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<p>Infertility is recognised as a disease by all mainstream international health organisations.
In the United Kingdom, infertility affects one in seven of all couples of child-bearing
age. It can cause great psychological distress for those seeking to start a family,
if not addressed. There are effective treatments and the National Institute for Health
and Care Excellence (NICE) Fertility Guidelines set out clearly how the treatment
can be offered in the most clinically and cost-effective way. The Government recognises
that there is variation in the commissioning of National Health Service fertility
services across England. Patients with infertility have every right to expect NHS
services based on clinical need.</p><p> </p><p>Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs)
have a statutory responsibility to commission healthcare services that meet the needs
of their whole population, including fertility services. The Human Fertilisation and
Embryology Authority’s guidance for commissioners is a new tool to help them implement
NICE Fertility Guidelines and use the benchmark price treatments.</p><p> </p><p>I
wrote to the Chief Executives of all CCGs in England on 17 June 2019 to promote the
guidance and benchmark price, and strongly encourage them to implement fully the NICE
Fertility Guidelines.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p>
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