Vitro Fertilisation Services

Dear constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about access to in vitro fertilisation (IVF) services on the NHS. I share your concerns about the inequality in access to IVF services across the country.

Difficulty conceiving is a problem that affects one in seven couples. That means millions of people face a severe and lasting impact on their lives. I sympathise profoundly with anyone who has tried and been unsuccessful in conceiving naturally.

National guidance on the assessment and treatment of infertility states that IVF should be offered to women under the age of 43 who have been trying to conceive for two years, or who have had 12 cycles of artificial insemination. The guidance states that all eligible couple should have access to three full cycles of IVF where the women is aged below 40, and one full cycle for women aged between 40 and 42.

However, the final decision on IVF funding rests with local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), who are not legally required to implement NICE guidance. As a result, the CCG criteria for IVF funding and eligibility may be stricter than those recommended by NICE.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) recently published a report which found that 80% of CCGs in England fund fewer than the three cycles recommended by NICE; three CCGs in England do not provide any funding for IVF services; and only 23 CCGs fund fertility services in line with NICE guidance.

I recognise your concerns that CCGs are not required to follow national guidance and I understand the disappointment that will be felt by many that the Government has no plans to change the commissioning arrangements for NHS fertility services.

I will press the Government to look at strengthening NICE’s role in cases where CCGs do not implement NICE guidance on treatment. The NHS was founded on the principle of good healthcare, available to all and free at the point of use. Those founding principles came some 30 years before the first IVF birth. However, whatever the advances in medical science, I believe they should apply to all treatments where a medical case is made for their use, not just to people living in certain parts of the country.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this important issue.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Dowd MP