Forced to go private after IVF rationed by NHS

Postcode lottery means only five areas of Yorkshire will pay for more than one course

COUPLES WITH fertility problems are facing an uphill battle for treatment as only five areas in Yorkshire offer more than one round of IVF on the NHS.

People living in West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, most of East Yorkshire and Sheffield have access to only one round of IVF at an NHS clinic before having to pay privately. Although technology is constantly improving, each round has less than a 20 per cent chance of working for a woman under 40.

Data gathered under the Freedom of Information Act shows a mixed picture across Yorkshire as Hull, Barnsley and Bassetlaw all offer three rounds on the NHS, while Doncaster and Rotherham offer two.

Different areas also have different rules about how overweight a woman could be before she is denied access to IVF, while some areas there are limits on how overweight her male partner could be if he has ferility problems. Many areas do not allow IVF where one partner has a child from an existing relationship.

In the last five years, the number of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in England offering the recommended three cycles of IVF treatment to eligible women under the age of 40 has halved.

Jo Roebuck, the clinical director at CARE Sheffield, a private fertility clinic, highlighted one example of the “extremely unfair and discriminatory” system.

She said: “Within the Yorkshire region, for women in Sheffield only one cycle can be NHS funded, however, women living in nearby Bassetlaw, only 15 miles apart, are entitled to a funding of three cycles.”

She said people who have had one failed cycle on the NHS feel that they are left with no other option than to pay privately, at between £4,000 and £8,000 per cycle. On top of the advertised prices, there can be hidden costs like medication, which can be up to £1,500.

“The discrepancy between CCG NHS funding, dependent upon the postcode of the woman’s GP, is extremely unfair and discriminatory.”

A spokesperson for the three NHS Bradford district and Craven Clinical Commissioning Groups said: “The three NHS Bradford district and Craven Clinical Commissioning Groups have a legal duty to commission health services for our local population which are evidence-based, cost effective, improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities.”