HFEA statement: Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Assisted Conception Unit

Peter Thompson, Chief Executive of the HFEA, said: “The HFEA’s Licence Committee is satisfied that Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Assisted Conception Unit has thoroughly investigated an incident following a manufacturing issue with bottles of a solution used to freeze eggs and embryos.

“The Trust appointed an independent investigator who made recommendations – all of which have been accepted by the Trust - and has put in measures for improvement.

“Incidents in fertility clinics in the UK are rare, but each one is distressing for those patients involved, which is why we take them very seriously. The HFEA investigates what clinics do in response to incidents to make sure that everything is done to understand what went wrong and, crucially, to take steps to ensure it does not happen again.

“The clinic will remain under enhanced regulatory oversight and the HFEA will conduct a full inspection later this year, focusing on ensuring the actions set out by the clinic are working as planned.”

Ends

Notes to editors

• The Licence Committee’s minutes are available to read here.