CQC Rates Online Cannabis Clinic Alternaleaf 'Requires Improvement'

England's health and social care regulator has rated one of the UK's online medical cannabis clinics "requires improvement" and served it with a warning notice. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessed Montu Group UK Ltd, trading as Alternaleaf, at its registered location in Winnersh, Wokingham, between 22 and 29 July 2025, and published its report on 27 February 2026.

What a warning notice means for Alternaleaf patients

CQC reports are one of the few independent checks patients have on how a private cannabis clinic prescribes. This is among the most detailed public findings so far on the sector, which now serves an estimated 95,000 to 140,000 patients.

What the CQC found

1. 2025-07-22

   CQC begins a responsive assessment, prompted by earlier concerns and the long period since registration without an inspection.

2. 2025-09-10

   Warning notice served for failing to comply with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 on safe care and treatment.

3. 2026-02-27

   Report published: "requires improvement" overall, with "good" for how responsive the service is.

• Breaches were identified in three areas: safe care and treatment, premises, and governance.
• According to Cannabis Health News, inspectors found medicines were not always prescribed in line with current legislation or best practice, and some patients were encouraged to choose from a wide range of products without guidance on which suited their condition.
• The same report described limited multidisciplinary review of prescribing, workforce pressures, and no evidence of training or references for one specialist doctor who had worked there for six weeks.
• Patient feedback was mixed. The CQC recorded praise for a smooth, timely service alongside complaints of limited specialist input, and satisfaction audits reaching 87% between February and June 2025.

The company's response

A spokesperson for Alternaleaf said it had implemented clinical and operational changes to strengthen its service since the inspection and had engaged in constructive dialogue with the CQC, including challenging some of the findings, according to Hemp Gazette. As of September 2026, the CQC continued to show the "requires improvement" rating, Cannabis Health News reported.

Re-inspection and the rating Montu must lift

A warning notice sets out what a provider must fix; the CQC can follow up with further inspection or enforcement if it doesn't. In May 2026 the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society published updated best-practice prescribing guidelines, and the ACMD review of the 2018 medical cannabis rules remains outstanding. Patients can read any clinic's report free on cqc.org.uk; our guide to comparing UK cannabis clinics explains what to look for. The entry is also on the Red List.