In the Guardian today:
In England, the proportion of fertility treatment funded by the NHS dropped from 39% in 2012 to 35% in 2017, according to figures published last year by the regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). This is at odds with the rest of the UK, where public funding has remained stable or increased.
As with my comments on coronavirus death rates, this is about talking-up NHS Scotland in an attempt to balance its daily talking-down from BBC Scotland and the Herald.
New IVF treatment is on hold while the coronavirus outbreak is prioritised. This has caused some suffering but seems unavoidable for the moment. I feel sure the Health Secretary and the First Minister will not hesitate to restart the programme as soon as they can.
In case you need a reminder of how good Scotland’s IVF programme is, see this from December 2019:
During the quarter ending December 2019:
- The four IVF centres in Scotland screened 437 eligible patients, compared with 370 in the previous quarter.
- In all four centres, 100% of patients were screened for IVF treatment within 365 days, of which 80.8% were screened within 182 days.
- The 90% standard continues to be met since it was first measured in March 2015.
And, in case you need a reminder of just why this programme really matters, because you’ll never hear it from BBC Scotland or the Herald, here’s something written earlier and posted often:
Why does this matter so much that BBC Scotland should report it? You may have read this before here….several times…..as we attempt to persuade Reporting Scotland to ‘drop the dead baby’ in its favour.
Reducing associated mental health complications
Failing to treat infertility can result in problems and further costs for the NHS in other areas. A Danish study of 98 737 women, between 1973 and 2003, showed that women who were unable to have children were 47% more likely to be hospitalised for schizophrenia and had a significantly higher risk of subsequent drug and alcohol abuse.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22020-infertility-may-increase-risk-of-mental-disorders/
Meanwhile in Tory-run NHS England, only 12% of boards offer three full cycles in line with official guidance. 61% offer only one cycle of treatment and 4% offer none at all.
A warning for Scotland’s 100% IVF post-Brexit: How moneygrubbing Tory IVF policies are creating massive distress now in England
How IVF became a licence to print money.
As we tumble toward a hard Brexit and trade deals with the USA allowing the private sector into the heart of the NHS, we can see how things will work out in the already privatised IVF service in England and contrast it with the state-controlled and regulated version, in Scotland. See this from the Guardian:
‘Private fertility clinics routinely try to sell desperate patients add-ons that almost certainly don’t help – why isn’t more done to monitor the industry? Around three-quarters of all IVF cycles fail. And results vary with age. Figures from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) published in March state the average live birth-rate for each fresh embryo transferred for women of all ages is 21%; for those aged under 35, it is 29% – the highest it has ever been. For older women, the picture is bleaker: 10% for women aged 40-42, for example. IVF is expensive. And what makes it worse, says Hugh Risebrow, the report’s author, is the lack of pricing transparency. “The headline prices quoted may be, say, £3,500, but you end up with a bill of £7,000,” he says. “This is because there are things not included that you need – and then things that are offered but are not evidence-based.”’
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jun/18/how-ivf-became-a-licence-to-print-money
Creating opportunities for the private sector
In Tory-run NHS England, only 12% of boards offer three full cycles in line with official guidance. 61% offer only one cycle of treatment and 4% offer none at all. Private treatment costs between £1 343 and £5 788 per cycle.
Why UK politicians would like more privatisation in the NHS
There are 64 Tory and Labour (New) MPs with ‘links’ to private health care. Why would we trust them to protect the NHS? See this:
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Is the IVF Clinic in England the one that helped the parents of Louise Brown, the first ‘test-tube baby’? If so, this is disgusting.
That clinic was the site of a historic break-through and should be preserved.
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