Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCGs plans to cut access to NHS IVF
Help stop these changes by completing online feedback form
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are asking for feedback regarding their plans to radically change the criteria regarding who can access NHS IVF services in their area, and the way that NHS fertility treatment is accessed.
These CCGs currently provide just one NHS IVF cycle for eligible couples in these areas and this would not change – what will change will be who is deemed eligible for this one NHS IVF cycle, and how this one IVF cycle is accessed.
They are proposing to
- drastically reduce the female age criteria, so that only women aged between 30-35 will be able to access NHS fertility treatment. These CCGs currently fund 1 IVF cycle for women under 40; (NICE recommends 3 full IVF cycles for all women under 40 and 1 IVF cycle for women aged between 40-42).
- introduce new restriction criteria barring access to NHS treatment if one partner has a child from a previous relationship.
- amend the age criteria for the prospective father or female partner in a same sex couple; the new proposal is that the prospective father or female partner in a same sex couple should be younger than 52 years.
The CCGs are also proposing to change how fertility treatment is accessed. This would mean that your clinician, once they have determined that you meet the harsher criteria above, must then seek funding approval from the commissioners prior to treating you (the CCG is calling this Prior Approval).
At present, if your clinician is happy that you meet the current eligibility criteria, they can go ahead immediately with treatment without seeking funding approval (this is known as criteria based access).
To give feedback on these plans, please fill in the feedback form at one of the following websites (the feedback form is the same on each of the sites)
https://www.bristolccg.nhs.uk/get-involved/nhs-service-proposals/fertility-treatment-eligibility/
NICE recommends 3 full IVF cycles for women under 40, and 1 NHS IVF cycle for women aged between 40-42 as the best clinical and cost effective treatment for fertility problems.