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<p>Since June 2017, 24 letters and emails about National Health Service in vitro fertilisation
(IVF) provision have been received by the Department together with five Parliamentary
Questions about NHS fertility services. I have also received a request to meet from
the patient stakeholder organisation, Fertility Fairness, and intend to meet them
later in the autumn.</p><p> </p><p>Information about clinical commissioning groups
(CCSs) that have fully implemented the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
(NICE) fertility guidelines is not collected centrally.</p><p> </p><p>CCGs are responsible
for commissioning local health services and ensuring the needs of the local health
population are met. NHS England is responsible for oversight of the commissioning
system. The NICE guidelines are evidence-based best practice for clinicians but are
not mandatory.</p><p>The Government's policy is that CCGs should implement the NICE
guidelines in full. This includes the NICE recommendation that three cycles of IVF
is offered to qualifying couples where the woman is under the age of 40 and one cycle
where the woman is between the ages of 40 and 42.</p><p>NHS England has advised that
the IVF benchmark price will be developed during 2017/18 with support from the IVF
Expert Advisory Group and all key stakeholders, working towards publishing the IVF
benchmark price ready for the financial year 2018/19. It is also planning to develop
and test an IVF outcome-based payment approach with a number of CCGs and service providers
in 2018/19.</p><p>NHS England and professional and stakeholder groups, including the
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, are working together to develop commissioning
guidance. This guidance aims to improve the quality of commissioning and further encourage
the implementation of the NICE fertility guidelines. NHS England has agreed to disseminate
and promote the commissioning guidance to all CCGs in England.</p>
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