By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
A councillor has accused an NHS organisation of betraying residents in Bassetlaw over its plans to “downgrade” fertility services.
The Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), which commissions NHS services in the city and county, has proposed a new fertility policy due to what it says are disparities in services across the region.
It says the review “aims to create one fairer policy for everyone in the East Midlands, with priority given to those with confirmed fertility issues.”
Under its proposed policy, residents fitting certain fertility criteria will be entitled to three cycles of Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) – also known as artificial insemination.
Those wishing to undergo In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), where an egg is removed and fertilised in a laboratory, will be entitled to one cycle across the whole region.
However, in Bassetlaw, residents are entitled to three IVF cycles.
During a Nottinghamshire County Council health scrutiny Committee meeting on Wednesday (November 20), the ICB was accused of planning to downgrade services.
Cllr Callum Bailey (Con), who represents Worksop North, said: “The NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) recommendation was three cycles, we are going down to one.
“I say down because Bassetlaw is getting downgraded. We are going to be getting a worse service.
“That is something the ICB promised would not happen when Bassetlaw joined the ICB.
“I find it an absolute shame and betrayal because instead of upgrading the rest of Nottinghamshire to be in line with the NICE guidelines, to be in line with Bassetlaw.
“Women are having children later in the UK. Fertility is a big issue. I don’t think it is the approach you want to be taking, and I accept the arguments about funding, but I don’t think this is the way to go about it.”
According to NICE guidelines, women under 40 should be offered three full cycles of IVF, and its latest recommendations are due to be published in February 2025.
Figures show many areas in London, including North Central London and North East London, still offer three cycles, alongside other areas of the country such as North East and North Cumbria and Sussex.
Documents published for the meeting state the NHS is facing “growing financial and operational challenges”, and the job of getting value for money falls to ICBs.
Figures show the cost to the Nottinghamshire ICB of fertility treatments – including IVF and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) – was more than £2m between 2019/20 and 2022/23.
The ICB is now running a two-month ‘listening exercise’ on its new policy to hear residents think of the proposals.
Victoria McGregor-Riley, of the ICB, said: “We absolutely recognise this is a tricky subject to discuss and there are lots of emotions and implications.
“This will help shape the policy or the proposals we may wish to put forward in the future and all views will be considered as part of that.
“I do absolutely understand the point about when Bassetlaw became part of the broader church of the ICB and into the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire area, there was very much a feeling we wanted to make sure we retained the level of policy and commitment that we did.
“But I will point to the fact we are in significantly different financial considerations now than we were three years ago.
“But, equally, this is not a policy driven by financial need, because what we will be doing by opening up to be more fair and equitable across a broader range of our community, may actually have other implications for the funding we do provide for this, which is why everything we do needs to be seen as fair and open.”
Sarah Collis, of Healthwatch, which seeks to champion local patients, added: “It seems to be swings and roundabouts.
“The better accessibility and equitable service increases the numbers, which then puts more demand on the system, and therefore something is losing out which seems to be the number of cycles.”
The listening exercise began on November 11 and will end on January 10.
