Trust chief 'should resign' over IVF policy (From Oxford Mail)

Trust chief 'should resign' over IVF policy

6:56pm Wednesday 13th May 2009

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CAMPAIGNERS who claim distribution of NHS fertility treatment is discriminatory last night called for the resignation of Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust chief executive Andrea Young .

Richard Mackenzie, from Witney, is leading a group which said the trust unfairly penalises couples who were deemed too young or too old for IVF treatment.

Mr Mackenzie, 29, and his 26-year-old partner have been trying for a baby for six years and have been told IVF is their only chance of conceiving.

But the trust said it would only pay for treatment – which costs an average of £3,000 per cycle – for couples aged bet-ween 35 and 38.

Guidance issued by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in 2004 stated free treatment should be given to women aged from 23 to 39.

Following a meeting with Ms Young yesterday, Mr Mackenzie said: “We have had a relatively constructive meeting, but I still feel we have been discriminated against, and as an Oxfordshire taxpayer I would like to call for the resignation of the person responsible.

“It is clear and obvious they want to hide behind an accountant’s decision. She (Ms Young) was unable to give us any clear indication of what she is doing on a national level to change the budget locally.

“This sends a clear message to them and to the Government that we are not mucking about here, we are not going away – change, or put up with the consequences.”

A meeting of the Oxfordshire joint health overview and scrutiny committee was set to take place in Oxford Town Hall today, where campaigners are expected to criticise the trust’s handling of the issue.

They said other trusts funded IVF for a wider age group, including Coventry, which funds the treatment for those aged from 23 to 40, and Swindon, which does so for those aged from 30 to 39.

Mr Mackenzie said: “The PCT should be ashamed of themselves, Andrea Young should be ashamed of herself for running an organisation which can churn out such discriminatory policies and I think the people of Oxfordshire will stand up against it.

“The call for resignation is two fold. We want to send a message showing how serious we are, and it would be great to get somebody more pro-active who could take over and fight tooth and nail to make this discrimination come to an end.”

A statement from the PCT said: “All nine PCTs across the NHS south central region have confirmed they would like the same policy in place across the region.

“A report on the proposed policy changes and their likely impact is being presented to the Oxfordshire health and overview scrutiny committee today.

“After all the health overview and scrutiny committees covering the south central region have met, a final decision will be taken on the policy which will be implemented and this would then need to go to all nine PCT boards.”

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