NHS Funding Address Change Question

[MF1981]

Hi ladies

I'm just looking for a bit of help on this one. I can't get NHS funding where I live due to their age cut off being 39 (I turned 39 on the day lockdown was announced). So we were considering moving temporarily to try and get a free cycle - a friend of ours has an empty house that is in a different CCG but under the same clinic as us now. My question is, if you have already been referred and are waiting to start treatment but haven't actually paid anything yet, can you just change address with the clinic without having to change GP and they claim for funding, or would you have to register with a GP and be re-referred? If anyone has done anything similar or knows anyone who has I'd be very grateful for any info. Thanks!

Hi! I'm sorry you got caught up in the ivf postcode lottery- it's so unfair. 1.5 years ago I was in the same position. My CCG funded until 35 and I had just turned 35 when after years and years my GP finally took me serious. 20 miles down the road- in either direction- I would have qualified until 42. We were renting so we moved much nearer to the clinic we were referred to and where we were having initial investigations. The clinic had already looked at our funding status for our old address and told us it was hopeless but we had lots of investigations for male factor so when it actually came to the ivf the clinic officially applied with our new address and new GP. This worked and we received 2 rounds funded. But since I have read lots of stories where it didn't work for people- where they had to be re-referred by their new GP or the CCG had a rule in place that you had to live in the area for more than 2 years. For us moving was expensive and even though we really wanted to move from our old house anyways- it would have been really bad if we had moved and things hadn't worked out. The two funded rounds didn't work for us and we are now paying for a third through credit cards and personal loans. It really is a cruel system especially when the official NICE guideline is 3 rounds until 42. Good luck. I really hope it works out for you x

CCG funding is based on your GP not where you live so once you've moved you would need to change GP to within the new CCG boundary too. I think however, that you would need to be re-referred to the clinic by the new GP as that's where the funding request to the CCG comes from - but your clinic should be able to advise you on that part

Thanks guys that's really helpful info. I'll have to wait and see what the appeal brings but I'm not hopeful to be honest.