Access To IVF Increases As New Guidance Makes System Fairer

Main Category: Fertility
Article Date: 19 Jun 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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The NHS is taking a step closer to ending regional variation in the provision of IVF to couples who are unable to conceive naturally, Public Health Minister Gillian Merron announced today.

The number of local health services offering three cycles of IVF treatment has increased by 22 percentage points in the past year, according to a new survey Now, 27 per cent of primary care trusts offer three full cycles of treatment - up from just five per cent in 2007.

Infertility Network UK, working with the Department of Health, has produced access criteria to help the local NHS provide equal services for fertility patients across the country. Key points in the new criteria published today relate to smoking, weight and children from previous relationships.

Speaking at an IVF conference in London Gillian Merron said:

"It is good news for people seeking fertility treatment that the NHS is making excellent progress in providing fair and consistent access to IVF.

"The option to become a parent is something most of us expect to have. People who cannot conceive naturally should have access to NHS treatment, just as they would for any other clinical need."

Clare Lewis-Jones, Chief Executive of Infertility Network UK said:

"We are delighted that there are such positive moves towards providing couples with fair and equitable access to fertility treatment.

"Much progress has been made recently, but there is still a long way to go in terms of standardising access criteria and full implementation of the NICE guidance, including the number of cycles provided. We hope that this will help the one in six couples affected by infertility to access the treatment they deserve."

NICE guidelines recommended an upper body mass index limit of 30 for IVF treatment, and that patients shouldn't smoke.

Infertility Network UK's new guidance aims to help women who wish to undergo IVF treatment. It recommends that, when being referred for IVF:

- Where needed, women should be given advice on diet, and on physical activity. They should also be offered psychosocial support to bring them within the accepted BMI range at the time of treatment.

- Women should be informed about the negative effect of smoking on both the health of the unborn child, and on the success of fertility treatment. They should be referred to a smoking cessation clinic to help them stop.

- Local health services should provide IVF for those who do not have children, including couples where one partner is childless.

All these criteria aim to ensure that patients are supported so they can reach specialist fertility advice services.

Fertility services pose particular challenges for commissioners. An aid for commissioners, 'Regulated Fertility Services' has been produced by the Expert Group on Commissioning Fertility Treatment.

The aid, also due to be published tomorrow, contains an interactive spreadsheet to help commissioners gauge likely levels of uptake. The manual also sets out:

- the impact of infertility on patients;
- various treatments available;
- the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's policy on minimising multiple births for the safety of patients and babies;
- commissioning advice on gauging uptake; and
- information on reviewing current best practice in provision.

The aim of all these initiatives is to remove these challenges and help PCTs move towards full implementation of the NICE fertility guidelines.

Sally Cheshire, non-executive director NHS North West and chair of the expert group said:

"We identified that a key barrier to fully implementing the NICE guideline was knowledge for commissioners about the full range of fertility treatments, and how they could best plan and deliver their services to patients. We are pleased to have developed the commissioning guide to help all commissioners in providing best practice, quality services across England and Wales."

Source
Department of Health, UK

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