OH THOSE BRITS – 

Dec. 22, 2024 – The ASA said that six brokers – Which Rehab?, Help 4 Addiction, Rehabs.UK, Rehab Guide, Action Rehab and Serenity Addiction Centres – had posed as direct treatment providers or impartial advice services when they were principally referral companies earning commission from partner facilities.

A seventh service, UK Addiction Treatment (Ukat), a chain with “200 CQC [Care Quality Commission] regulated detox and rehab beds across the UK” was found in breach of the advertising code for running a directory website, UK Rehab, that failed to make clear it owned the clinics it refers people to.

The UK Rehab website claimed that it had “no bias for one rehab clinic over another”, when in reality it was “principally a referral service for Ukat facilities”, the ASA said.

Ukat denied misleading people and disputes the regulator’s findings.

Services were also reprimanded for misleadingly using the Care Quality Commission, NHS or other public bodies’ logos to falsely suggest they were affiliated, and for using terms such as “addiction counsellors” or “specialists” to imply call handlers were health professionals when they were not. 

CONTINUE@TheGuardian