Anyone else waiting on Homerton Fertility to open?

[NewnameNelly]

New referral to Homerton Hosp for fertility and the hospital is still not taking new patients, I've been told to call back in September. I am so exasperated, we've been waiting 6 months now. Is anyone in the same boat?

Yes this is the nurses e-mail:
[email protected]

🤞

Thank you so much. I appreciate you taking time to reply. It's really nice to share useful info with other ladies here that are having such a stressful time.

Hey @Peap0d
Just wondering if you have had any luck in moving down the waiting list since your last post about calling each month to check it was a yes or no to starting treatment? I've just started now and I've been told its up two week wait? I'm getting so frustrated..... X

Hello all. Loosely following this thread as we are due to start our first round in aug this year and it’s concerning to hear about all your frustrations. Really sorry that you’re all experiencing delays and poor communication from the clinic too.
Can’t help to worry these delays will have a knock on effect for later start dates this year. Anyone else in a similar boat?

Hey
Yes I think sadly its a knock on effect from delays from. Covid shut down. We had our first appt and our baseline investigations in june 2021 and were told start date of now but sadly its been pushed again... What appts have you had just one for base line exams and nothing further. I think the frustration and upset is mainly not being able to have clarity on exact time frame and being able to speak to someone on the phone about it. Im sorry you are feeling anxious too x

Gosh how frustrating. When I get through to them next I will ask what the knock on effect will be. I haven’t attended one of their first Tuesday zooms so I will go to the next one and ask directly then too. We had our initial in Dec 2021. We were also offered self funded round of IUI but I think we’re not going to bother given the success rates.

Might be worth contacting PALS to get advice too
www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/hospitals/what-is-pals-patient-advice-and-liaison-service/

Hey yes I think it's good idea to try get a approx honest time line. Can I ask what the first Tuesday zoom is. We haven't ever had one of those? We have had two doc consultants and one nurse to date. I hope you get answers you need too x

www.homerton.nhs.uk/fertility-webinars

Next one is 8th March at 5.30pm.

They have a blanket announcement on their website now about delays they are experiencing and that the medical team will be in touch if this effects you…

Just got my first appointment through with Homerton after being referred by the fertility clinic where we had all our tests.
Our appointment will be at the end of May so 4 months after the referral and then once we’re added to the waitlist I know it’s likely to be 2023 before we’re able to even begin our first cycle. Hearing how everyone keeps getting put off for weeks on end and having very little communication from the hospital is so disheartening.

Hi all, we just had a follow up appointment at Homerton following failed fresh cycle and I was very disappointed that they are only able to do my Frozen Cycle in June because they have staff issues at Homerton. She said they don’t have anyone to from the laboratory where they prepare the embryos and hence she can’t do my cycle before June. She offered the option to transfer the embryo to a private clinic and have it put back there :( this is ridiculous, whatever service I need from Homerton be fresh or frozen, they delay it with few months due to lack of people. As I am paying anyway for the frozen cycle, I will move it to another clinic to put it for me. It is so sad, I was so frustrated to hear this. Hope it helps you with up to date information from the last half an hour :( I am still crying 😢

And what is more frustrating is that last time I spoke to them in December, they said there is no wait time for frozen cycle, they can do it straight away and our provisional agreement was that we will do it in March. In December she asked me to my thrombophillia blood tests 6 weeks apart and here we are in Feb she is telling me the frozen cycle will be in June due to staff issue :( you can’t really make plans with this clinic… I started in April 2020 and here we are 2 years later with no success. This time was critical for me due to age. If I only knew this clinic will waste my time, I would have gone somewhere else.

Thank you for sharing.
I’m so sorry they’re not able to do it sooner. It’s quite shocking especially if you’re paying for it anyway. So stressful that you have to arrange to get it done at another clinic.
I hope you have more success with this next cycle x

I’m so sorry to hear this for you. It’s beyond frustrating and must be so upsetting. Wishing you all the best with the transfer at a new clinic xxx

@Caro84x

Hey *@Peap0d* Just wondering if you have had any luck in moving down the waiting list since your last post about calling each month to check it was a yes or no to starting treatment? I've just started now and I've been told its up two week wait? I'm getting so frustrated..... X

