NHS IVF waiting times Kent

[Hannahtwy]

Hi all, we're currently undergoing fertility tests and have our 2nd appointment with fertility consultant to discuss next steps soon. Having already had 1 unsuccessful IVF round privately, we're keen to try again with NHS funding. Can anyone help me understand the process from this point on and advise on current wait times from this point to treatment? Thank you for your help!

Hi! Just stumbled across your thread and wanted to comment. I can’t help with next steps I’m afraid but just wanted to say that we’ve just had our referral letter through the door and it’s in November!! We are in Kent so also keen to found out wait times etc! How did you first appointment go? Really not sure what to expect! X

Hey! Thanks for your message. We've actually learnt a lot since my post so hopefully I can help at bit. So we had our first appt with Miss Goumenou on 11th May which was just a quick 15 min phone call. I came away from it not feeling great if I'm honest so just be prepared for a quick run down of your history, etc. She then sent us for all the scans, blood tests, sperm analysis, etc. to gather all the info. We then had 2nd appt on 14th July which was much much better. Went over all the results and she's going to apply for IVF funding now. So I had to have one more blood test and she's going to apply once those results are in (2 weeks). She then said funding approval takes 5 weeks currently and then there's no waiting list for the clinic. So all being well we should be ready for 1st round in October time. So May - Oct, much quicker than I had expected. Hope that helps!

Hey!
I am here to ask the same thing about wait times. We had our funding approved through Kent on Friday (took 6 weeks exactly to get a phone call). And we were offered an initial appointment at Guys hospital for 15th august so super super quick. Wondering if this will be a foreshadow of a quick wait time to start treatment? Did your consultant tell you there was no wait time? :) I have no idea what to expect.

Hey!
I am here to ask the same thing about wait times. We had our funding approved through Kent on Friday (took 6 weeks exactly to get a phone call). And we were offered an initial appointment at Guys hospital for 15th august so super super quick. Wondering if this will be a foreshadow of a quick wait time to start treatment? Did your consultant tell you there was no wait time? :) I have no idea what to expect.

I don't think you're eligible to have NHS treatment since you have already done 1 round privately? At least that's what NHS website says.

Hey! Oh wow that's really quick! I hope it all goes well for you. Yes, our clinic will be Tunbridge Wells CARE and she said once you've got funding approved you're straight in. You go for initial consultations, do all the forms, etc. And then presumably start on your next cycle. Hopefully not a long wait for you :)

We get 4 rounds on the NHS (2 fresh, 2 frozen) and keep all of those even if you've had 1 round privately. If you have 2 rounds privately it goes down to 2 rounds on NHS (1 fresh, 1 frozen)

Ah amazing thank you. Fingers crossed for us next week then that there isn’t a huge wait time. I think I’d geared myself up for a long wait so anything shorter will be a nice surprise. Best of luck for your process :)

Thank you so much, you too!

Hey, I know you wrote this a couple of months ago now but I was wondering what your timeline was once you got to CARE Tunbridge Wells? I’m also being referred there, my funding was agreed a couple weeks ago and the paperwork should have been sent over this week. Im hoping to understand how long it took to get the consultation, how many consultations and what they consist of and how long it all took before actually starting treatment? I’d really appreciate anything you can share x

Hey! Congratulations on getting your funding approved! I'm really sorry but I can't be much help, I fell pregnant naturally last month and so am currently paused in the process pending the all clear. I wish you all the best though, my brother had IVF at CARE Tunbridge Wells and said they were amazing. All the best x

That’s amazing news, congratulations! I hope everything goes well and thank you for responding. I have heard very good things about the clinic. Wishing you all the best x

Hey, stumbled across this thread and hoping someone can help me. We have been trying to get referred for IVF since March this year and finding it such a long process. We are in Kent and have been told we will need it. I've been referred for another ultrasound (which I had to chase up to get booked in) after which we will need to speak with the consultant again to review scan and AMH so I can officially be referred, but apparently I wont be able to speak to the consultant until at least the New Year for the follow up appointment, even though my scan in in a coulple of weeks. Is this a normal timeframe? We feel like we have been waiting so long just for the referral and we are finding it quite tough. Any advice would be amazing. Thanks!

