LINCS CCG TO REVIEW IVF TREATMENT POLICY
I am delighted to have been successful in pressing for a review into the Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group’s policy on who is able to receive IVF treatment on the NHS following a meeting I had with John Turner, Chief Executive and his team this week.
Currently, IVF treatment on the NHS is being denied to women locally if their partner has a child from a previous relationship. This was brought to my attention by my constituent, Sarah, who was advised to begin looking into private IVF as she was not eligible to have treatment on the NHS due to being a stepmum.
The Government states that it expects local NHS commissioning bodies to commission fertility services in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines, so that there is equitable access across England. Some NHS commissioners, however, set additional non-clinical criteria, which can include one partner having a child from a previous relationship.
I am therefore pleased that since raising my concerns with the CCG, they have reached agreement with clinical colleagues in Lincolnshire and the East Midlands region to review this. The next steps will be to mobilise the review and understand how the review will be conducted.