Sorry I have been trying to keep my mind off IVF (well I suppose Homerton really) for the last month or so, so haven't checked in to this forum. There's been no change for me. I think I said I sent an email to PALs who got the consultant to contact me. But because I was working they spoke to my husband who is very good at communication (unlike me 🥹) and he has been told exactly the things that everyone else is saying - email every month to the nurse specific email asking for an update , but will definitely not start any IVF treatment until June 2022. She couldn't say whether the wait would be 6 months or more other than it definitely wouldn't be within the next 3 months and wouldn't be as long as 12 months. But honestly this whole uncertainty doesn't give me any faith in anything they say. Again the excuses are covid and staff issues. They are looking at outsourcing their services to private clinics but I haven't heard about that. My husband and I have come up with a contingency plan between us because this whole procedure is causing us a lot of undue stress , beyond what you would imagine with IVF normally without all the dishonesty, lack of communication etc. We are going to wait until End of May, if haven't heard any update from Homerton then we will go privately. And I have picked the ABC IVF clinic in London to go with (cost reasons mostly). I'm so sad to hear so many other couples/people going through the same experiences as me and just wish there was more transparency and onus on their behalf.

Hi everyone. I'm so sorry also that noone has moved forward on any of their journeys in a positive way it's truly devastating. It's starting to affect my relationship with my partner too with all the stress and uncertainty. I can't understand why the delays are so severe or at least if they can be honest with you of an actual start date... Similarly its looking like private maybe the only backup... 😞

I'm so sorry too that this is happening for some of you. I will definitely be going to the online zoom on 8th March and will be directly asking about knock on effect of the current delays. I have August as a start date in my mind, and I am mentally working towards this. If it's not possible to start in August, I think we will have to consider starting with a private clinic around the same time instead. Wishing everyone the best of luck with it all, and it would be great if we can keen updating one another xxx

Absolutely. We haven't been told about those zooms. So not even sure if they have just invited new patients to this or just haven't been told..... We can all appreciate we are lucky enough to be able to access free treatment but to not be honest truly about time line is unacceptable. They are playing with people's lives and chances of having a family. Surely there need to be some empathy here for the human side. I've just emailed for an update today and haven't had any reply back our last response was basically we just have to wait or just don't have treatment 😔

I emailed the admin email today to ask if my start date (Aug) will be effected and this was the response:
"We have got severe delays with treatment at the moment so it may have an effect on your treatment in Aug/Sept. I am really sorry".

That was it!

Hi all, I too am on the waiting list at the Homerton (had initial consultation there Sept 21) due to start this June 22. I saw the notice on their website about delays and read your messages last night. I emailed the Homerton (because they don’t answer the phone!) and they replied with the following
**
“ Good Afternoon,
Thank you for your email.
We are sorry to inform you that due to extenuating circumstances currently being experienced within our clinic, unfortunately your IVF treatment will be delayed. We are in the process of working out the timeline of how long the delay is likely to be and will be in contact with you in due course.
Please accept our apologises once again.
We do offer a counselling service, if you wanted to make an appointment then please let us know.”

So not much information, but hopefully more will come soon. As if this wasn’t all stressful enough!
X

Hi I received this exact word for word email on Thursday too. That shows that they aren't even reviewing emails on case by case basis but simply copy and paste it to everyone. I was due to start this month and got that email so I have no hope that I'll be seem in next few months had initial appt back in May 2021.

I received the same wording too, and only after I emailed the nurse email address. Not good enough really to not email themselves this news. Thinking of you all, it’s all so disappointing.

Hey everyone I am in the same situation. I was supposed to start now but they situation has escalated and all the treatments are going to be delayed. My partner spoke to the nurse and she said I won't be able to start before 6 months if I am lucky. I am going private cause I am been waiting for 9 months to get my NHS cycle and don't want to keep waiting at this stage. If you can look for other option at this point. Obvs not ideal because it costs money but the Homerton is in no position to treat patients at this stage.

Interesting that they are looking to outsource to private clinics. they didn't mentioned this to us. But even that might take months before it happens.

Oh wow that’s so helpful that your partner actually got some kind of time frame - 6 months delay!! I can only imagine it’ll be longer too. Yes definitely considering other options now

Hello,

I am so sorry to hear everyone's experiencing the same. We are devastated about the delays and even more the lack of communication and honest clear answers. I am wondering since it is so many of us,should we find a way to make our voices heard? Escalate as a group instead of individually?

Yes we could but if they don't have embryologist and nurses there isn't much they can do right? I'd love if they could transfer funds to private clinics but also which clinic? If it was create for example I would not go there.