Leading with innovation: launching the patient platform
Prior to launching, we invested £2.5 million, (and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears!) into developing our world-first healthcare portal.
Unlike anything else available in the health tech domain, we created our unique Patient Dashboard to make medical cannabis a seamless service for patients and practitioners alike, giving full access to consultation bookings, medical documents, prescription information, and medication ordering - all in one place.
We’ve also integrated the portal to correspond with each patient's individual QR code on their medical cannabis card, and with Stripe’s payment system which allows for Apple and Google Pay - for optimal security, and, simplicity.
And, we know this makes a difference. One of our patients, Daisy, explained:
“I had a look at various medical cannabis clinics and what they did, and I liked Releaf the best just in terms of what the clinic offers. They’ve got a patient platform that works when nobody else’s does - and I've worked in the NHS for donkeys’ years, all their computer systems are broken - whereas the Releaf platform is really easy to use.”
Collaborative clinical excellence: onboarding our doctors
Last year before we launched, we also conducted a market research report that found in the UK around 29.6 million (or 1 in 2 UK adults) have a diagnosed health condition that is known to respond to medical cannabis, and, 4 in 10 live in significant distress or discomfort due to these conditions.
So, with this in mind, we knew we needed a large clinical team with a wide range of expertise. And six months on, we’re proud to have one of the largest clinical teams in any UK medical cannabis clinic.
As well as our dedicated nurses, pharmacists, and GPs, our clinical team is made up of specialist doctors whose expertise spans from psychiatry, chronic pain, neurology, and oncology to palliative care and general medicine - and this is only going to continue to grow.
To make sure patients receive not only the best care, but also don’t experience delays in their care, we’ve also implemented daily multidisciplinary meetings where the clinical team provide feedback on all the patients they’ve seen that day, discuss the treatment plans they’ve designed, and ask for feedback from their colleagues.
And, as well as being collaborative, it's imperative our clinical team are also compassionate. You only have to read our patient testimonials or TripAdvisor reviews to see this is true. For example, Ryan told us:
“I felt really comfortable in my first appointment, which was really nice, I felt like I was genuinely being listened to. It was almost weird not feeling uncomfortable during the appointment, because that’s how I’ve felt most of the time when I speak to doctors, but the staff at Releaf were quite honestly amazing.”
Securing the supply chain: our Glass Pharms partnership
Although when we entered the industry medical cannabis had been a legal treatment option for five years, and at the time the UK was one of the world’s largest exporters of cannabis, patients in the UK still relied on international imports of medical cannabis and cannabis oil.
Because of this, it was not uncommon for patients to experience disruptions to their treatment plans because of transportation delays or out-of-stock issues, and we knew this needed to change.
So, we got to work.
And, within 4 months of officially launching, we’d secured a first of its kind partnership with Glass Pharms® to facilitate access to UK-grown medical cannabis for UK-based patients.
This range of CQC approved medical cannabis cultivars is unavailable anywhere else, and so we can guarantee our patient treatment plans are not disrupted because this supply chain is secure, consistent, and reliable.
And, we haven’t scrimped on quality, either. One of our patients, Matt, said:
“The consistency of the product is more tailor-made or tailor-suited to my condition. Before coming to Releaf, I had to rely on whatever I could get my hands on, or whatever a mate had at the time. Now, it's more tailor-made to what I need, it's consistent and effective.”
Excellent Experiences: Putting patients first.
Much like our clinical team, since our official launch on the 1st of February 2024, Releaf’s dedicated Patient Support Team has also expanded as our patient base has grown, to ensure that each and every one of our patients always feels supported, and that there is someone there to listen.
Now, we’re pleased to announce that Releaf’s Patient Support Team is in double digits, with Patient Support Team Manager Charlene Rowe heading up the team of Patient Support Coordinators, Social Activities Coordinators, Dissatisfaction Coordinators and Outbound Patient Support Coordinators.
Our service level agreement ensures any questions or queries Releaf patients have are answered within three hours by the PST, and each team member is well versed in medical cannabis, as well as subjects like GDPR and Data Protection, equality and diversity, consent, and autism awareness.
And this makes for a truly valuable experience. Just read what Lauren had to say:
“I was looking for more than just medical cannabis - I also wanted a clinic that offered great patient support. When I contacted Releaf, I was blown away by the help I received from the team, and by how easy the online system was to navigate.”
Removing the stigma: improving education
Improving the awareness and education that surrounds medical cannabis in the UK to remove the stigma associated with these treatment options was also one of our launch goals. And, we’re pleased to announce we’re making good ground here too.
Since launching, we’ve not only become Google’s number 1 authority on medical cannabis content in the UK, but we also have the highest traffic of any medical cannabis clinic in the UK - with over 110,000 visits to our website every month.
We work hard to produce informative, evidence-based content on our own website, and through our partnerships hosting educational webinars with charities such as MS-UK, and our features in mainstream publications like The Weekend Pages and Live to 100, and we know this is paying off.
Our blog and education section give guidance on patient’s rights when it comes to medical cannabis and employment, driving, renting, and administering medications in public, as well as containing condition-specific content, scientific research, interviews with Releaf’s team of experts, and the answers to countless frequently asked questions.
Why? Because we believe knowledge is power.
And it appears our patients feel the same. For example, Brandon told us:
“My employers have been very supportive, and I'm very appreciative for that. I’ve always felt like full transparency is the best approach, so I arranged a chat with my manager about the treatment…… I sent him the link to the Releaf website, which basically explains everything. I informed him, several times, that medical cannabis has been a legitimate and legal treatment in the UK since 2018, and I sent him links to blog posts and testimonials that people had written about their treatments.”
Making a difference: your body, your health, your choice
The final monumental moment we’d like to touch on is learning how much of a difference we’re making to those that need it most.
Exploring alternatives is not typically recommended by the NHS, and patients often tell us this is a source of frustration, and sometimes even isolation, between them and their healthcare provider.
So, over the last 6 months we’ve also been gathering patient stories to find out more about our patient’s health journeys and share their voices, to learn from their experiences, and inspire others to find the confidence to consider alternative options.
In each and every one of our patient testimonials, it's clear to see the services we provide truly are making a difference to not only patients' lives on a day to day basis, to their symptoms and overall health, but also often, to their wellbeing and quality of life. And it's something we strive to continue to do.
And reading these stories, like this snippet from Lauren shows just this:
“To put it bluntly, I probably wouldn't be able to leave the house at all without the help of medical cannabis. The difference it is making in my life is massive. It has helped a lot with my pain, I am sleeping and eating much better, my anxiety and depression are more manageable, and I can now work without feeling overwhelmed at the time or super apprehensive beforehand.
I am back to travelling for work and able to spend time doing the things I love without worrying about my symptoms getting in the way, at least for the most part. Honestly, it has just made my life so much easier and so much better.”
Closing thoughts
It’s been an incredible first six months, and it's clear our commitment to innovation, clinical excellence and patient-focused care has made such a difference already.
From our world-first patient platform, to our reliable supply chain and our extensive team of experts, we have laid a strong foundation for the future - but, we know our work is far from over.
As we continue to grow and evolve, our focus remains on empowering patients and improving lives.
So, here’s to the next chapter in Releaf’s journey!
