BOURN HALL REPORTS EXCELLENT RESPONSE TO IVF FUNDING INITIATIVE
East of England first region in country to end IVF treatment lottery
Bourn Hall is providing NHS funded IVF treatment to eligible patients in the East of England following a new initiative by the East of England Specialist Commissioning Group, launched in May 2009.
From 1st May 2009 the East of England became the first region in the country to provide NHS funding to ALL eligible couples for up to six attempts at achieving a pregnancy with fertility treatment, thus removing the current IVF postcode lottery where couples in adjacent towns are offered widely differing services.
The initiative has been warmly welcomed by Dr Mike Macnamee, Chief Executive of Bourn Hall Clinic which was established by IVF pioneers Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards:
"It was always the dream of Steptoe and Edwards when they established Bourn Hall as the world’s first IVF clinic, that treatment would be available to all who needed it. We are delighted that the East of England is taking a lead in making IVF more widely accessible and creating a clearer and more consistent treatment pathway across the Primary Care Trusts."
"The launch of the scheme is going smoothly and we are keeping up with patient demand. We have been delighted by the response to the initiative," he says.
To qualify for treatment couples must meet specific eligibility criteria. In particular women must be aged between 23 and 39 with no children from the current relationship. Women must also be registered with a GP in one of the six counties in the East of England.
In the general population 70 percent of couples will conceive naturally within 18 months of trying for a baby and 90 percent after two years. The chance of natural conception can be improved through greater awareness of the woman’s monthly cycle and by making lifestyle changes such as stopping smoking, improving diet and losing weight. Couples that have already taken these measures and not conceived, or have a diagnosed cause of infertility, should see their GP to discuss the next steps.
GPs will refer couples with fertility issues to the relevant hospital where checks such as hormone tests will be undertaken to try and identify the cause of infertility. The couple will then be able to have treatment at a specialist fertility clinic. Bourn Hall has excellent success rates and prides itself in managing a very successful donor sperm bank as well as egg and embryo donation programmes. If the infertility is unexplained, conception may happen naturally given more time so couples may have to wait 3 years before the NHS will fund treatment.
Mike Macnamee believes that simplifying the pathway (from GP, through hospital, to providers such as Bourn Hall) and clarifying the eligibility criteria will also reduce stress for patients.
"The team at Bourn Hall is the most experienced in the country as we were the first to offer IVF treatment. Over half of our patients become pregnant on the first attempt and we treat patients with some of the most challenging medical conditions. Patients who come for treatment here are happy that they have received the highest quality of care, whatever the outcome."
Eligible patients may receive up to six attempts at achieving a pregnancy which includes a maximum of three full cycles of IVF treatment with up to three further frozen embryo transfers, totalling six embryo transfers.
More information about the East of England Specialist Commissioning Group’s policy is available. http://www.escg.nhs.uk.
