Get the full names and registration numbers, then match them to the live official records. Registration is a starting check, not proof that a treatment is appropriate for you.
1. Identify the dispensing pharmacy
Ask for the legal pharmacy name, premises address and registration number. In England, Scotland and Wales, search the GPhC register yourself. In Northern Ireland, use the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland register. Match the address and number to the service that will actually supply the item.
2. Check the prescribing service
A registered pharmacy and the service that assesses you can be different organisations. Ask who runs the consultation and who holds responsibility for follow-up. If the service says it is CQC-registered in England, check the provider and location on the CQC site. Outside England, ask which nation’s regulator applies.
3. Check the clinician
Ask for the prescriber’s name, profession and registration number. Doctors need an appropriate GMC registration and licence to practise; pharmacists and nurses have their own registers and prescribing qualifications. A badge or first name on a sales page is not enough to verify a person.
4. Check the website itself
Search the site’s address on the MHRA checker for websites it has marked ‘Not Recommended’, which may be selling medicines illegally. GOV.UK also explains how to check a suspicious seller. If a site offers prescription-only medicines with no assessment, or pressures you to buy quickly, report it to the MHRA and do not pay.
What else should you ask?
- What happens if the clinician decides treatment is unsuitable?
- Who handles side effects, follow-up and questions between reviews?
- What are the assessment, renewal, monitoring and delivery charges over the same period?
- Can you see the refund, cancellation and complaint terms before paying?
Keep a dated copy of what the provider says. If a register entry cannot be matched, contact the regulator or provider for clarification before sharing health information or paying.
How Sanara uses these checks
Our comparison is desk research, not an inspection or clinical endorsement. Some figures are older than the current provider offer; a missing figure means we have not verified one. Read our method, confirm current terms with the provider, and use the cost planner to compare complete quotes.
Editorial guide updated . Official register and MHRA checker links checked on that date. Recheck live entries when you choose a provider.