Hi everyone, I was horrified to see all that you’re all going through and thought I would chime in with my experience.
We were given December 21 as our cycle start date, so worked towards that date for months and months. Several bad experiences later - misdiagnosis, lost blood tests etc, we headed to our nurse app in November.
She pretty much laughed us out the building and told us they were oversubscribed and we were not a priority. She also said ‘you’ve got nothing to lose here, if you don’t leave with a baby it’s ok because you didn’t come in with one.’
Regardless of this, I thought it best to email on day one of my December period. After no answer I did raise the issue with the PALS service.
In January we spent a thousand pounds having private consultations + investigations as we couldn’t deal with Homerton anymore, and then later that month they rang me out the blue and the nurse told me I was meant to be starting my tablets the next day but ‘it’s ok we’ll skip straight to stims’
On day 7 of my injections I went in for a scan. The doctor told me I would have all embryos frozen but that he needed to inform me that there was currently a ban on the clinic for performing FETS, but ‘not to worry things should be normal by april’
I questioned why this was the case and they told me there was a new lab director who was ‘figuring things out.’ I cannot believe they did not tell me this prior to me starting injections, as I would have not continued had I known.
We had our embryos frozen and waited for an app. I had to chase three times to get an appointment, we got one nearly three months after egg retrieval.
She told us the news that you’ve all had too. That the clinic is suspending all treatment until further notice. She told me the embryologists had left and they were trying to outsource to other NHS hospitals.
We’re now in the position where we have to restart investigations privately and pay to courier our embryos to the new place. We are distraught and heartbroken. Dealing with Homerton has truly been an awful, traumatic experience. I get shivers walking past that building.
I’m self employed and for every pointless appointment in the last couple of years, for every repeat blood test, I’ve had to take a full day off work. I’ve lost thousands in earnings!
Reading the latest HFEA report from Dec 21 it seems they had major concerns over the person who holds the actual license at Homerton hospital. However the excuse I was given was that they didn’t have enough embryologists.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE raise your concerns to Homerton PALS service.
You can also submit a formal complaint to:
[email protected]
If you are in North East London CCG, please write to your local MP and raise concerns. As citizens we should have had a CHOICE of clinic that we were referred to. I never had this and went directly to Homerton. Each CCG should legally have 4 contracts with clinics.
You can also email your CCG, find out what other units are funded by it, approach that other unit and get another GP referral
If anyone needs to talk or rant I’m here. I am honestly shocked by what has happened and how they can just cease from operating like this. I’m sorry that we all have to go through this, but take it from my experience and jump ship now if you’re able to.