Sussex cuts number of NHS-funded IVF cycles

Katie Rollings conceived twins through IVF

The number of NHS-funded IVF cycles people can receive in Sussex has been cut from three to one.

NHS Sussex's Integrated Care Board (ICB) announced the reduction took effect on 1 July as the region was brought in line with the majority of ICBs across England.

Sussex had been one of only four regions in the country to offer three cycles of IVF treatment on the NHS, the Sussex-based Agora Clinic said.

Dr James Ramsay, chief medical officer at NHS Sussex, said: "We remain committed to offering fertility treatment for our population and through our new policy will continue to support hundreds of people in Sussex every year."

Katie Rollings, from Billingshurst, started IVF in 2010 and finished in 2017 when she conceived twins.

Ms Rollings, who went on to create charity Fertility Action, said the decrease in NHS-funded cycles was "really concerning".

"I think you get to a stage where you have to stop trying, which is heartbreaking, and we see it regularly in our charity's support groups and unfortunately people get to a point where they can't do it anymore," she said.

"Sometimes it's emotionally, but often it's financially, they get to a place where they just have to stop and I think it's heartbreaking."

Sussex-based singer Tom Ball, who was a finalist on Britain's Got Talent in 2022, became a parent via IVF.

He said: "Every family deserves a chance, and cutting treatment takes that away from so many people who are already going through so much."

Dr Ramsay said as an ICB it had a duty to ensure services were provided fairly for the entire population across Sussex within the resources available.

"This has meant that we have had to consider difficult decisions about how the budget we receive for healthcare in Sussex is allocated, and the decision was not made lightly," he added.

Fertility Action is visiting Parliament on 16 July to continue its campaign to equalise access to fertility treatments across the country.