Terms of Business

  1. Who we are and how to contact us

    1. We are Montu Group UK Ltd which trades as ‘Alternaleaf’ (“We, Us and Our”). We are a limited company, registered in England (registered company number 14043081) and our registered office is at 140 Wharfedale Road, Winnersh Triangle, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom RG41 5RB, UK.
    2. We are an independent telehealth service registered with, and regulated by the Care Quality Commission to prescribe medicinal cannabis (“Medication”). The prescription of Medication falls within the discretion of our clinicians (“Clinicians”) following an online patient consultation and determination of unmet clinical need (“Services”).
    3. Our Services are offered on either a ‘pay as you go’ basis or via a monthly subscription service (“Membership”).
    4. To contact us, please email hello@alternaleaf.co.uk

  2. What’s in these Terms

    1. These terms of Business (“Terms”) tell you the rules governing our supply of Services to you.

  3. Acceptance of these Terms

    1. By accessing our Services, you confirm that you accept these Terms and that you agree to comply with them. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must stop receiving our Services.
    2. We recommend that you print a copy of these Terms for future reference.

  4. Age restriction

    1. We will only provide our Services to you if you are aged eighteen years or over.

  5. Information sharing

    1. You will provide our staff with accurate, complete, and up-to-date personal and clinical information. This includes, but is not limited to:
      1. Photographic identification on request;
      2. Evidence of a relevant diagnosis; and
      3. Evidence of at least two other treatments offered to you.
    2. To the best of your ability, you will complete all medical questionnaires stipulated by our Clinicians and engage in all scheduled follow up and/or review appointments as directed by our Clinicians.
    3. You will remain responsible for the accuracy and contemporaneous nature of the clinical and personal information provided to us.
    4. You will remain contactable by our staff, either by email address, telephone, or SMS to the extent necessary to provide our Services to you.
    5. Where relevant, you provide your consent for your National Health Service (“NHS”) summary care record e.g. General Practitioner (“GP”) records being obtained by us before your book your initial assessment.
      1. Alternatively, you can choose to provide us with the required information from your NHS or private medical records.
      2. We will not accept screenshots or partial page excerpts from the NHS App.
    6. You consent to your General Practitioner (“GP”) or other primary doctor being notified of all appointments attended and any Medication prescribed by our Clinicians. If you do not provide your consent, we cannot provide you with our Services.
    7. Our Service is conditional upon you being registered with an NHS GP practice. If for any reason you are not registered with an NHS GP practice, you must inform us immediately. We will not initiate or continue to provide our Services to you, including the prescription of Medication, should you no longer be registered with a GP.
    8. You consent to your clinical information being shared with external pharmacies for the purposes of processing, dispensing, and dispatching your Medication.
    9. You consent to your clinical information being used in clinical studies and research projects and the sharing of such data with healthcare partners that are involved in your treatment and/or the development of new and/or existing technologies to improve healthcare as and where required. Our partners may include health professionals, research and pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers.
    10. For further information regarding the use of your personal data, please read our Privacy Policy which forms part of these Terms.

  6. One clinic rule

    1. You must not register with another medicinal cannabis clinic whilst receiving our Services.
    2. If we become aware that you have registered with another medicinal cannabis clinic, we may cease providing our Services to you.

  7. Off-License prescribing

    1. You understand that any Medication we prescribe is off-license. This means our Clinicians use their clinical judgment to prescribe Medication based on evidence and your individual needs, even if it is not listed in the official license or NHS guidelines.

  8. Side effects and reactions

    1. Our Clinicians will discuss the common side effects of using the Medication with you. The list of common side effects are not exhaustive and any queries, concerns or changes to your general health should be raised and discussed with your Clinicians.
    2. Medication is a prescribed treatment supported by research on its potential risks and benefits. As with any medication, however, individual responses may vary, and long-term effects are still being researched. You therefore undertake usage at your own risk. It is essential that you follow prescribed dosages, report any adverse effects to us, and make informed decisions based on professional medical advice received.

  9. Prescriptions

    1. There is no guarantee that our Clinicians will issue you with a prescription for Medication. The issuance of a prescription for Medication is at the sole discretion of our Clinicians and following a determination of unmet clinical need.
    2. Continued prescribing of Medication is dependent on your engagement with our Clinicians and follow up appointments attended.
      1. Follow up appointments occur one month after the initial consultation and a minimum of six-monthly thereafter.
      2. Our Clinicians reserve the right to request that you attend more frequent consultations based on your clinical need.
    3. A prescription will not be issued if you have not attended a minimum six-monthly review appointment.
    4. A prescription cannot be changed without an assessment of clinical need by our Clinicians.
    5. The time taken to dispense Medication from your chosen pharmacy is variable and we are not responsible or liable for the time taken or delays involved in the dispensing of your Medication by your chosen pharmacy.
    6. Your chosen pharmacy sets the prescription charges and you will need to pay your chosen pharmacy for the Medication prescription, where fulfilled.
    7. Any refunds, returns or cancellations of a prescription are to be discussed and arranged directly with your chosen pharmacy.

