Evidence-based · no clinic pays for placement
Eligibility

When a clinic is ranked

A rank is a strong signal, so we only assign one when the evidence supports it. Clinics without enough independent, verifiable evidence are shown as “Listed, not ranked” — that is a statement about evidence coverage, not a verdict on the clinic.

The principle

Absence of evidence is not evidence of safety

A clinic with few public records is not automatically low-risk — it may simply be new, small, or lightly reviewed. A clinic is ranked once the evidence behind its score reaches Confidence C or above; below that (Confidence D) it is scored but not ranked — its score is shown with a “?” explaining that the evidence (sources, review volume and verified indicators) is too thin to justify a rank number.

The threshold

Five things a clinic must have to be ranked

1
≥ 25 usable text records
Enough written first-hand accounts to assess a pattern, not a handful of anecdotes.
2
≥ 2 independent sources
Records from at least two separate review platforms, so no single source dominates.
3
≥ 24-month window
Evidence spanning at least two years, so recent and older experience are both represented.
4
Verifiable licence, clinician & address
A checkable authorisation, at least one named register-verifiable clinician, and a real address.
5
COI screening + right of reply
Conflict-of-interest screening completed and the clinic contacted for right of reply before scoring.
Confidence grade

How sure we are — separate from the score

Every assessment carries a Confidence Grade (out of 100) built from source diversity, time coverage, usable volume, evidence completeness and reviewer quality. It is kept separate from the clinic’s score, so you can see how strong the evidence is, not just what it says.

A
85–100
Ranked
B
70–84
Ranked
C
55–69
Ranked — moderate evidence
D
below 55
Scored but not ranked — limited evidence
In practice

Reading the register

A clinic marked “Listed, not ranked” has a verified public presence but not yet enough independent evidence for a confident assessment. As more verifiable records accumulate, it can cross the threshold and enter the ranking. The full weighting is set out in the ranking methodology.