IVF treatment on the NHS restricted or halted by 13 areas in England to cut costs
Similar action is now being considered by a further eight areas
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Your support makes all the difference.IVF treatment has been restricted or halted by 13 areas in England in an attempt to save money.
The cost-cutting move is now being considered by a further eight areas amid warnings of a postcode lottery for couples seeking treatment.
The number of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) offering three full cycles of IVF has fallen by 46 per cent in the last four years, data provided by Fertility Network UK shows.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), an NHS group, recommends women aged under 40 should receive three cycles of IVF treatment if they have been trying to conceive for two years.
Professor Simon Fishel, who was part of a team that pioneered IVF in the UK, said the inequality of the cuts were a major concern.
“What is the point of having Nice guidelines if they are not adhered to? If the country decides it will not fund IVF then fine, that is a decision that affects everyone,” he told The Guardian.
“But what I cannot abide is the local variation for something like this, which doesn’t reflect local populations.
“You have to treat citizens equally and this is a deliberate inequality and obfuscation and allows some areas to say they are offering IVF but when it comes down to the detail, only a tiny fraction of those who need it have access to it.”
NHS providers in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire are currently considering restricting IVF treatment to women aged 30-35 – the narrowest range anywhere across the UK.
A spokesperson for the three CCGs told the paper: “We know how hard it can be for couples who are struggling to conceive and will continue to offer fertility treatment to hundreds of people every year.
“Clinical evidence shows that treatment between the ages of 30-35 offers the highest possible chance of success.”
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