Anyone transferred from NHS to private due to lockdown?

[orchid10]

Hey all, just wondering if anyone has gone privately recently for IVF from the NHS? We were on waiting list to start IVF in January on the NHS but it has obviously been postponed for the foreseeable so wondering whether to go private, whether they will accept all the tests we have had done already and if there will be a long wait? Thanks.

@orchid10 usually private clinics will want to do an initially consultation with a specialist, with the results of tests available. If you can get print offs from the NHS and they are recent enough then I don’t see why you would need to have them done again. I managed to get my baseline bloods done through my Gp including my AMH, a chlamydia screen and the HIV/Hep B blood tests. I also got my husbands sperm test done through the GP. We got print offs and gave it all to the clinic, I then paid the clinic for his HIV/Hep B test and my ultrasound scan.

My clinic doesn’t have a waiting list. If you have the finances to go private then I would say go for it. Everything happened fast after our initial consultation, it takes the extra delays out of the equation, I bet you just want to get on with things.

Not me personally but I've know people do it - obviously need to be mindful that you will have any private rounds deducted from your NHS ones. So if you were only entitled to 1 round on the NHS you'd lose all your funding by going private

It may be better to look into transferring your funding from an NHS hospital fertility clinic to a private clinic which accepts NHS funding - that way you can still use your NHS entitlement but take advantage of the shorter wait times

Hi, I can't offer answers as I have 1 last blood test to complete our fertility investigations on Monday. But my DP and I have been having a similar conversation. We'll wait to see what our consultant says in our follow up appointment but I am really wanting to get started. Have you had a look at any private clinics?

Thanks for all your responses! I am a bit concerned about going privately then impacting on our nhs treatment. We are fortunate enough to be entitled to 3 rounds on the nhs but wondered if we do one privately if that then may restart our NHS wait again! @Cat028 I’ve browsed a bit online (we are in London) but it’s so hard to decide. @ivfbeenbusy how does it work transferring the funding? I didn’t know we could do that, might be worth me looking into.

@orchid10

How far along in the process are you? Normally at some point you nominate which clinic you want to use? I'd perhaps have a look at private clinics who accept NHS patients in your area and speak to them directly and they might be able to advise on the process? The people I know who did it transferred from Birmingham Women's to Create and went from 6 months wait time to a couple of weeks in the last lockdown

At my clinic they don’t deduct private rounds from your NHS rounds so it’s worth asking your NHS clinic.

@kikisparks

I would imagine that is done on the quiet as it's not up to the clinic to make that decision as it's pretty standard NHS policy at every trust to deduct private rounds from NHS ones. It's in the clinics interests to lie as they'll get paid from you for the private cycles and also the full funding from the NHS for those cycles......it's fraud really.....

I think my ccg is the same as yours @kikisparks and it's stated in their policy. Probably because they know they are being stingy only offering one cycle anyway!

@ivfbeenbusy might be because I’m in Scotland, NHS Scotland may have a different policy.