Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will discuss funding for infertility treatment in a debate at their annual conference in Bournemouth at the end of the month.
The RCN's Congress will consider a motion calling on the union to lobby for proper funding for fertility treatment, recognising the inadequacies of the current system. Most people still pay for their IVF in the UK, despite the recommendation by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) that women under 40 who needed IVF should get three cycles of NHS treatment. That guideline was issued in 2004 and at the time the government responded by saying that, as a first step, all those under 40 who needed IVF should get one NHS cycle by 2005.
In fact, this still hasn't happened. Instead, there are a wide variety of different criteria applied in many areas to make sure fewer women will qualify for their single cycle of treatment. In other parts of the country, there is simply no funded treatment available at all. Whatever you think about funding for fertility treatment, the current system is unfair and causes heartache for thousands of couples who find they can't get the help they need.
You can read more about the RCN motion on the issue at the union's website www.rcn.org.uk
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