Working with clinicians

Two rulebooks, not one

Every post a clinician makes is judged twice:

• The advertising rules (the ASA, which polices ads, and the MHRA, which polices medicines) judge the post. The worst case: the ad comes down.
• The professional rules (the clinician's regulator) judge the person. The worst case: a fitness-to-practise case, which can end their career.

A brief can pass the advertising rules and still fail the professional ones. That is the layer most agencies miss, and it is the one we're known for getting right.

The five UK regulators

Worth knowing: "dietitian" is a protected title (regulated by the HCPC). "Nutritionist" is not. Always check which one a creator actually is, and check their register entry, not just their bio.

Patients and educators aren't regulated like this, but the advertising rules still apply to everything they post for a brand.

Never, whatever the fee

• No naming a prescription-only medicine to the public. This is UK law. Promoting a service where a clinician decides on treatment (a consultation) can be fine. Naming or implying the prescription drug is not.
• No GLP-1 weight-loss drug promotion. We decline it even when it's done through a consultation service. Too high risk.
• No clinician saying "I recommend" or "I use" a specific supplement or medicine in a paid post. This breaks the advertising rules even with a perfect "Ad" label. The ASA upheld exactly this against a doctor-endorsed supplement brand in September 2025.
• No hidden ads. "Ad" goes up front or on screen, never buried in hashtags.

What is allowed: a clinician educating ("here's how vitamin D works in the body"), and a clinician appearing in a clearly labelled ad that only makes approved claims and stops short of a personal recommendation.

Five tests every clinician brief must pass

1. Disclose. The paid relationship is clear. All five regulators require it.
2. Don't mislead. No promises of results ("unjustified expectations"), and every health claim is backed by evidence.
3. No named prescription medicine and no implied clinical outcome. Promote the consultation, not the medicine.
4. No patient shown or described without their explicit consent.
5. Don't exploit what the audience doesn't know. The clinician must keep the public's trust in their profession.

Housekeeping to check: some regulators expect the registration number on promotional content (for example the GDC for dentists). The HCPC advises a separate professional account for promotion. The NMC says nurses must not use their professional status to promote causes that aren't about health.

Swap these, or flag them

Spot, flag, ask

• CCA does a quick pre-check on every brief. The client does the formal medical, legal and regulatory sign-off (MLR). We never present our check as legal sign-off.
• If a brief fails any test above, flag it before it reaches the creator. Suggest the safer wording.
• If a creator asks "am I allowed to say this?" and you're not sure, say "let me check" and ask Edric or Reece. Never guess.
• Watch what's posted too, not just the brief. Creators improvise in captions and comments.

The full detail is in our Compliance Rulebook. Ask Edric if you want a copy.

Disclosure for every creator

Patients and educators aren't judged by a professional regulator, but the advertising rules apply to all of them. Any payment, free product, affiliate link or commission has to be disclosed clearly, up front, every time.

• "Ad" at the start of the caption or on screen at the start of the video
• On every post in a series, and on each story frame that features the product
• Claims rules still apply: no "cures", no "clinically proven" without proof, whoever is speaking

If someone mentions a side effect, pass it on

Sometimes a creator, a follower or a comment says a client's product caused a problem: a rash, a reaction, feeling unwell. Health brands need to know about these, and pharma clients are legally required to collect them.

• Screenshot it (who, what, when, where) and send it to the brand straight away, copying Edric or Reece. Pharma clients usually require this within 24 hours.
• Don't give medical advice, and don't let the creator either. A kind "please speak to a pharmacist or GP" is fine.
• Don't delete the comment unless the brand asks you to.

Handle these with extra care

• Weight, food and eating disorders: avoid numbers (weights, calories, BMI, sizes) and before-and-after bodies. They can harm people with eating disorders, and the ASA takes a hard line on weight-loss claims. The charity Beat publishes guidance.
• Suicide and self-harm: follow the Samaritans media guidelines. No detail of methods, always include where to get support, and never frame it as a solution or an inevitable outcome.
• Patient creators: they're sharing their own health. Never push for more detail than they're comfortable with, and check in with them after a heavy post.

If a brief touches any of these, flag it to Edric or Reece before it goes to the creator.

Different country, different rules

For US campaigns, the advertising regulator is the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) covers supplement and drug claims. The basics:

• Disclose in the post itself, clearly and up front ("#ad" or "Paid partnership"). A line in the bio isn't enough.
• Supplements may say what they do for the body ("supports immune health"), never that they treat, cure or prevent a disease ("prevents colds").
• Experts must be real experts. A clinician endorser must actually hold the expertise they're presented with.

Don't assume UK rules carry over. If a US brief looks unusual, ask before it goes out.

Check what stuck

Questions are picked at random from a bigger set. If you don't pass, re-read the sections it names and try again: you'll get different questions.