Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the performance of NHS-commissioned fertility clinics.

The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues between the Department and NHS England to better understand NHS-funded fertility services and the effectiveness of these services.

All fertility clinics offering licensed fertility treatment are regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and must comply with related legislation and guidance. All licensed clinics must be physically inspected every two years to assess their compliance with the law and guidance and inspections ensure the clinic’s services are up to standard. The success rates of HFEA-licensed clinics are published by the HFEA.

Following each inspection, a report identifying both areas of good practice and those that require improvement is presented to a separate licensing committee, to review and make a final decision. The report and committee decision is then published on the HFEA website, on the clinic’s individual Choose a Fertility Clinic webpage, available at the following link:

https://www.hfea.gov.uk/choose-a-clinic/clinic-search/

The HFEA publishes an annual snapshot of regulatory work for the year. The most recent report is available at the following link:

https://www.hfea.gov.uk/about-us/publications/research-and-data/state-of-the-fertility-sector-2023-2024/