  10. Limit of our obligations

    1. We are not a registry for information and our staff are not obliged to review data received through the website from you, your primary care doctor, other healthcare professionals, or the administrators of any research projects or clinical studies you are involved in.
    2. We are not responsible for any actions, advice, decisions or recommendations provided by your primary doctor, other healthcare professionals or the administrators of any research projects or clinical studies you are involved in.

  11. Telehealth

    1. We provide remote consultations with our Clinicians only.
    2. To maintain your privacy, we do not record your remote consultations without your consent. Unless expressly consented to by your Clinician, you are not permitted to record your consultations.
      1. Should we become aware that you are recording consultation(s) without your Clinician’s consent, we may cease providing our Services to you.
    3. Whilst our telephone calls with you may be monitored, you are not permitted to record telephone calls with our staff members unless they have provided their consent. Our staff members retain the right to withhold their consent to the telephone call being recorded.
      1. Should we become aware that you are recording telephone calls without our staff members’ consent, we may cease providing our Services to you.
      2. If you wish to request transcripts of our telephone calls with you, please contact qa@montugroup.com.
    4. In providing our Services remotely, there are potential risks surrounding the provision of our Services which may include, but are not limited to:
      1. Insufficient quality of information transmitted (e.g. poor resolution of images) to allow for appropriate medical or health care decision making by our Clinicians.
      2. Delays in evaluation or treatment due to failures of electronic equipment.
      3. Lack of access to medical records which may result in adverse drug interactions or allergic reactions or other judgment errors.
      4. Although the electronic systems we use incorporate network and software security protocols to protect the privacy and security of health information, those protocols could fail causing a breach of privacy of your health information.

  12. Membership

    1. Membership for the reduced fee of £5 per month (“Membership”) is a commitment of twelve months (“Minimum Term”).
    2. During your Membership, you will receive an initial consultation and up to four follow up consultations per year with our Clinicians.
    3. Membership fees are to be paid each month by direct debit in advance of the Services being provided.
      1. The first payment will be debited from your bank account three hours post-initial consultation with your Clinician.
    4. Membership will automatically continue at the end of the Minimum Term. Should you wish to terminate your Membership on expiry of the Minimum Term, you must give one month’s notice to hello@alternaleaf.co.uk.
    5. Should your Membership continue beyond the initial twelve months, your Membership will include up to four follow up consultations per year. Should you require any additional consultations thereafter, you will be charged £29 for each consultation.
    6. A Membership cannot be cancelled, transferred or downgraded to a cheaper membership during the Minimum Term unless provided for in these Terms.
    7. Save for a material breach of contract by us, all monthly fees for the outstanding portion of the Minimum Term will be due immediately should you decide to cancel your direct debit during the Minimum Term.
    8. If, upon initial assessment, you are found not to be eligible for a prescription by our Clinicians, you will not be charged.
    9. Any changes to subscription charges will be made via email and you will be able to opt out by following instructions on the notification email.

  13. Pay as you go

    1. If you opt for our ‘pay as you go’ service, you will be charged £29 per consultation.
    2. Payment of the initial consultation fee will be debited from your bank account three hours post consultation with your Clinician.
    3. Payment for subsequent consultations will be via an invoice link emailed to you post consultation. The invoice must be paid within seven calendar days.
    4. If, upon initial assessment, you are found not to be eligible for a prescription by our Clinicians, you will not be charged.

  14. Payment and refunds

    1. Payment for our Services must be made in English pounds (£) through electronic fund transfer (“EFT”) to the bank account details shared with you or by using a credit or debit card (visa or mastercard).
    2. Appointments are exempt from value added tax (“VAT”).
    3. Payment must be made within seven days of receipt of an invoice or as communicated to you as part of your Membership subscription. Where payment is not received by the relevant payment date, we reserve the right to suspend or terminate our Services immediately.
    4. Where applicable and agreed, refunds will be processed through EFT to the bank account details provided or to the credit or debit card used for payment.

  15. Appointment cancellations

    1. All appointments must be cancelled no later than 24 hours before your appointment time via the appointment cancellation link sent to you at the time of registration.
    2. If you cancel an appointment with less than 24 hours notice, you will be liable for the full cost of the consultation.

  16. Complaints

    1. Any disputes or complaints must be sent to qa@montugroup.com within 12 months from the date the matter forming the subject of the complaint occurred or, if later, the date forming the subject of the complaint came to your notice.
    2. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within three working days.
    3. We will investigate all disputes and complaints within a reasonable timeframe and in line with our complaints procedure. Please be aware that the length of an investigation can vary, and we are not able to provide an exact time frame.
    4. Insisting on a specific response time, or attempting to intimidate our staff by using threatening language or falsely threatening self harm, threatening reports to the police, regulators or other authorities will not expedite your complaint investigation nor will it result in a refund.
    5. Raising a complaint will not negate the need to attend regular appointments with us, nor will it expedite our usual processes.

  17. General

    1. We do not provide emergency or urgent treatment. Where emergency help or follow up care is required, you should speak with your GP or primary care provider.
    2. We do not endorse any specific medication, pharmacy, or pharmacologic product.
    3. We work closely with Montu Pharmacy.