Healthcare history in the making: Releaf integrate with NHS Spine

As the UK’s fastest growing medical cannabis clinic, we’re committed to making access to cannabis-based treatments as easy as possible for those that may be able to benefit from them.

How have we shown this so far? 

Well, first came our bespoke Patient Dashboard, which has been designed to give patients full autonomy over their treatment plans. 

Next came our securement of partnerships with Glass Pharms® and Somai Pharmaceuticals to ensure our patients have consistent access to high quality medications.

And more recently, we’ve hit the headlines again. Why? Because we’ve integrated with the NHS Spine service, simplifying and speeding up the sign-up process for medical cannabis at Releaf. 

But, what does this actually mean? 

Well, instead of waiting for an individuals’ GP service to send over their medical records so that we can assess their suitability for medical cannabis, now, when patients in England sign up, they can simply use the integrated NHS login feature to grant us automatic, instant access to these records and ultimately, speed up the process. 

What is NHS Spine?

The NHS Spine service is an IT infrastructure that operates just as its name suggests, connecting together around 26,000 healthcare organisations here in the UK like a spine or a backbone.

Half a million healthcare professionals use this system every single day to securely share and access patient data, and over 40 million messages are sent using the platform on a daily basis. 

It incorporates 44,000 healthcare IT systems, allowing them to share information relating to: 

• EPS: Electronic Prescription Service
• PDS: Personal Demographics Service
• NCRS: National Care Records Service
• E-Referral service
• Patients Flags Service API

This allows healthcare organisations to safely and securely share and view patients data such as prescription history, or Summary Care Records (SCR) to improve patient care, experiences, and continuity of services. 

Why has Releaf integrated with NHS Spine?

There are a long list of benefits to integrating with the NHS Spine service, from streamlining the sign-up process and improving communication with NHS services, to ensuring cannabis-based prescriptions are viewed in the same way as any other prescribed medicine - we’re so pleased to have made this progress.

In fact, our spokesperson told news outlets:

“Our integration with NHS Spine marks a major milestone for Releaf and the UK medical cannabis sector. 

Not only does it demonstrate Releaf’s commitment to best practice, safety and transparency, but it will also bring CBPMs into the mainstream, aligning them with standard healthcare systems. 

It will help to normalise CBPMs as part of routine patient care, rather than alternative treatment. By aligning Releaf with NHS governance and data standards, we are increasing public trust and demonstrating responsible prescribing, reassuring both patients and healthcare professionals.”

A new streamlined sign-up process

Prior to integrating with NHS Spine, in order to assess an individuals' eligibility for cannabis-based medicines our clinical team would have to wait for a patient's GP to send over their medical records, or SCR, for evaluation. 

It usually takes around 48 hours for GPs to supply Summary Care Records, but, this does vary depending on the GP practice, and once these records are received, our triage team can get started.

However, now when residents in England sign up to Releaf they can simply use the integrated NHS login feature to grant us instant, automatic, access to these records, streamlining the process considerably.

Anyone who has used the NHS App or booked in online for NHS services in England should have an NHS login. Simply click the ‘continue to NHS login’ during sign up to be taken to the NHS website, enter your email address and password, and we’ll be able to start triage straight away. 

Benefits to continuity of patient care

As well as making it easier for us to access NHS health records created in England, by integrating with NHS Spine, now Releaf prescriptions appear alongside all other prescribed medications to improve continuity of care across the healthcare sector. 

While the NHS can technically prescribe medical cannabis, they have only issued a handful of prescriptions for medical cannabis flower since it’s legalisation in 2018, and so, many NHS healthcare providers aren’t knowledgeable of cannabis-based medicines, or, aware of the volume of people who are accessing these treatments privately. 

With Releaf prescriptions now appearing on NHS Spine, awareness of the clinical applications, and the prevalence, of medical cannabis will increase in NHS circles, hopefully translating to a reduction in stigma. 

Final Thoughts

While integrating with NHS doesn’t mean these options will become widely available through NHS providers, it does bring the medical cannabis industry closer to traditional healthcare systems, and helps to lay the groundwork for future improvements in acceptance and accessibility of cannabis-based treatments. 

If you’ve not signed up to Releaf yet, you’ll be able to enjoy this new, streamlined service when you assess your suitability for medical cannabis using Releaf’s fast and free eligibility tool: why not try it now? 

Sign up for Releaf

Or, if you are already a Releaf patient, take a look at your NHS App and embrace the change!