Privatisation of Bristol’s IVF centre

The Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM) based at Southmead Hospital has been taken on by a private company.

Staff received confirmation of the change this week following a long period of uncertainty over the future of the service.

The news comes in the midst of ever-increasing pressures on the NHS and fears about creeping privatisation after hospital bosses backtracked on plans to privatise staff management in February 2018.

North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) has offered both private and NHS fertility treatment at the hospital since 2008, but decided in 2016 to cease this service, saying it no longer fits with the remit of providing acute NHS care.

There was no NHS provider to continue the service, so South Gloucestershire clinical commissioning group (CCG) has commissioned specialists to take on provision as a privately-operated company. The change will be effective from March 1.

“Over the last ten years, we have seen a significant decrease in the number of NHS patients referred to us, with more women and couples now funding their own fertility treatment,” said the NBT’s finance director Catherine Phillips.

“With more private clinics starting to operate in the area during this time, we have also seen a decrease in the number of self-fund patients coming to us for treatment.

“In light of this, the trust took the decision to stop providing fertility treatment as it no longer fit our focus of providing acute NHS services and could not prioritise the investment in continuing to run a fertility service that could compete with other private providers.

“This was a difficult decision as we know that BCRM has helped to make many families. We are proud of what our staff have achieved over the last ten years and thank them for their hard work.

“We continue to provide NHS general infertility assessment services.”

The trust says that any patients affected by this change have been contacted about their ongoing care.

In a letter to staff, NBT said: “After a long period of uncertainty about the future of BCRM, I am now able to confirm that as of March 1 2018, the fertility treatment service for self-funding patients will continue to be delivered in the existing BCRM building.

“This will now be delivered through a new private operation run by Valentine Akande and Paul Wilson, currently with BCRM as speciality director and head of embryology respectively.

“The new organisation will keep the BCRM name and the majority of existing staff will TUPE over to the new company.”

Self-funding services will include: semen analysis, fertility treatments such as IVF, as well as freezing sperm, eggs and embryos.

Private patients already being treated by the trust will have their treatment completed by the new company and BCRM will continue to maintain the storage of embryos, eggs and sperm currently stored at the unit to ensure continuity of care.

Care for NHS patients will be managed by South Gloucestershire CCG. For more information about the implications, visit: www.southgloucestershireccg.nhs.uk/your-health-local-services/health-services/services-development/licensed-fertility-assisted-conception-services-nhs-patients/.

North Bristol NHS Trust will continue to deliver an NHS general infertility assessment service at Southmead Hospital for fertility assessment, investigations and surgical procedures, which will be run under the gynaecology umbrella.

Main image from the Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine Facebook page.

Read more: Revealed: New wave of NHS cuts in South Gloucestershire