They’re never going to tell you about this – 100% seen within the target for years, 79% waiting less than half the target time and numbers well above pre-pandemic levels – Scotland’s IVF programme creating and saving live

Professor John Robertson OBA

I’ve been reporting this success story, unique to Scotland, for years and BBC Scotland never reports it.

From Public Health Scotland today:

During the current quarter, 78.7% of patients who attended a screening appointment waited 26 weeks or less, 16.4% waited between 27 and 39 weeks and 4.9% between 40 and 52 weeks. No patients waited more than 52 weeks to be screened. 1

Note in the graph above:

  1. The number of cases dealt with, all colours in the bar, well above the pre-pandemic level.
  2. Around half only waiting 0-13 weeks and three quarters by 26 weeks.

And from Fertility Scotland:

Scotland is proud to be the only UK nation to provide up to three full IVF/ICSI cycles on the NHS for eligible couples with some of the highest pregnancy rates and lowest multiple births across all UK nations.2

In England:

IVF: ‘People are being priced out of becoming parents’3

How free IVF saves lives and reduces NHS bills – from 2022 research published in European Psychiatry:

The psychosocial impact of infertility has been well researched and documented. However very little research has been conducted to assess the causative relationship between infertility and serious psychiatric illness such as suicide. According to the results obtained by assessment of MINI scale , the prevalence of major depressive disorder (50 % ) followed by Dysthymia (persistent depression) (25%) was documented among infertile group while suicidality at 15% were significantly higher than other disorder. No such cases of suicidality or Dysthymia was found among patients of control group. (fertile group).4

Media coverage today?

You look.

Sources:

  1. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/ivf-waiting-times-in-scotland/ivf-waiting-times-in-scotland-quarter-ending-31-december-2024
  2. https://fertility.scot/about-nhsscotland-fertility-services/#:~:text=Learn%20more%20about%20Fertility%20Services%20in%20NHS%20Scotland,births%20across%20all%20UK%20nations.
  3. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-67946227
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9566938

One thought on “They’re never going to tell you about this – 100% seen within the target for years, 79% waiting less than half the target time and numbers well above pre-pandemic levels – Scotland’s IVF programme creating and saving live”

  1. Pingback: 98% target-busting by NHS Scotland – IVF, drug and alcohol treatment and now planned operations – but all ignored by the media – Talking-up Scotland

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