England’s first not-for-profit IVF clinic to open next year

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) is to open England’s first not-for-profit IVF clinic in London next year.

The charity has decided to set up its own fertility network to address the inequalities in IVF provision in England, planning to undercut private clinics and charge only the trust cost of treatment, which it estimates will be between £3,000 and £3,500 for each cycle, excluding the cost of drugs. There will be no costly “add-ons”, such as assisted hatching or embryo glue, which patients can feel pressured into accepting at a very vulnerable time, despite many not being proven to work.

According to NICE guidelines, women should be offered three cycles of IVF on the NHS. However, provision has been cut back in many areas, with some no offering no paid-for fertility treatment and others only one or two cycles. Some refuse treatment to women over 35, those who cannot prove they are in a stable relationship, or couples with one partner who has a child from a previous relationship.

Marta Jansa Perez, director of embryology at BPAS, said that the clinic would have no set criteria for treatment, adding “We want our clinic to be as inclusive as possible in terms of ethnic diversity, sexual orientation and gender identities. We’re not going to bluntly say no to anyone but we are planning to follow all professional guidelines and provide patients with the full picture in terms of chances and risks to them and the baby that they will potentially have.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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