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News
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NHS Funding - Press release (16/11/2009)
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From today, couples seeking fertility treatment have more convenient access to NHS funded IVF (In-Vitro Fertilisation) treatments thanks to a new venture between the Oxford Fertility Unit and the Herts & Essex Fertility Centre.
The Oxford Fertility Unit (OFU), one of the UK’s leading centres of clinical excellence for fertility treatment and reproductive medicine, is one of five clinics selected by the East of England Specialised Commissioning Group (EoE SCG) to provide NHS treatment to people in the region who meet the criteria.
Mr Enda McVeigh, a Director at the OFU, said: “We are delighted to be able to work with the team at the Herts & Essex Fertility Centre to provide NHS treatment to people who need our help to have children. Our patients can expect the highest standards of care and support at every stage of their treatment and much closer to home.”
Mr Michael Ah-Moye, Medical Director of the Herts & Essex Fertility Centre, added: “For the past 20 years we have provided a dedicated fertility service to patients from South East England and the Home Counties. We are pleased that our joint venture with the OFU will combine the best that two leading fertility centres in the UK can offer, which can only benefit the patients we and the EoE SCG seek to assist.
“Our team of leading fertility specialists will work closely with the OFU to deliver every step of IVF treatment at our new, state-of-the-art facility to ensure that all our new NHS patients get the very best advice and treatment possible.”
The OFU has achieved pregnancy success rates which are 10% above the national average, according to new statistics published by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)*, while Herts & Essex Fertility Centre is consistently rated as one of the top IVF clinics in the UK.
Since 1st May 2009, the EoE SCG has decided to offer up to three cycles of treatment, in line with guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
Ends
If you have any other queries please contact Bell Pottinger North on 01625 506 444 and speak to: Vicki Baxter (vbaxter@bellpottingernorth.co.uk) or Peter Bredenkamp (pbredenkamp@bellpottingernorth.co.uk).
Note to editors
*The success rates show the likelihood of each IVF cycle started resulting in a live birth. For women under 35, who have the greatest chance of pregnancy with In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatments, the HFEA tables show that OFU patients have a live birth rate of around 42.4% compared with a national average of 32.3%.
About the Oxford Fertility Unit
The Oxford Fertility Unit was established in 1984. Approximately 1,500 IVF cycles are carried out in this Unit each year with Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) tables showing it to be the most successful unit in the area and in the top 20 (out of 75) in the country. The Unit was the first to obtain ISO 9001 quality management certification in the UK and the first and only centre in the UK to obtain a licence to carry out IVM.
In partnership with leading researchers at the University of Oxford and the John Radcliffe Hospital, the OFU has earned an international reputation for its pioneering research and groundbreaking new treatments. Early this year the Unit published new research which showed high rates of success using frozen embryos. By freezing suitable spare IVF embryos for later use, the Unit demonstrated that women under 39 years of age can increase their success rate per egg collection from 40% to 59%. The Unit also introduced egg In Vitro Maturation (IVM) into the UK in 2007 and is still the only clinic permitted to offer this safer and simpler alternative to IVF. IVM is a pioneering new technology that does not require fertility drugs as eggs are collected from the ovaries while they are still immature. They are then grown in a laboratory for 1-2 days before being fertilised and inserted into the womb. Women under 36 years of age undergoing unstimulated IVM treatment have a success rate of around 30% per cycle.
For further information about the Oxford Fertility Unit visit www.oxfordfertilityunit.com.
About Herts & Essex Fertility Centre
Herts & Essex Fertility Centre was established in 1989 and is the only IVF unit in Hertfordshire, just across the border from Essex, and the largest fertility unit in the Home Counties. Based at a new, state-of-the-art facility in Cheshunt, the Centre is within easy commute for people across both counties. The Centre has delivered nearly 3,700 babies over nearly 20 years and treats over 700 new couples every year. For further information about Herts & Essex Fertility Centre visit www.hertsandessexfertility.com
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