Health chiefs accused of allowing fertility rip-off

THE NHS pays fertility clinics in some parts of Britain more than two-anda-half times as much for a single cycle of IVF as other areas, a probe has found.

As it emerged that costs for the same service range from less than £2,000 to almost £5,000, bosses of Clinical Commissioning Groups – that decide what local services to provide and how much to pay for them – were accused of allowing themselves to be ripped off, while dashing the dreams of couples desperate to become parents.

Aileen Feeney, co-chair of the group Fertility Fairness that conducted the study, said she was deeply concerned by the findings. NHS England said CCGs can now negotiate using a benchmark price of £3,100 for a single IVF cycle.