Complaints against a number of addiction treatment referral companies have been upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
The companies – Action Rehab, Addiction Recovery Systems (trading as Rehab Guide), Help 4 Addiction, Rehabs UK, Serenity Addiction Centres and Which Rehab Ltd – have been directed by the ASA to revise their advertising practices to ensure transparency about referral roles, remove any misleading claims about affiliations or service provision, and avoid unverifiable claims about professional credentials or access to services.
Some of the companies were found to have implied they were direct providers or unbiased advisors, despite earning commission as referral agents, or to have improperly used the logos of organisations like the CQC or GMC to suggest accreditation or endorsement. Some of the adverts were also found to have exaggerated the organisations’ access to local services or implied that immediate placements were possible. There was also found to be misleading use of titles like ‘specialist’ or ‘counsellor’ to imply expertise or professional qualifications.
The rulings ‘reveal widespread misleading practices in the addiction treatment referral industry’, says the campaign group EMCAT (Ethical Marketing Campaign for Addiction Treatment). ‘These companies misrepresented their roles, affiliations and services, failing to disclose their financial incentives and referral-based business models.’ A complaint against UK Addiction Treatment (UKAT) for failing to make clear that it owned the facilities it was referring people to from its www.uk-rehab.com site was also upheld.
‘This is just the beginning,’ said EMCAT’s operational manager Evelyn McKechnie. ‘It’s unprecedented to see so many rulings published in one day, targeting ads that exploit some of society’s most vulnerable individuals.’
The ASA has subsequently ruled against another company, Compare Rehab, again following a complaint by EMCAT. The advert, from July last year, included prominently displayed wording like ‘Helping You Find An Addiction Rehab Centre in The UK’ and ‘Find Addiction Treatment In Your Area’ while disclaimers about the company’s business model – that it was not a healthcare provider but instead earned commission as a referral service – were located at the bottom of the page. Complaints about failure to clearly disclose commercial intent and misleading claims about local treatment options were both upheld.
The issue was raised in the Commons on 7 January by Liverpool Walton MP Dan Carden. ‘Last month the Advertising Standards Authority ruled against seven companies posing as treatment providers or impartial advice services, or failing to make clear their role in earning commission when they were in fact brokers,’ he said. ‘And I can tell the minister there are many more of these companies that escaped this particular ruling. They are able to mislead families while taking cuts of up to 40 per cent of fees being paid directly to treatment providers. Can we make sure that this ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority is the start of something new, where we can seek to regulate practices properly?’
ASA ruling on Action Rehab available here
ASA ruling on UK Addiction Treatment Ltd (UKAT) available here
ASA ruling on Serenity Rehabilitation Ltd (trading as Serenity Addiction Centres) available here
ASA ruling on Rehabs UK available here
ASA ruling on Help 4 Addiction Ltd available here
ASA ruling on Addiction Recovery Systems Ltd (trading as Rehab Guide) available here
ASA ruling on Which Rehab Ltd available here
ASA ruling on Compare Rehab (Marren Healthcare Ltd) available here