There are two types of funding available to you: either NHS funding or from your own pocket (self funding).
NHS-funded treatment
The Primary Care Trust (PCT) where your GP is based is responsible for your NHS healthcare. Each PCT receives limited funds from central government, which means that each PCT has to set its own priorities.
Some PCTs do fund IVF, but usually to a limited extent. Others do not fund IVF at all. The PCTs set their own criteria for treatment to which the assisted conception unit at St Helier Hospital must adhere. If you live within the Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth area and are registered with a GP, you may be eligible for NHS-funded treatment, provided you meet their eligibility criteria. Sadly there is currently a significant waiting list for NHS treatment.
Self-funded treatment
You may wish to fund your own treatment if your PCT does not fund IVF, or you do not wish to wait for funding, or you are not eligible for NHS funding.
We describe the treatment as "self-funded" rather than "private" because the treatment is exactly the same as for patients funded by the NHS. The charges we make are non-profit-making, i.e. they are at cost price. All income from self-funded patients is put back into the IVF programme.
Cost of the treatment
Details about costs can be found in this document.
