Criminal Prosecution – Care Quality Commission v Pharmacorp Ltd

For the attention of the editor: advance notice only

Sentence hearing: Care Quality Commission v Pharmacorp Ltd

A care provider is due before Tameside Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (Friday 18 February) for sentencing after pleading guilty to an offence prosecuted by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 

Pharmacorp Ltd (also known as Medicine Direct), is an online doctor’s service that was carrying out a regulated activity while unregistered with the CQC between 1 August 2018 and 1 July 2019.

Medication was being prescribed to patients by individual GMC registered doctors who were based in Romania, following the completion of an online questionnaire. The medication was then sent to the patients by post from Pharmacorp’s premises in Stockport. Their website was mis-leading and suggested that they were using UK based doctors.

The prosecution will submit that this service exposed patients to a significant risk of harm, due to them completing prescription requests while unregulated and by using an online questionnaire which carried the real risk of misdiagnosis. Without access to the patients’ GP notes, the doctor would have been unable to confirm that the information provided in the questionnaire by the patients was accurate.

CQC requires digital providers, who use doctor consultation services to be registered as a provider for the regulated activity of the treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

Failure to register, amounts to a criminal offence under Section 10 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008, which states that persons who carry on a regulated activity without being registered under this Chapter are guilty of an offence.

The sentencing is due to take place at Tameside Magistrates’ Court. It is listed for 9.30am tomorrow (Friday 18 February).   

For media enquiries 

• Angela Clark, regional communications and engagement manager – 07821 682 509 or clark@cqc.org.uk
• Lisa Lloyd, regional communications and engagement officer – 07789 876 470 or lloyd@cqc.org.uk
• Helen Gildersleeve, regional communications and engagement officer – 07825 939 328 or gildersleeve@cqc.org.uk
• Alternatively, you can email engagement@cqc.org.uk

Journalists wishing to speak to the press office outside of office hours can find out how to contact the team on the website.