Ipswich & East Suffolk and West Suffolk plan to cut NHS IVF
Ipswich and East Suffolk clinical commissioning group (CCG) and West Suffolk CCG announced today they are consulting on cutting the number of NHS-funded IVF cycles they offer from 2 to either 1 cycle or stopping offering any treatment.
The CCGs have asked for people to comment on these proposals before 5 September via a feedback form on their website here
You can also write to your local MP; details of how to do this are available here (half way down the page)
The local MPS are:
Rt Hon Matthew Hancock MP West Suffolk Matthew@matthewhancock.co.uk
Mr James Cartlidge MP South Suffolk james.cartlidge.mp@parliament.uk
Jo Churchill MP Bury St Edmunds jo.churchill.mp@parliament.uk
Dr Daniel Poulter MP Central Suffolk and North Ipswich daniel.poulter.mp@parliament.uk
Rt Hon Ben Gummer MP Ipswich ben@bengummer.com
Dr Therese Coffey MP Suffolk Coastal therese.coffey.mp@parliament.uk
Infertility Network UK and its sister organisation Fertility Fairness are appalled at the sustained disinvestment in NHS fertility services in England.
Sarah Norcross, co-chair of Fertility Fairness said:
‘In East Anglia, half of the 8 CCGs in the region are turning their backs on helping people diagnosed with infertility.’
‘Ipswich and East Suffolk CCG and West Suffolk CCG currently offer 2 NHS-funded IVF cycles but both CCGs announced today they are consulting on cutting this to 1 cycle or stopping offering any treatment; just weeks ago Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG cut the number of IVF cycles it offers from 2 to 1 without consultation and at the end of last year South Norfolk CCG decommissioned its NHS fertility services.’
‘Elsewhere in the southeast, both Basildon and Brentwood CCG and Bedfordshire CCG are consulting with a view to decommissioning NHS-funded IVF, while Mid-Essex CCG and North-East Essex CCG have already stopped offering access to fertility treatment.’
Susan Seenan, co-chair of Fertility Fairness and chief executive of Infertility Network UK added:
‘Why is it increasingly deemed acceptable to remove access to NHS treatment for people with fertility problems? Infertility is defined as a disease and is as deserving of NHS treatment as any other medical condition. To ignore the plight of the approximately 3.5 million people in the UK who are unable to have children without medical help is cruel and unethical.’