A 50% cut in the budget for IVF services in Bedfordshire is ‘deeply regrettable’ according to Bedford Borough Councillor Roger Rigby.
The cut in the service was announced by the Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (BCCG), the body responsible for organising local healthcare services. At present 3 cycles of treatment are provided for women aged 23 – 39 who have had 3 years of unexplained infertility. Despite this, the BCCG has agreed that from 2015 onwards only 1 cycle of treatment will be provided.
The policy change will reduce the annual IVF treatment budget from £799k to £397k. According to Cllr Rigby, the fact that the BCCG’s chosen option was the least popular during a recent consultation shows that the decision was determined by the BCCG’s estimated spending deficit for the current financial year which now stands at £28.8m. He said:
‘The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently set out its vision for increased IVF treatment coverage. Despite this, what we are seeing locally is a decision to scale back IVF services significantly.
‘The BCCG tried to justify the cut by saying that in the consultation some people indicated their view that IVF treatment should not be a priority but this had little support.
‘For the small number of women who are helped to conceive this way it is life changing. It is deeply regrettable that the BCCG has mucked up its finances so badly that it is women needing IVF treatment along with all people accessing health services who will suffer.’