Have Your Say; Proposed changes to fertility treatment policies in Cheshire and Merseyside

 

Consultation launched on proposed changes to fertility treatment policies in Cheshire and Merseyside

What is happening?

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB) has launched a six-week public consultation on proposed changes to local fertility treatment policies, running from 3 June – 15 July 2025.

Currently, there are ten NHS subfertility policies being used across Cheshire and Merseyside, which means that people have varying access to NHS funded fertility treatment, depending on where they live.

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside is proposing a new, single policy, which would mean that in the future everyone would get consistent access to fertility treatment in our area.

The new policy would include a number of changes that would remove variation, and ensure local practice is in line with national guidance, but we are also proposing to make some changes for financial reasons.

Note: Because we are expecting new national guidance on fertility treatments to come out later this year from The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), this new policy would be an interim one.

What is being proposed?

One of the key changes being proposed in the new policy is to reduce the number of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycles that the NHS pays for to one cycle per eligible individual or couple. Currently, between one and three cycles are funded by the NHS, depending on where people live.

The NHS in Cheshire and Merseyside currently spends over £5 million on IVF treatments every year, and it’s estimated that the proposed change would save the local NHS around £1.3 million per year.

It would also bring the offer in Cheshire and Merseyside in line with the majority of other areas in England – 66% of ICBs only fund one IVF cycle on the NHS.

A number of other changes are also being proposed within the new policy to help standardise some of the eligibility criteria for accessing fertility treatment, and bring the local policy in line with the latest clinical guidance.

This includes proposed changes to eligibility based on BMI (body mass index), smoking status, the lower and upper age limit, and the definition of childlessness. It also includes some changes to the requirement for IUI (intra uterine insemination) before IVF treatment is offered.

How can people share their views?

A six-week public consultation is being held between 3 June to 15 July 2025, giving people the opportunity to learn more about the proposed changes and share their views on them.

People can download an information booklet summarising the key changes and complete a short questionnaire here

Please help us to share this as widely as possible to ensure all those effected get the chance to have their say.

Accessibility

Anyone who would like to request some help to complete the questionnaire, or to request a printed version or an alternative format or language, can do so by contacting:

Phone: 0151 295 3052

Email: engagement@cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk

Post: Engagement Team, NHS Cheshire & Merseyside, No 1 Lakeside, 920 Centre Park Square, Warrington, WA1 1QY

Community groups or networks who would like NHS Cheshire and Merseyside to attend a meeting or event to talk about the proposal can email to request this via: engagement@cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk

What are the next steps?

Once the consultation closes on 15 July, the findings will be analysed and compiled into a summary report.

This report will be presented to the Board of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside for a final decision, likely in late summer or early autumn 2025.

Further information will be shared about the outcome, and what it will mean for people who use fertility services after that. Until then, people can continue to access NHS fertility treatment, including IVF cycles, just as they do now.

Further information

The ten existing local subfertility policies are available here – simply scroll to the map at the end of the page and click on the area you want to see the policy for.

Read the new (draft) fertility policy in full here.