Infertility Network Scotland, who have been campaigning hard for improvements in access to treatment in Scotland, have welcomed the move - details here
Showing posts with label Funding for Fertility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Funding for Fertility. Show all posts
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Scotland invests in fertility services
Great news if you live in Scotland where the Scottish government is investing 12 million pounds in fertility services over the next three years. The aim is to reduce waiting lists so that no one waits more than a year for fertility treatment - and to improve access across all local health boards. Maybe this will inspire an improvement in the rest of the UK where the postcode lottery means that your access to treatment depends entirely on where you live.
Infertility Network Scotland, who have been campaigning hard for improvements in access to treatment in Scotland, have welcomed the move - details here
Infertility Network Scotland, who have been campaigning hard for improvements in access to treatment in Scotland, have welcomed the move - details here
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Fertility funding in Northern Ireland
Members of the Assembly in Northern Ireland have passed a motion calling on the Health Minister to fund three cycles of IVF treatment. At present, anyone eligible for funded fertility treatment in Northern Ireland will only get one attempt at IVF paid for by the health service. In England NHS funding can vary, but in Scotland couples get three cycles and in Wales they get two. The guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommend that those who are eligible should be offered up to three full cycles of treatment.
It is great news that the Assembly is considering the issue, and that members are minded to call for more funding for fertility. The campaigning work carried out by Infertility Network UK in Ireland is sure to have helped bring this issue to the forefront.
It is great news that the Assembly is considering the issue, and that members are minded to call for more funding for fertility. The campaigning work carried out by Infertility Network UK in Ireland is sure to have helped bring this issue to the forefront.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
IVF cuts - make your feelings known...
It was depressing to get back from my holiday and discover that one Primary Care Trust had decided to stop funding fertility treatment due to the recession.
It's an easy way to look as if you are being thrifty - but the ridiculous thing is that it actually saves a very small amount of money whilst causing a huge amount of heartache. I heard an estimate the other day that in total fertility funding was less than 0.1% of the NHS budget. I suspect far more could be saved by a more careful monitoring of exactly what can be covered by executive expenses - and that wouldn't cause any heartache to anyone.
Clare Lewis-Jones MBE, chair of the National Infertility Awareness Campaign and Chief Executive of Infertility Network UK has made her feelings clear, urging Warrington PCT to rethink the decision; “We are very angry indeed at the decision taken by Warrington PCT to suspend funding for IVF treatment. The PCT has suggested that infertility does not affect general physical health but we deal with patients every day who contact us and whose health has been adversely affected by this illness. NICE Guidance issued in 2004 recommended eligible couples should receive up to three full cycles of treatment. It is high time that PCTs realised the impact infertility has on patients."
I think sometimes Primary Care Trusts are too quick to listen to the small but vociferous minority who oppose fertility treatment and to take their views as being representative. People who are living without the children they'd love are often so adversely affected by their situation that they feel unable to make a fuss when PCTs make decisions like this. Maybe you could help them. Tell Warrington PCT Chair, Mr John Gartside, what you think about the decision.
Mr John Gartside
Warrington Primary Care Trust
Headquarters
930-932 Birchwood Boulevard
Millennium Park
Birchwood
Warrington WA3 7QN
It's an easy way to look as if you are being thrifty - but the ridiculous thing is that it actually saves a very small amount of money whilst causing a huge amount of heartache. I heard an estimate the other day that in total fertility funding was less than 0.1% of the NHS budget. I suspect far more could be saved by a more careful monitoring of exactly what can be covered by executive expenses - and that wouldn't cause any heartache to anyone.
Clare Lewis-Jones MBE, chair of the National Infertility Awareness Campaign and Chief Executive of Infertility Network UK has made her feelings clear, urging Warrington PCT to rethink the decision; “We are very angry indeed at the decision taken by Warrington PCT to suspend funding for IVF treatment. The PCT has suggested that infertility does not affect general physical health but we deal with patients every day who contact us and whose health has been adversely affected by this illness. NICE Guidance issued in 2004 recommended eligible couples should receive up to three full cycles of treatment. It is high time that PCTs realised the impact infertility has on patients."
I think sometimes Primary Care Trusts are too quick to listen to the small but vociferous minority who oppose fertility treatment and to take their views as being representative. People who are living without the children they'd love are often so adversely affected by their situation that they feel unable to make a fuss when PCTs make decisions like this. Maybe you could help them. Tell Warrington PCT Chair, Mr John Gartside, what you think about the decision.
Mr John Gartside
Warrington Primary Care Trust
Headquarters
930-932 Birchwood Boulevard
Millennium Park
Birchwood
Warrington WA3 7QN
Friday, 17 April 2009
Funding for Fertility
If you want to know what your chances are of getting NHS help for IVF, a new website has just been launched that can help. The map at www.fundingforfertility.co.uk covers the whole of the UK, and by clicking on an area you can discover whether funding is available, and what restrictions have been set on who can receive it.
The website has been set up by the charity Infertility Network UK, and shows that even now, five years after the IVF postcode lottery was meant to have ended, your chances of getting funded treatment depend entirely on where you live. Government guidance suggests that eligible couples should be able to receive up to three cycles of IVF, but for most of those who need treatment this is still far from becoming reality.
Some areas are not funding treatment at all, whilst many others will only help with one cycle. Even in areas where there is funding, the local trusts often set strict limits on who is eligible in order to ration treatment. You may find that you are too old, too young or too heavy, and smokers are ruled out in most areas. The problem is that these criteria are not always created by people who have an understanding of infertility and IVF, and the current situation is far from fair or just.
See the Fertility Funding map at www.fundingforfertility.co.uk
The website has been set up by the charity Infertility Network UK, and shows that even now, five years after the IVF postcode lottery was meant to have ended, your chances of getting funded treatment depend entirely on where you live. Government guidance suggests that eligible couples should be able to receive up to three cycles of IVF, but for most of those who need treatment this is still far from becoming reality.
Some areas are not funding treatment at all, whilst many others will only help with one cycle. Even in areas where there is funding, the local trusts often set strict limits on who is eligible in order to ration treatment. You may find that you are too old, too young or too heavy, and smokers are ruled out in most areas. The problem is that these criteria are not always created by people who have an understanding of infertility and IVF, and the current situation is far from fair or just.
See the Fertility Funding map at www.fundingforfertility.co.uk
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)