During your initial consultation, the doctor will evaluate your case in more detail and ensure that you are eligible for medical cannabis treatment. At this stage, the doctor will also ask for your consent to treatment and get you to electronically sign a consent form.
Towards the end of the consultation, you and your consultant doctor will make a decision whether to move forward with treatment, at which point a clinical letter will be generated and a prescription for medicinal cannabis will be written and forwarded to the pharmacy.
Receive Cannabis Prescription
Following your consultation and the issuing of your cannabis prescription, you will be contacted by the pharmacy to arrange a suitable delivery date for your prescription cannabis. The pharmacy, prescription and courier fees are all included within the monthly treatment fee.
Using the Inhalation Device and LVL Group Mobile App
Once your medication cartridges have arrived, to be able to take your medical cannabis you will need to use the inhalation device.
Detailed instructions on how to pair and use the device will be provided to you upon the first login to the mobile app. Your unique login credentials will be provided to you by email during the onboarding journey.
Before you can use the device to inhale your medical cannabis, you will be asked to answer a pain questionnaire. Once this is complete the device will allow you to inhale your medication. Using the application on your smartphone, you can see how much of the dose you have consumed and how much is left for that particular day as per the doctors prescription.
As part of your ongoing treatment, you will be required to answer safety questions after each dose which helps the doctor monitor and adjust your dosage accordingly. You will not be able to consume the next day’s dose without answering these questions.
Once per week you will be asked to answer a pain monitoring questionnaire and, once every 3 months you will also be asked to answer a quality of life questionnaire.
Quarterly Review Appointment
Every quarter you will be prompted by email or text message to book a quarterly review appointment with your doctor. This can be done in-clinic or over a Zoom meeting.
The purpose of a review appointment is to discuss your treatment, its effectiveness and for the doctor to make any dosage changes as necessary as part of your ongoing treatment plan.
