North East London CCG proposes offering three funded IVF cycles

North East London Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is consulting on introducing a single fertility policy that will provide eligible patients three rounds of NHS-funded IVF, increasing access in some areas.

The CCG covers an area that includes six London boroughs and the City of London. Previously funding for fertility treatment by the CCG was covered by five separate policies. Now the CCG is proposing replacing those with a single policy which will 'level up' access across all areas and provide three NHS-funded rounds of IVF for all eligible patients. This represents an increase for patients in Havering, Barking and Dagenham and Redbridge who had only been entitled to a single round since 2017, when access was reduced in a drive to save costs. 

Dr Anju Gupta, clinical lead at North East London CCG, said: 'Our proposed new policy is good news for people living in north east London who need help to try to have a baby now and in the future... It would make access to treatment fairer and closer to the latest national guidelines and best practice, while also recognising people's different fertility situations and needs. I'm excited that what we are proposing is likely to increase the amount of treatment you can have and improve access to some treatments.'

The proposed changes also recommend providing one NHS-funded IVF cycle for women aged 40-42, when previously this was not available to patients in Havering, Barking and Dagenham and Redbridge. The consultation closes on 22 August 2022. 

The news follows the discovery by IPSOS on behalf of Progress Educational Trust (PET) that two-thirds of the public believe IVF should be funded by the NHS. Half of 2233 respondents to a survey by the charity felt IVF should be freely available on the NHS for childless heterosexual couples, while 28 percent felt the same should be available to same-sex couples. One in five respondents felt it should be available to women over 42. 

'The commissioning of fertility services needs to catch up with public opinion,' said Sarah Norcross, director of PET, following the publication of the Fertility, Genomics and Embryo Research: Public Attitudes and Understanding report last week. She added: 'These survey results send a strong message to Government, NHS England and commissioning bodies to take action. The postcode-lottery approach is unfair and unjustifiable and we hope that the government's upcoming Women's Heath Strategy will tackle this issue'.

'While we welcome the government's recognition of access disparities throughout England and reassurances in response to recent parliamentary questions, the fact remains that CCGs have no stringent obligation to follow NICE guidance. It is therefore unclear how that major bottleneck will be addressed in practice without government intervention.'