Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill in our recent survey about access to NHS fertility treatment, which showed delays throughout the process.
These delays are having a real impact on mental health and wellbeing, and some people felt pushed into having private treatment because of this.
Many people who filled in the survey had long delays to get an appointment at a fertility clinic after their GP referred them, and then there was often another wait for tests or procedures needed before treatment.
There was yet more waiting before they could actually start treatment, and the most common reasons for people having private treatment were these long waits, or not being eligible for NHS treatment. Very few people said they paid for treatment because they felt they would get better care or would be more likely to be successful at a private clinic.
People also told us it wasn’t always clear how much treatment was going to cost at the start, with things like blood tests or scans being charged separately and adding more than expected to the cost. Many had to borrow money from family or friends or take out loans to cover the cost of private treatment.
This had a real impact on wellbeing, and the majority of people who responded said delays had caused them a lot of stress and anxiety at an already difficult time.
Our Chief Executive, Gwenda Burns, said, “Going through fertility tests and treatment is challenging in itself, and we would like to see moves to address the delays which are causing deep distress to so many fertility patients. Our survey shows many people are borrowing to fund private treatment, and it isn’t always clear at the start how much this is going to cost which causes more hardship. We are calling for openness and transparency around this.”