Collaborative Statement from IVF clinics in relation to the national lockdown

We welcome yesterday’s statement from the HFEA that fertility clinics can remain open during the new lockdown.  We wish to reassure our patients that they are able to continue with their treatment in a safe environment at this anxious and difficult time.

Fertility clinics in the UK have made every effort to be Covid secure, implementing extensive measures to protect patients and staff according to national guidelines.  All our clinics have carried out risk assessments and adopted tailored strategies and procedures for treating patients during the pandemic, including compliance with social distancing requirements and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

We note that the HFEA has recommended consideration of a ‘freeze all’ approach to higher risk patients.  This was already a factor in our strategies and will remain an option going forwards where appropriate.

We will continue to monitor the situation at our clinics and have established a committee which will meet regularly throughout the period of the lockdown to keep the evolving situation under regular review and make recommendations about any additional steps that may be required.

This is a joint statement from more than 60 licensed and satellites clinics which have joined forces to work together in exchanging their experience to ensure that safe practices are communicated and shared amongst all colleagues for the safety of patients and staff.

Mohamed Taranissi

Geoffrey Trew

David Burford

Mike Macnamee

Jonathan Koslover

Jude Fleming

(on behalf of FERTILIS: ARGC- Assisted Reproduction & Gynaecology Centre, London Fertility Centre, Reproductive Genetic Institute, NewLife Fertility, Oxford Fertility. GCRM, Nurture, Boston Place, Belfast Fertility, Simply Fertility, Thames Valley Fertility, Wessex Fertility, Care Bath, Care Chester, Care Birmingham, Care Tamworth, Care Grantham, Care London, Care Manchester, Care Northampton, Care Nottingham, Care Sheffield, Care Tunbridge Wells, Bourn Hall Clinic, Bourn Hall Colchester, Bourn Hall Norwich, Bourn Hall Wickford, Manchester Fertility)

Kamal Ahuja

Nick Macklon

(on behalf of LWC London, LWC Darlington, LWC Kent, LWC London Bridge, LWC Wales)

Amin Gorgy

(on behalf of Fertility & Gynaecology Academy)

Enda McVeigh

(University of Oxford / OXRM)

Luciano Nardo

Karen Schnauffer

(on behalf of Reproductive Health Group)

Patient information

The safety of patients and clinic staff remains a priority for OXRM. We therefore wish to reassure all our patients that we have been working hard to create a safe environment for our patients and staff during the Covid-19 pandemic with all the necessary precautions including PPE.

This means we will be using a mixture of virtual and traditional consultation sessions, ensuring that attendance at our clinics is only where necessary, such as for tests, scans and procedures that cannot be done remotely.

Consultations and discussion where possible will still be completed remotely by our medical team using telephone or a secure video conferencing facility.

We would like to thank all of our patients for their support and understanding during this difficult time. 

Further details will follow, please also see the link-  https://www.hfea.gov.uk/treatments/covid-19-and-fertility-treatment/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-patients/