Sapphire Medical, the country’s first clinic of its kind to be registered with Healthcare Improvement Scotland (“HIS”), received a ‘good’ rating this week, with the report highlighting that the service “demonstrated a patient-centred and proactive approach.”
The report goes on to say “processes were in place to ensure medicines were prescribed in line with current legislation and guidance” and that “structures, processes and systems were in place to support good clinical governance.”
Sapphire Medical, which also received an ‘outstanding’ rating by the Care Quality Commission (“CQC”) in England for being well-led, and ‘good’ rating overall, is positioned to support patients who may benefit from medical cannabis. Currently, the majority of patients are seen for chronic pain, neuropathic pain, generalised anxiety disorder and fibromyalgia.
The organisation’s aim is to enable safe access to medical cannabis for patients who have failed to achieve sufficient relief of their symptoms with first line treatments through a consultation with specialist consultants working within a framework approved by all relevant regulatory authorities.
Legislation in the UK allows specialist consultants to prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products (“CBMPs”) to those who’ve exhausted conventional therapies. As such the clinic’s consultants will assess patients within their area of expertise.
Furthermore, the report demonstrated how Sapphire Medical delivers patient-centred care; “the majority of patients told us they had received adequate information, including benefits and risks of medical cannabis and expected outcomes. They also stated they had been involved in decisions about their care and were given sufficient time to reflect on care options before making a decision.”
Dr Mikael Sodergren, Managing Director and Academic Lead of Sapphire Medical comments, “The rating by HIS is testament to the hard work and commitment of our staff, which was highlighted in the report. Our patients often view us as their last hope in for a range of chronic conditions and the care we provide is always about working with patients to find an outcome that best suits them, ensuring they feel comfortable every step of the way.”
Footnotes:
In February 2023, Sapphire Medical Clinics were informed that Health Improvement Scotland would no longer regulate virtual healthcare services who have their headquarters outside of Scotland. Sapphire Medical Clinics still retains an address at One Allan Park, Stirling and continues to be regulated by the Care Quality Commission.
