Background
Why Sending This Letter Could Make a Real Difference
Legal since 2018
Medical cannabis has been legally available on NHS prescription since November 2018. But most hospitals still have no written policy for patients who bring their medicine in with them.
UK First
Devon Partnership NHS Trust became the first NHS trust in the UK to write a formal Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for medical cannabis patients in hospital. It is called CD21.
Your rights
Without a clear policy, some patients have had their medicine taken away in hospital. This is wrong. Your prescription is lawful and you have a right to continue your treatment.
Change is possible
CD21 took one trust from no policy to a fully approved SOP. Every letter sent by a patient like you gives other trusts the push they need to do the same.
What Is CD21?
CD21 is a written set of rules (called a Standard Operating Procedure or SOP) approved by Devon Partnership NHS Trust. It tells ward staff, pharmacists, and doctors exactly what to do when a patient who is prescribed medical cannabis comes into hospital.
The key point CD21 makes is simple: continuing a patient's existing medical cannabis prescription is not the same as starting a new one. This means staff can support patients to carry on with their medicine without needing extra approvals that do not actually apply.
PatientsCann UK has already written to NHS England, NHS Wales, NHS Scotland, the Department of Health in Northern Ireland, and Controlled Drug Accountable Officers across all four nations. But patients writing to their own Trust is just as important. It shows trusts that real people are affected and that action is needed now.
The template letter below is based directly on the CD21 approach. It asks your NHS Trust three clear questions and gives them all the information they need to take action. You do not need any medical knowledge to send it. You just need to fill in your details.
Step by Step
How to Use This Page
Find your NHS Trust
Use the search box below to find the NHS Trust that runs your nearest hospital. If you are not sure which trust to write to, search by your town or city. You can write to more than one trust if you use different hospitals.
Fill in your details
Enter your name, address, and the name of your prescribing clinic. You do not need to share your diagnosis or any details about your medicine. The letter is designed to be factual and straightforward.
Only share information you are comfortable withCheck your letter
The letter preview updates as you type. Read it through to make sure everything is correct. You can change any part of it. The highlighted areas in purple show where your details have been added.
Copy, download, or print
Use the buttons below the letter to copy the text, download it as a text file, or print it. We recommend sending your letter by email to the Trust's Chief Executive or Medical Director, and copying in your local PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service). See the How to email your Trust section below for step-by-step guidance on finding the right email address.
Let us know
If your Trust replies, please share the response with us at info@patientscann.org.uk. We are tracking which Trusts are taking action and your response helps us to build a full picture across the UK.
Step 1
Find Your NHS Trust
Search for your Trust
Type your town, city, or the name of your hospital below. Select your Trust from the list to automatically fill in the letter fields.
If you cannot find your Trust using the search, you can type the Trust's name directly into the letter below. You can find your local NHS Trust on the NHS website .
Step 2
Build Your Letter
Fill in the fields below. Your letter will appear in the preview and will update automatically as you type. Nothing you type here is stored or sent anywhere. The letter only exists in your browser.
Sending Your Letter
How to Find Your Trust's Email Address
Why email is the best way to send this letter
Sending by email creates a written record with a timestamp. It is faster than post, easier to follow up, and means the Trust cannot claim it was not received. Always keep a copy of your sent email.
Where to look for the Trust's contact email
Most NHS Trusts publish a contact email for their Chief Executive or Freedom of Information team. Here is where to find it:
The Trust's website → "Contact us" page
Look for a general enquiries address, a Chief Executive's office address, or a Patient Experience team address. These often follow the pattern firstname.lastname@trustname.nhs.uk or chiefexecutive@trustname.nhs.uk. Or it is sometimes you will find the PALs email which may look like: trustname.pals@nhs.net or trustname.palsoffice@nhs.net
NHS website Trust page
Visit nhs.uk/nhs-services/, search for your Trust, and look for a contact or governance email on the Trust's NHS profile page.
WhatDoTheyKnow.com — Freedom of Information
This Freedom of Information website lists public bodies including NHS Trusts and their FOI contact email addresses. An FOI email is a completely valid route for this enquiry.
NHS Wales — University Health Boards
In Wales, care is provided by seven University Health Boards rather than separate hospital trusts. Find contact details on the NHS Wales website. Each Health Board publishes a Chief Executive email and a patient enquiries address. The Health Boards in our search tool include known email addresses which will be pre-filled when you select one.
Scotland — NHS Boards
Scotland has 14 regional NHS Boards. Find contact details on NHS Inform or the individual Board's own website.
Northern Ireland — Health and Social Care Trusts
Northern Ireland's five HSC Trusts each publish contact details on their own websites and via the HSC Northern Ireland website.
Cannot find an email address? If the Trust does not publish a direct email, you can use an online contact form on the Trust's website — paste the letter text and include your return email address. Alternatively, print and post the letter to the Trust's head office address using recorded delivery so you have proof it was received.
How to send your email
Once you have copied or downloaded your letter, open your email client and follow these steps:
- Address it to the Chief Executive's email (or the general enquiries address if that is all you can find).
- Use the subject line already in your letter:"Inquiry regarding implementation of a Standard Operating Procedure for prescribed medical cannabis in inpatient care."
- Paste the letter text into the body of the email.
- Add PALS to the CC field. Your Trust's PALS email is usually on the Trust's website under "Patient Experience" or "Contact us". Copying PALS strengthens your letter and gives you a second point of contact if you do not receive a reply.
- Send from an email address you check regularly and keep the sent copy.
Quick tip: Search your Trust name plus "chief executive email" or "contact us NHS" in a search engine. Most Trusts have this prominently on their website. Once you find the address, enter it in the Trust contact email field in the letter builder above.
After You Send It
What Happens Next
You are part of a bigger movement. PatientsCann UK is coordinating patient-led advocacy alongside our own outreach to NHS bodies. Every letter from a patient adds to the picture and strengthens the case for national action. You are not alone in this.
Read the Full CD21 SOP
The complete Standard Operating Procedure from Devon Partnership NHS Trust, including the product flowchart and ward guidance, is publicly available. Understanding it will help you explain why a policy like this matters to your Trust.
