Clinic in legal cannabis plans

● NHS Grampian describes the Aberdeen facility’s proposal as ‘concerning’

Aclinic in Aberdeen is set to become the first place in Scotland to legally prescribe medical cannabis.

Sapphire Medical Clinics says its new unit in the city will provide products “for all conditions acknowledged to benefit from the treatment”.

Medical cannabis was made legal across the UK in November 2018 but only when used to treat a handful of specific medical conditions.

The clinic will require a referral from a GP, prompting health bosses to raise fears that the process will result in doctors using valuable time to funnel patients into private healthcare, where they will receive treatments not available or recognised by the NHS.

NHS Grampian has described the development as “concerning”.

Sapphire Medical Clinics, which also has a facility on London’s Harley Street, says it is in “advanced stages” of securing the necessary registration required to open in Aberdeen.

Managing director Dr Mikael Sodergren said: “Patients in Scotland will now have access to worldclass experts in managing their condition, who also have expertise in medical cannabis.

“Medical cannabis is an exciting and rapidly developing field of medicine that could transform the lives of patients living with certain conditions.

“But prescription numbers have been low, held down by patients who are often in significant pain or with physical disabilities being unable to travel the long distances to clinics.

“This in turn has meant building the clinical evidence on patients in the UK has also been slow.”

It is estimated that 1.4 million people across the UK take cannabis to ease symptoms of illness, with the “overwhelming majority” doing so via illegal channels.

Sapphire medical director Michael Platt said: “Sapphire operates to the highest standards of clinical governance so patients can be confident that any prescription of medical cannabis will be done as part of a rigorous and safe process.

“By opening the clinic in Aberdeen we will be giving patients a legal, safe and medically sound route to access what they need.”

An NHS Grampian spokeswoman said: “It is concerning that this private clinic operates on the mechanism of GP referrals given the treatments used in the clinic would not be available nor recognised by the NHS.

“There is the risk of significant GP time being utilised to provide clients access to this private healthcare.

“There is clear NHS Grampian guidance for prescribing following a private consultation.

“Any patient using private healthcare should be under no presumption that any medicines prescribed could or should be continued on the NHS.

“This would only occur where it is appropriate and available for NHS usage.”