CQC warns patients about buying medicines online

Regulatory bodies have urged healthcare staff working for online primary medical providers to ensure they follow professional guidelines after two companies selling medicines online were found to have “widespread failings.”

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) suspended the registration of HR Healthcare—which traded as www.treated.com—after it found serious concerns over its practices. Another firm, MD Direct,—trading as www.assetchemist.co.uk—voluntarily cancelled its registration after the CQC raised similar concerns.

For both providers inspectors found there were no (or minimal) identity checks for patients; no way of identifying whether or not patients lacked capacity to consent or understand their prescribed treatment or medical advice; and no systems or processes to contact the patient’s …