ABOUT US
Independent Care.
Shared Values.
Our Founding Story
KernowCann was founded by Christelle Kelley, Advanced Nurse Practitioner and Dr Sunil Arora, consultant in Anaesthetics and pain management.
Through our work across the NHS, private healthcare and the medicinal cannabis sector — caring for patients, prescribing and helping to develop clinical services — we became convinced that there was room for a different kind of clinic: one that was smaller, genuinely independent and built around the relationship between patients and the healthcare professionals caring for them.
Having spent many years caring for people living with complex, long-term health conditions, and leading work in personalised care, we wanted to bring those same principles to KernowCann. We see every patient as an individual, with their own history, priorities and experience of their health.
Knowing the person
Continuity matters to us too. Wherever possible, your care will be provided by people who know you: clinicians who understand your history, remember what has and hasn't worked, and learn with you how your health and symptoms change over time. We believe that knowing our patients is an important part of caring for them well.
Building Trust
We also believe that those of us working in this developing area of medicine have a responsibility to help build trust in it. For patients to have confidence in their care — and for other healthcare professionals to feel confident discussing, referring to and working alongside specialist services — that care must be underpinned by strong clinical governance, responsible prescribing, transparency and a willingness to engage with difficult clinical questions.
Looking to the future
This matters beyond today. Access to specialist treatment remains largely within the private sector, which inevitably means that not everyone who might benefit from an assessment is able to access one. We would like to see a future in which access is more equitable, but we recognise that greater acceptance within mainstream healthcare requires trust, good evidence and high standards of clinical practice.
KernowCann aims to contribute to that work. That means learning from our practice, contributing to evidence and good practice, sharing our experience and building constructive relationships with healthcare professionals and services outside our clinic.
Our ambition is for doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals to feel confident talking with their patients about this area of medicine — including when a patient is already receiving treatment — and to know that, when they direct someone to KernowCann, they are directing them to a service where their care will be taken seriously.
Meet our Team
Christelle Kelley BSc (hons), MSc, RN
Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Director of KernowCann
BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing · MSc Advanced Clinical Practice (Distinction) · Independent Prescriber · Fellowship in Population Health Management
I have been a nurse for 16 years, and nursing remains at the heart of everything I do.
I spent more than a decade working in acute cardiology before moving into NHS primary care, where I continue to practise today. As an Advanced Nurse Practitioner, I specialise in caring for people living with cardiovascular, renal and metabolic disease, often alongside multiple long-term conditions.
I was also one of the first nurses in England to prescribe medicinal cannabis and have worked extensively within this area of medicine. I am a member of the Expert Committee of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society, where I contribute my nursing and clinical perspective to the developing field.
Alongside caring for patients, much of my work now happens at the point where clinical practice meets healthcare innovation. I work with organisations developing new approaches to healthcare, advising on population health strategy and helping them understand how new interventions can be introduced safely, meaningfully and equitably into real health systems.Together, these different roles have allowed me to see healthcare from many angles — at the bedside, in general practice, through the experiences of patients living with complex conditions, in the development of new services and innovations, and in the scrutiny of care when standards have not been met.
"But I am, first and foremost, a nurse."
I founded KernowCann because I wanted to bring everything those experiences have taught me into a small, independent clinic: to have time to know the people I care for, to listen properly, to practise courageously when things could be done better, and to provide the standard of care I would want for someone I love.
Dr Sunil Arora
Consultant in Pain Medicine & Anaesthesia, Chief Medical Officer
Dr Sunil Arora is a Consultant in Pain Medicine and Anaesthesia with more than 25 years of clinical experience. He has spent much of his career caring for people living with acute, chronic and cancer-related pain, including complex conditions that have not responded sufficiently to conventional treatment.
Sunil was one of the UK's earliest prescribers of medicinal cannabis and has been closely involved in the development of clinical practice in this field from its early days in the UK. As the sector developed, he led clinical teams, supported and mentored new prescribers, and helped clinicians navigate an emerging area of medicine in which the evidence, guidance and clinical pathways were still evolving.
That commitment to other clinicians remains an important part of who Sunil is. He is generous with his experience and is someone colleagues regularly turn to for another clinical perspective or advice on a difficult case. He believes strongly in supporting clinicians to practise confidently, responsibly and with the courage to ask difficult questions when they need to be asked.
The same advocacy runs through his work with patients. Sunil believes that good pain medicine begins with understanding the person living with the pain. He takes time to understand not only a patient's symptoms and previous treatments, but how their condition affects everyday life and what they would most like treatment to help them achieve.
His approach combines clinical evidence and extensive experience with careful, individualised decision-making. He works alongside patients to consider the potential benefits, limitations and risks of different approaches and to develop treatment plans that reflect their priorities and goals.
Alongside clinical practice, Sunil has held senior healthcare leadership roles encompassing clinical governance, service development, education and quality improvement. He has trained and mentored healthcare professionals and presented at national and international educational events.
Sunil and Christelle worked closely together within the medicinal cannabis sector before founding KernowCann. They share a belief that developing areas of medicine need clinicians who are prepared to advocate for patients, support one another and contribute openly to difficult clinical conversations — while never losing sight of the standards expected of good healthcare.
That shared philosophy became an important part of the foundation on which KernowCann was built.
Warren Harper
Nurse Practitioner, Clinic Manager
Warren is an experienced Nurse Practitioner who currently works in a GP surgery in Cornwall, assessing and treating patients with a wide range of health concerns. Since qualifying as a nurse in 1996, he has built extensive clinical experience across primary, urgent and emergency care.
His day-to-day work involves taking detailed histories, carrying out clinical examinations, making diagnoses and developing treatment plans with patients. As an independent nurse prescriber, he is experienced in considering treatment options, reviewing medicines and recognising when further investigation or specialist advice is needed.
Before moving into general practice in Cornwall in 2017, Warren worked in emergency departments, medical assessment, cardiology and minor injury services. His roles have included Nurse Practitioner, Charge Nurse and Clinical Lead, giving him a broad understanding of both acute illness and the ongoing needs of people living with long-term conditions.
At KernowCann, Warren combines his clinical experience with his role as Clinic Manager, supporting thorough assessment, clear communication and continuity of care. His experience in clinical governance and service leadership also helps support the safe and consistent running of the clinic.
Brought up in Cornwall, Warren enjoys walking the moors and spending time in the landscape that has long been part of his life.
