NHS-funded IVF cut to one cycle in region

The number of NHS-funded IVF cycles available in South Yorkshire has been reduced from two to one as part of plans to deliver "best value for money".

The South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) has opted to reduce the number of cycles despite pressure from local leaders not to do so.

Chris Edwards, ICB interim chief executive, described the change as an "extremely tough choice" but said it was important to deliver fair access to health services in a "difficult financial climate".

The majority of Doncaster councillors opposed the proposal during a consultation on the issue, with one describing the decision to reduce the number of NHS-funded cycles as "shocking".

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a fertility treatment which led to the birth of more than 20,000 babies in 2023 - or roughly one in every classroom - according to data from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

South Yorkshire ICB took the decision to reduce the number of cycles available to new patients in the region at a meeting on Wednesday.

A report prepared for the meeting said the change would save about £400,000 a year, but there was a "potential risk of additional demand on other services such as mental health support" for couples affected by the decision.

Reacting to the change, Doncaster councillor Gemma Cobby said: "The devastation of couples, women, individuals, will be more significant and they won't realise that for a couple of years. It's just really heart-breaking."

Jane Cox, another councillor at the authority, said: "One round of IVF is shocking. I'm actually quite stunned.

"It's dreadfully unfair as few people get pregnant from their first cycle."

Doncaster and Sheffield councils and some local MPs objected to the change, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In a statement following the ICB decision, Mr Edwards said the policy would bring South Yorkshire into line with the majority of ICBs in England.

"We recognise how important IVF services are for those affected, and this decision has not been taken lightly by the board," he said.

"This has been an extremely tough choice, but it must be considered in the wider context of improving health outcomes for our whole population and ensuring fair access to services for everyone across South Yorkshire."

The change would not apply to existing IVF patients, who would continue on their current plans and the ICB said where there is evidence of exceptional circumstances an individual funding request could be put forward by a patient's clinician.

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