A fertility clinic that provides the NHS with IVF treatment has criticised a consultation which could see the NHS axing all treatment across Hertfordshire.
The Bourn Hall clinic has said that the consultation is using national data rather than local statistics to argue that the number of women having children through IVF was lower than it actually was.
The clinic says that data for Hertfordshire and West Essex shows that 80 per cent of patients will have a baby following IVF if they have the option of three full cycles of treatment.
The consultation document says that the success rate is 20 to 35 per cent through the three cycles.
Dr Mike Macnamee, CEO of Bourn Hall, said: “We have five years of real data about real patients that demonstrate clearly the benefits of implementing the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines for those that meet the eligibility criteria.
“The CCG has not talked to us about how fertility care could be delivered more effectively.
“A more integrated approach that would involve GPs and fertility specialists working more closely together would streamline the system, create better outcomes and be more cost-effective for the CCGs.”
Due to budget pressures the East and North Hertfordshire CCG, Herts Valley CCG, and the West Essex CCG, are all proposing reducing IVF treatment, if not axing the service completely.
The clinic argues that the CCG consultation uses unadjusted data without the proper context to present a lower success rate.
It also argues that the CCGs say that failure of IVF treatment can lead to depression, while it argues that infertility can be caused by mental health issues.
Dr Macnamee said: “Infertility is a medical condition and it deserves better diagnosis at an earlier stage.
“Recent cuts in funding have signalled that this area of medicine is not a priority and as a result the causes of infertility are also not being properly investigated.
“The risk is that even couples who might conceive naturally will miss out on having a baby as they are not being given relevant advice or medication.
“Withdrawal of funding will encourage people to go abroad for treatment and a few returning with multiple pregnancy will wipe out any saving.”
A spokeswoman for the East and North Hertfordshire CCG said: “The chances of having a baby through IVF depends on a variety of factors and are unique to that individual.
“Success rates also vary between providers of IVF services.
“NICE states that most women typically see success rates of 20 to 35 per cent per cycle, but the likelihood of getting pregnant decreases with each successive round.
“They also say that the cumulative effect of three full cycles of IVF increases the chances of a successful pregnancy to 45 to 53 per cent overall.
“East and North Hertfordshire CCG, which covers the Mercury patch, has continued to provide three cycles of IVF for longer than many other areas.
“We are part of a bigger collective purchasing arrangement which means that we already buy specialist fertility services as cheaply as we can.
“However, we only have limited funding to provide healthcare for all our patients and we are now at the stage where if no changes are made to fertility services, we would need to look at making savings from other services.
“We very much want to hear from as many local people as possible about this issue.
This article originally appeared in The Hertfordshire Mercury
