IVF treatment being denied to couples in North Staffordshire

Ayshea Turner and Jason Watkins are striving to conceive but cannot afford to pay for IVF themselves

CHILDLESS couples seeking fertility treatment in North Staffordshire are being denied the chance to conceive – unless they are prepared to fork out for IVF themselves.

North Staffordshire Primary Care Trust suspended funding for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in April last year and is one of only three PCTs in the country not to provide fertility treatment.

The trust, which delivers healthcare in Newcastle and the Staffordshire Moorlands, said the decision was made due to financial problems and putting treatment for conditions such as cancer higher on the list of priorities.

But couples affected by the decision have called it an "injustice" as people in neighbouring Stoke-on-Trent can have one free treatment.

Ayshea Turner and Jason Watkins, pictured, are striving to conceive while Alison and Paul Moore, left, chose to fund IVF themselves after their request for help on the NHS was turned down.

Former Stoke-on-Trent City Council worker Miss Turner cannot conceive naturally as she suffers from endometriosis and blocked fallopian tubes.

The 23-year-old of Mansfield Close, Clayton, said: "Jason and I are desperate to have children.

"It is not fair that if I lived a few miles down the road, I would have more of a chance of starting a family."

The Moores – who are expecting their first child in February – paid £4,000 for private treatment at a clinic in Nottingham.

Alison and Paul Moore chose to fund IVF personally after their request for help was turned down

The couple have been given no medical reason for why they are unable to conceive naturally, but the IVF treatment was successful on its first attempt.

Mrs Moore, of Greenways, Bignall End, said: "We've had to re-mortgage the house and get ourselves into quite a lot of debt just because of where we live."

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends women aged between 23 and 39 receive three free cycles of fertility treatment on the NHS.

Government guidance states PCTs should provide a minimum of one free cycle, with a view to increasing this to three.

MP Paul Farrelly has launched a campaign to persuade the PCT to change its policy after being approached by several couples.

He said: "For many of them, the PCT's blanket refusal is a heartbreaking setback to their hopes of starting a family."

A spokesman for North Staffordshire PCT said the health authority was reviewing its funding policy for 2008/2009.

He added: "Now that the trust has returned to financial health, we are considering which services should be prioritised and fertility services are one that we are looking at."