Fertility treatment causes a great deal of anxiety for the couple concerned, partly because of the problem itself, but also because treatment, which can be quite complicated, requires a lot of prior investigation before it is known whether there is a possibility of success.

This puts a lot of strain on couples, which used to be even worse when the main type of treatment, (IVF), was only available privately and at considerable expense.

For several years now NHS fertility treatment has been available in the area which is covered by the Nottingham Health Authority (the governing body for this NHS practice). It is not available to everybody unfortunately, and where it is not covered, people still have to resort to private treatment. 

These facts give rise to two areas of confusion for people which this page sets out to clarify. The first is; exactly who qualifies for NHS treatment? And the second is; if private treatment is undertaken, can your GP prescribe any of the drugs you would otherwise need to purchase. 

Please note that investigation of possible infertility is available free on the NHS to everyone

Who gets NHS treatment?

• You must be a man and a woman living together in a stable relationship for more than 3 years

• You must be local residents, registered with a local GP and have lived in the Nottingham Health Authority area for at least 3 years

• You must be willing and able to take part in the recommended treatment, to accept it and undertake it within 6 months of it being offered

• You will be no older than 35 (women) and 55 (men) at the time of your treatment

• Neither partner to have living children from present or previous relationship. This includes adopted children

• If you have had more than 3 IVF treatments before, either NHS or private, you are not eligible

• There must be no official concerns about the welfare of any future children born as a result of fertility treatment.

If you have private treatment who pays for the drugs and tests required?

We are very sorry to have to say that you do.

Until recently it was theoretically possible to have drugs prescribed by your GP, although for a long time there was a local agreement among Nottingham GPs that it was not proper for GPs to be prescribing for treatments they were not in any way clinically responsible for. Therefore very few GPs have prescribed fertility drugs, and when they have, it has usually been for the more straightforward drug elements of the treatment that GPs commonly prescribe for similar conditions. Some GPs also arranged some of the blood tests on the NHS as a kindness to patients.

Now that general practice and hospital services are governed by the same body (Nottingham Health Authority), it has become possible to make uniform standards so that everyone is treated the same way. If the specialist looking at your case decides that you have to have private fertility treatment, the Health Authority has to make sure all the cost of the treatment is private. The Health Authority has ensured that it will not be possible for GPs to do testing and prescribing, by refusing to pay for any laboratory test and prescriptions that are done in such cases by GPs. The doctors who are providing the private treatment have also agreed to refrain from encouraging patients to seek the assistance of their GP.

While we sympathise with patients who have to bear the very considerable costs of fertility treatment, we must emphasise that we are now bound to follow the guidelines set out by the Health Authority, and we do so also in the knowledge that these decisions are made democratically in the interests of all those using the NHS.

If you disagree with any decisions made you can discuss it with the doctors concerned and if not satisfied you can ask the Health Authority to review your case.