Minister Jackie Doyle reported that patients are registering at out-of-area surgeries in order to access IVF services. There has been rationing around IVF, with CCGs reducing the number of courses following rises in demands, due to ‘lack of provision’ in neighbouring CCGs.
In parliament, MP Rachel Maclean questioned the minister: “‘Provision of IVF in Redditch has been reduced from two cycles to one. I warmly welcome the work that the minister has done to increase equity across the country, but what more can she do to address the postcode lottery in this and other areas, such as hip and knee surgery?”
Ms, Doyle-Price responded to this: “‘The postcode lottery is not acceptable, and patients manage to get around it. My local CCG, having funded three courses of IVF, has had to reduce that to two because demand has doubled owing to the lack of provision in neighbouring CCGs.”
Since this comment was made by the minister, the Department of Health elaborated on what she said, saying that patients get around the rationing by registering with surgeries that offer more rounds of IVF than the practices within their areas.
Full story in Pulse, 2 August 2019