@Nova5 can't help you in relation to timeliness, I am also waiting for my gp to refer me to fertility. They referred me to wrong person originally, so I waited a year to have to start again! Have you considered doing one round privately as it doesn't affect your nhs entitlement in kent?

@missmoosh oh how frustrating for you! We did consider it, but it's not financially ideal for us at all. That being said, given the timings we might need to look again. How does it work with the NHS? Do you have to go back to the bottom of the waitlist if it doesn't work?

@Nova5 so as far as I am aware, your nhs referral just ticks along in the background and as soon as you reach top of list you can go for it, once all funding is approved. (I think if you go private and have frozen any then any frozen ones have to be used before you can actually start nhs). Other than that it shouldn't mean you wait any longer.

I am using Kind IVF in Canterbury to do one private round. They have a place in Tunbridge Wells too. If you meet the criteria it is £2750. Which I thought was very reasonable. Due to start my first round when my period arrives in couple of weeks, so can't say about how they are yet during cycle. Don't know if that's something in your budget?

Hi @missmoosh! We are also thinking of doing a private round of ivf with kind in Canterbury whilst we wait for everything to go through with the NHS so would absolutely LOVE to know how you get on! How have you found dealing with them so far? Sending you so much love and well wishes for when you start!

@Seasidegirll of course! So far they have been great, really quick as well! We had a semen analysis on nhs which they accepted, so only paid £300 for my tests. Which I had on the 26th November (less than a week after contacting them). Then consultation with dr Rimington on 30th, in which he confirmed we were eligible and went through everything. 2nd November we both had to go for blood tests and to speak with nurse to discuss the round and taking meds. Consent forms all done online, meds arriving today. And now we wait for my period! (Only just got a positive opk, but I was supposed to be due on next week, and they were happy for me to be ready to go then)!

Hey @missmoosh! How are you getting on? Hope all is going well for you so far. We had our first appointment with the consultant 2 weeks ago at Canterbury hospital, the consultant was lovely and seems to think that the wait for ivf won’t be too long!! We were dead sat on doing a private round whist we wait for everything to go through but we are not so sure what to do now!

@Seasidegirll hey! I totally forgot to update! I got a positive test on Friday last week! About 4/5 days before we were due to start treatment! 15DPO today and got a lovely strong line. So praying for a sticky bean!
So pleased your consultation went well! Amazing about there not being a long wait. I had read somewhere that atm in Kent there is no wait list once funding is approved. So that may still be the case!

Have a pic of my line progression, as I'm a lunatic and can't stop testing and have nowhere else to put it 😅 (tests are from 10DPO, 11DPO, 13 Dpo and 15DPO)

@missmoosh oh my goodness!! That’s amazing news, congratulations!! Your line progression is looking sooo good, you even got a dye stealer!! Fingers crossed for a lovely sticky bean 🤞🏻 xx

@Seasidegirll Thank you!!! I really hope you don't have to wait to long! Do let me know how it goes!

Hey! Just wondering how everyone is getting on? We have our next meeting with our consultant in two weeks and she’s going to apply for our funding. I don’t know how it works with clinics, do we have to pick one? I think Care in Tunbridge wells might be our closes one. Just wondering what happens next! Thanks x

Hey! Good luck for the funding! Ours is Kent Medway care board I think and we were referred to Guys in London. It took 6 weeks for our funding to come through and then 2 weeks to initial appointment in London which we had mid August. We had genetic blood tests at Guys hospital due to male factor which took 10 weeks for results (!!!! Worst 10 weeks of my life). Once they came back we started in November which resulted in 2 embryos that made it to the freezer which we will be doing a transfer in March with. I had to wait for a transfer due to how my body reacted to the medication. I’d say ours has taken longer due to various factors but I reckon it should be about 3 months start to egg collection including funding decision taking 6 weeks 🙂. Hope that’s helpful x

Just seen this! Congratulations x