'Priced out' - South Tyneside MP calls for end to 'IVF postcode lottery' which can cost families thousands
An IVF patient felt unable to move house as it could mean losing access to fertility treatment.
Jarrow MP Kate Osborne has told the government that it is time to end the “IVF postcode lottery, endless delays and people being priced out of having a family”.
On September 9 Ms Osborne, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Fertility, hosted a roundtable in Parliament bringing together MPs, peers, campaigners and experts in the fertility field.
Details emerged about an IVF patient who felt unable to move house as it could mean losing access to NHS-funded fertility treatment. Patients can be ineligible too if their partner already has children from a previous relationship.
Time is crucial with fertility and delays are being caused by administrative problems and testing pathways, while people might have to pay thousands privately where NHS treatment is unavailable.
Four fertility patients shared their stories with MPs, clinicians, health economists and fertility experts, at the first formal roundtable of the new APPG.
The aim is to understand where fertility care is falling short, why access is so inconsistent and what a more coherent national approach could look like.
Ms Osborne said she was pleased to have chaired the meeting.
She added: “I have been campaigning for a long time for better access to fertility and now that we have our 10-Year Health Plan, will continue pushing ministers to take action.
“The roundtable enabled MPs and peers to hear directly from patients about the challenges of navigating a fertility pathway, and from those who didn’t get that chance, as well as clinicians, organisations and experts who all see the system from different perspectives.
“We must improve fertility care and to do that we need to understand where the problems are, why they exist and what practical changes could make a difference.
“We need to end the endless delays patients face because of administrative problems and testing pathways and finally put a stop to people being priced out of having a family, with some being forced to find thousands of pounds to pay privately when NHS treatment was not available to them.
“The evidence gathered through this inquiry will help us develop recommendations and build cross-party support for a more coherent approach to fertility care.”
This year’s National Fertility Awareness Week is between Monday, November 2 and Friday, November 6, led by the charity Fertility Action.