CD21 SOP

[fatboii97]

Hi all,

I have sent emails out to Torbay Hospital and Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital for a response to the CD21 SOP.

See below the response I have received from Torbay. I will also post further correspondence as I receive it.

Dear Mr REDACTED

Thank you for your email, which has been received by the Patient Experience Team at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (Complaints, Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), and enquiries).



Please be assured that we are currently looking into your enquiry. We appreciate your patience while we carry out our review. Your correspondence has been shared with the relevant senior teams within the Trust, and we are awaiting their response. We will be in touch as soon as we receive an update or further information.



Thank you again for your patience.

Kind regards

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) and Complaints Team

Email: [email protected]

Office: 01803 655838

 

[MC Overgrow]

@fatboii97 First off, massive respect for actually sending the email. That alone puts you ahead of 99% of people who just feel angry or hopeless.

You got Torbay Hospital's PALS team to log your complaint, share it with senior staff, and confirm they're waiting on a response. Small cracks in the wall.

No, they haven't fixed it yet. But you made the CD21 SOP their problem now. It's on their "must do" list. That doesn't happen unless someone like you takes the first step.

Written enquiries and complaints create formal records. They trigger internal reviews. They make hospitals realise patients are watching, organised, and not going away.

If you're reading this:
Send the same letter to your local hospital trust. The template's there. It takes five minutes.

@fatboii97 – keep us posted when you hear back. Good news or bad, it's intel. And thank you for leading

Write to Your NHS Trust: Medical Cannabis Letter

Use our free personalised letter builder to ask your NHS Trust to adopt a medical cannabis inpatient policy like Devon's CD21 SOP.

patientscann.org.uk

 

[fatboii97]

Hi all,

See below the update I have received from Torbay. I will also post further correspondence as I receive it.

Dear Mr REDACTED

Thank you for your email.

Please be assured that we have raised your query directly with the Trust's Litigation Team and have requested their advice and response. I understand that you are keen to receive clarity on this matter, particularly given the information you have been provided by NHS Devon ICB.

At present, I am unfortunately still awaiting a response. The teams involved are currently managing significant operational pressures, and as a result, I am unable to provide a timeframe for when a formal response will be available.



I appreciate that this may be frustrating, and I am sorry that I am not yet able to provide a definitive update. Please be assured that we have not forgotten about your enquiry. I will be following this up with the Litigation Team again today to seek an update and to highlight your ongoing concerns.



As soon as we receive further information, we will contact you without delay.



Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Kind regards

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) and Complaints Team

Email: [email protected]

Office: 01803 655838

 

[fatboii97]

Dear Mr REDACTED



We shared your concerns with the Associate Director of Patient Care and she has sent the following response:



Thank you for your enquiry into our Trust policy on the use of Medical cannabis. In regards to your questions raised, Pharmacy would like to assure you that we are currently working to provide essential information and training for staff and updating our electronic record system (Epic) and local Trust policy (Medicines Management Policy) so that staff can confidently approach situations where patients are admitted and need to continue these products.



We have also shared some guidance and learning with other Care Groups in regards to some of the unlicensed products that some of our patients report to be taking.





Regards



Charlotte





Charlotte Overney

Associate Director of Patient Care

Clinical Specialist Services Care Group (CSS)

 

[fatboii97]

Torbay Hospital

Thank you for your patience whilst we sought clarification regarding your query about the use of prescribed medical cannabis whilst an inpatient. Firstly, I would like to apologise for the delay in providing this update. Your enquiry required consideration by our Litigation Team, and due to capacity constraints within the service, it has taken longer than anticipated for them to provide a response.

The team have now provided the following statement:



"The smoking of cannabis is illegal in all circumstances and if cannabis flower has been provided medically, via a valid prescription, this should be used in a nebuliser or if it is prescribed as an oil then it should be taken as directed.

We are still in the process of completing our approach to medical cannabis and have been trying to obtain RDUH’s (Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust) policy on this. However, if a patient has a valid prescription for medical cannabis, then we would accommodate their continued use of this whilst they are a patient as Torbay and South Devon. However, as stated above we would not allow the smoking of cannabis even with a valid prescription as this is illegal."



I hope this information helps to clarify the Trust's current position. Should you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) and Complaints Team

Email: [email protected]

Office: 01803 655838