§ Mr. CoakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the operation of his guidelines to local health authorities on the availability of infertility treatment; and if he will make a statement. [135489]
§ Yvette CooperThe Department has not issued any guidelines to health authorities on the provision of infertility treatment.
However, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has published three sets of comprehensive clinical guidelines for the management of infertility in primary, secondary and tertiary care. These guidelines have been distributed to Royal College's members working in the field.
We share concerns that have been expressed about the unacceptable variations in the level of NHS funded infertility services across the country. We are examining ways to tackle this problem.
We also propose shortly to publish a report on the results of a survey the Department undertook last year into health authorities' provision of infertility services.