WOMEN in Warrington will be denied certain free fertility treatments after the NHS decided to suspend funding for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) saving around £380,160 per year.

Following a review, NHS Warrington’s board made the choice to stop paying for IVF treatment, a procedure where egg cells are fertilised outside the womb, with the matter to be looked at again in July 2011.

NHS Warrington is the only north west PCT, of which there are 24, to cut this type of funding.

In 2009/10 88 IVF cycles were carried out in Warrington on around 60 couples at a cost of approximately £4,320 per cycle. This was a slight drop on the previous year’s figure of 96 cycles.

Nationally there is a 26 per cent success rate among women aged 35 to 37, which drops to 17 per cent for those aged 38 to 39, costing from £16,000 to £20,000 to bring a baby into the world through IVF.

Dr Andrew Davies, chairman of NHS Warrington’s clinical leadership team, said: “While the panel recognised that infertility is a condition which causes great distress to the couples concerned, it does not affect general physical health or life expectancy and as such did not fulfil our health priorities.”

The PCT, which used to pay for up to two cycles per person, will still consider applications from GPs for exceptional treatment approval where there is a clinical need.

Patients who have already had one cycle will proceed to two and women already listed to start treatment will receive just one cycle.

Women will continue to receive treatments for infertility with the sole exception of IVF, such as hormonal treatment and help with ovulatory cycles.

NHS Warrington is currently carrying out a review on a number of services to assess whether they match ‘agreed health priorities’ and are offering the best possible value for money and use of resources.

Among the first individual services to be assessed were those that were expensive and involved a low number of people.

Dr Davies added: “This decision was not taken lightly. However, the PCT must focus on the health of the people of Warrington and on the need to maintain financial stability which providing high quality local healthcare.”

The decision was endorsed by the Warrington Clinical Cabinet, a team consisting of nurses, doctors and a dentist, who provide the PCT with clinical advice. Partners such as Warrington Borough Council were also involved in the process.