Winnersh

Ratings

• Overall

  Requires improvement

• Safe

  Requires improvement

• Effective

  Requires improvement

• Caring

  Requires improvement

• Responsive

  Good

• Well-led

  Requires improvement

Our view of the service

Date of Assessment: 22 to 29 July 2025. Winnersh is the registered location for Montu Group UK Ltd, which trades under the brand name Alternaleaf. It is a private clinic that provides medical treatment for patients being prescribed unlicenced cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs). Unlicensed medicines are medicines which have not been assessed for safety, quality and efficacy by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Unlicenced medicines can be prescribed to meet an unmet clinical need of a patient where other licenced treatments have not worked. The clinic is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 to provide the regulated activity of treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

This assessment was a responsive assessment to follow up on information we had received about the service and given the length of time since registration without an assessment, we reviewed all quality statements.

At this assessment we found breaches of regulation in relation to safe care and treatment, premises and good governance. In instances where CQC has begun a process of regulatory action, we may publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded, if the action has been taken forward.

People's experience of this service

The service encouraged patients to leave online reviews and follow their social media accounts. They described how they monitored and responded to feedback received via social media and through direct channels. The service also carried out regular audits of patient satisfaction, with results generally improving between February and June 2025, reaching 87%.

We did not speak directly with patients during this assessment. However, we received mixed feedback from a small number of patients. Some patients shared positive experiences, highlighting a smooth application process, timely and convenient service, professional and friendly staff, and feeling listened to and supported in their treatment. Whilst others expressed dissatisfaction, citing limited input from specialist doctors, dismissive attitudes from staff, and a lack of response to complaints. A few patients also reported confusion about the relationship between this service and Montu Pharmacy run by the same provider.