Urgent Patient Safety Concerns - why are there no contingency plans?

For context, I am with Cantourage and have been a MC patient for around two years.

I've had a awful experience today (Saturday) that highlights a MUCH bigger issue with the UK's medical cannabis system, and I'm very interested to hear whether anyone else has experienced something similar.

My prescription was sent via Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm. 1pm came and went and it still hadn't arrived, so I contacted Royal Mail immediately, but they couldn't tell me where it was or when it would arrive. I've now missed my prescribed daily medication.

But what frustrates me most isn't Royal Mail - courier failures happen and most of us know how difficult it is to get any meaningful help from shipping companies regardless.

The problem is that the entire MC system appears to have no contingency whatsoever when this happens. As far as I can tell:

• There is NO option to collect my medication if the courier fails.
• There is NO emergency dispensing process.
• There is NO out-of-hours support.
• There is NO weekend emergency number.
• There is NO backup plan despite patients relying on these medications every single day.

If your medication doesn't arrive on a Saturday afternoon, you're essentially on your own.

These prescriptions are also incredibly expensive. Patients budget for them, plan around them, and often pay significant sums in advance. After making that massive financial commitment, it feels fundamentally wrong that a patient can simply be left without treatment because a third-party courier misses a guaranteed delivery.

I don't think it's enough to say, 'Royal Mail made a mistake.' Healthcare providers know courier failures are a foreseeable risk. If the only way patients can receive their medication is by delivery, there should be a robust contingency process to protect the continuity of care!

I've written to my clinic to raise this as a patient safety issue. Part of my email says:

'There appear to be no contingency plans if a medication delivery fails, no option for patients to collect their medication in person, no emergency dispensing process or replacement procedure, no out-of-hours service or emergency contact number, and no weekend support for patients left without their prescribed medication.'

I also added:

'These medications are often extremely expensive, and patients budget and plan carefully to ensure they can continue their treatment. After making a significant financial commitment, it is simply unacceptable for a patient to miss their medication because a guaranteed delivery has failed through no fault of their own.'

I've also written to my local MP and Department of Health and Social Care asking them to review whether delivery-only models for prescribed medications should be required to have proper contingency arrangements when guaranteed deliveries fail.

Also, I'd like to know:

• Has this happened to anyone else??
• Does your clinic or pharmacy have any emergency process if a delivery goes missing?
• Have you ever been allowed to collect your prescription instead?
• Do you think the current system adequately protects patients?

I do NOT want this to be seen as simply complaining about a late parcel. For me, this is a patient safety issue. No patient should ever miss expensive prescribed medication because a courier misses a guaranteed delivery and there is no backup plan.

I'd really like to hear the community's experiences. Thank you!