HFEA statement: Homerton Fertility Centre

Peter Thompson, Chief Executive of the HFEA, said: “The HFEA’s Licence Committee is satisfied that the Homerton Fertility Centre can resume treating patients from 8 August, providing HFEA inspectors are assured that the clinic has accepted and acted on all the actions identified by the independent investigation commissioned by the Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

“The clinic has introduced new ways of working as a result of the investigation. The HFEA’s Licence Committee has agreed that a limited number of cycles can be undertaken to allow these new ways of working to ‘bed in’ and ensure staff feel supported.

“The clinic will, therefore, have a phased return to providing treatment. The clinic remains under a heightened degree of regulatory oversight and the HFEA will closely monitor it, including an unannounced inspection within the next six months.

“Incidents in fertility clinics in the UK are rare, but each one is distressing for those patients involved. The HFEA ensures incidents are thoroughly investigated in clinics to make sure that everything is done to understand what went wrong and, crucially, to take steps to ensure it does not happen again.”

Ends

Notes to editors

• The Licence Committee’s minutes are available to read here.
• The independent investigation was commissioned by the Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust into the incidents which led to the HFEA suspending the licence.