Can I use complementary medicine instead of conventional immunisation?
The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine does not recommend or prescribe homeopathic medicines to replace the Department of Health’s childhood immunisation programme.
Can I use complementary medicine for malaria prevention?
The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine does not recommend or prescribe homeopathic medicines as preventatives for tropical diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, cholera or hepatitis A.
Can I use complementary medicine for cancer and HIV/AIDS?
The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine does not recommend or prescribe homeopathic or other complementary therapies to directly treat cancer or HIV/AIDS. We do treat people with these conditions, but with the aim of improving quality of life and controlling symptoms or reducing side effects of other treatments and involving patients in their own care.
How can I get a referral to the RLHIM?
The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (RLHIM) is part of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and accepts GP referrals via NHS e-Referral Service (formerly Choose and Book referrals). Patients can also be referred by their NHS hospital consultant
Referral letters should be sent to:
Patient Services
The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine
60 Great Ormond Street
London WC1N 3HR
Telephone: 0203 44 82000
Fax: 0203 44 82004
Email: uclh.enquiry.rlhim.patients@nhs.net (not for referrals)
Please be aware when sending confidential information that emails may not be secure. Please do not send referrals to this email address.
Changes to Acupuncture availability at The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (RLHIM)
In April 2019 NCL published its updated Evidence Based Interventions and Clinical Standards (EBICS) policy. This policy restricts the funding of acupuncture to conditions recommended by NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
This means that acupuncture is offered for the following conditions only:
- Migraine and Chronic Tension-Type Headache in adults and children over 12 (NICE guideline CG150)
- Chronic primary pain (NICE guideline NG193) in people 16 and over [this includes neck pain, widespread pain/fibromyalgia, pelvic pain and facial pain, but excludes low back pain, osteoarthritis pain and neuropathic pain]
Patients can apply to their local CCG for funding for other conditions on an exceptional basis. For information about Individual Funding Requests (IFR) in cases of exceptionality, please contact your local CCG.
If you would like further information on the policy, please visit the NCL website or for further queries please email nclstppmo
Can I obtain homeopathic medicines on the NHS?
From 2018, The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (RLHIM) does not provide NHS-funded homeopathic remedies and Iscador for any patients as part of their routine care. This is in line with the commissioning policy of Camden Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), the local NHS body that plans and pays for healthcare services in this area. Camden CCG Procedures of Limited Clinical Effectiveness (PoLCE) policy does not permit routine local NHS commissioning of homeopathy (including Iscador) and this is the policy which UCLH applies for its patients.
Should you choose you will be able to obtain these remedies from the RLHIM pharmacy with a private prescription from your doctor, while other homeopathic pharmacies may also be able to supply the remedies. You can speak to your clinician or the RLHIM pharmacy at your next visit about this.
Please note that other than payment for your non-NHS funded homeopathic remedies and Iscador for any patients as part of their routine care, all your NHS appointments and other treatments provided by the RLHIM are NHS-funded and unaffected by this change. For queries related to your RLHIM outpatient appointments, please contact the RLHIM Booking Team on 020 3448 2000.
Here is further information on the Camden CCG PoLCE policy. If you would like you further information on the policy you can contact Camden enquiries team via camccg.
Patients can apply to their local CCG to fund homeopathic treatment on an exceptional basis. For information about Individual Funding Requests (IFR) in cases of exceptionality, please contact your local CCG.