IVF rationing in Yorkshire

In one of the most ludicrous attempts at rationing IVF I've come across, women who need IVF in one area of Yorkshire will only qualify for funded treatment once they are approaching their fortieth birthday. North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust now only offers IVF to those who happen to be in the six months between the ages of 39 and a half and 40.

What possible logic can there be to limiting treatment to women who've reached an age at which it is far less likely to succeed? How can anyone consider this to be a sensible use of limited funds? It would perhaps be more honest to admit they are not really funding any treatment at all. The way treatment is being restricted by eligibility criteria in some parts of the country just goes to show how little understanding those who make decisions have of the things they are making decisions about...

I can only imagine that perhaps this is a deliberate attempt to make it impossible for anyone to qualify for NHS-funded treatment in the area, and to have so very few successful NHS-funded cycles that they can then claim IVF is simply not cost effective and stop paying for it altogether. The government keeps making noises about the unfairness of the postcode lottery, but surely a decision like this illustrates that it is time to give primary care trusts very strict guidance as many are clearly incapable of making sensible funding decisions themselves. You can read more about the situation in North Yorkshire and York here