{"href":"http://player.captivate.fm/services/oembed?url=http%3A%2F%2Fplayer.captivate.fm%2Fepisode%2F149bd097-d292-4365-8f99-3c3e1bc79cd9","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Captivate.FM","provider_url":"https://www.captivate.fm","width":600,"height":200,"type":"rich","html":"","title":"So What is the Postcode Lottery?","description":"So what is the Postcode lottery? \r\n\r\n\r\nWell we\u2019ve been talking about it here on the podcast for years ( since we started to be honest ) and if you\u2019d like to hear previous episodes on it here is Susan Seenan the former CEO of Fertility Network in 2015\r\n\r\n\r\nThen we spoke about it in 2017 when Fertility Network launched its Right to Try campaign.\r\n\r\n\r\nSo you can see, this issue has been impacting our access to treatment for a long time. \r\nWhat is going on is that your postcode impacts how many rounds of NHS funded treatment you are eligible, despite the NICE guidelines being that you SHOULD have 3 rounds of IVF treatment Natalie was fortunate to be living in an area where she did have this and had her son Phoenix, with the help of NHS funding.\r\n\r\n\r\nSadly this isn\u2019t the case for a lot of you. \r\n\r\n\r\nOur first guest is Amber Izzo, a fertility patient advocate, blogger, and campaigner, founder of Fight for IVF and Innovation Fertility. We spoke to Amber on 6th July, ahead of her hearing from the CCG in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough who had been reviewing their IVF policy about whether they were going to reinstate funding \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAmber started it due to not having any access to NHS-funded treatment.. when she started there were 6 that didn\u2019t offer any, now there are 3. \r\n\r\n\r\n - Mid Essex\r\n - Bassildon and Brentwood\r\n - Cambridge and Peterborough \r\n\r\n\r\nHave a listen here to a previous episode we shared in 2020, where another listener Laura had success lobbying her CCG\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe issue is that over 80% of CCGs don\u2019t adhere to the NICE Guidelines which is why the Fight for Ivf campaign picked up a lot of momentum. Amber\u2019s local MP\u2019s in Cambridge was on board as he had personal experience )had a cross-party letter to the CCG, which secured a meeting in 2021 to secure the review. She had gained great exposure with media coverage on Sky and BBC and the petition is currently on 30k signatures. You can sign it here \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPeople are being refused to fund because the CCG has put in their own criteria, such as if your partner has a child already. You can appeal this. Amber has asked her GP to put on her notes if he refuses any of the tests she asks for, so there is proof of what she has requested and she can find out more about why they said no. \r\n\r\n\r\nWatch Amber and her husband Marco hearing about the CCG\u2019s decision here.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSo what other options are there for treatment? We spoke with Marta Jansa Perez, Director of Embryology at BPAS Fertility, who are launching their BPAS FERTILITY later in 2021\r\n\r\n\r\nPlease note we do talk about Implantation failure in this episode. \r\n\r\n\r\nMarta joined BPAS as she always felt strongly there was a need to help people and she joined BPAS to help create their not for profit service as they felt there was a gap in the market for people who can\u2019t access NHS funded treatment forced to go private \r\n\r\n\r\nOne campaign BPAS run is called \u2018Stop the Clock\u2019 to makes sure people aren\u2019t missing out on NHS funding treatment as a result of the closures from the pandemic \r\n\r\n\r\nPatient research done by BPAS showed that patients are often feeling rushed into making treatments about treatment, and also feeling very much dropped when treatment doesn\u2019t work. \r\nBPAS is working hard to support both positive and negative outcomes, so patients feel better supported. \r\n\r\n\r\nBPAS also is focused on making sure there is support and inclusion for people from different ethnicities and different sexual orientations and to make sure Men are also feeling considered. \r\n\r\n\r\nBPAS had previously commented how \u201cIn England, we already have an injurious postcode lottery system whereby certain patients are denied IVF purely because of where they live.\r\n\r\n\r\nDuring their research, BPAS had conversations with Men about how they would feel and discussed how Men might be more likely to talk to male counselors which there aren\u2019t many within the clinic setting.\r\n\r\n\r\nBPAS Fertility Service wi...","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/da150db0-4a24-4565-96d4-61f34d0968e4/cover-image-krer88sj-thefertpod.png"}