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Ministear airson Siainte PoblachMinister for Public
HealthMicheal Matheson SPA
Michael Matheson MSP
F IT : 08457741741
E: [email protected]
Ms Kezia Dugdale MSPThe Scottish ParliamentEDINBURGH
EH991SP " /
The ScottishGovernmentRiaghaltas na h-Alba
Ur faidhleNour ref:Ar faidhle/Our ref: 2011/1017889
i0October 2011
~ L L e - ?-\.~/Thank you for your letter of 14 September to
Nicola Sturgeon, Cabinet Secretary for Health,
Wellbeing and Cities Strategy, regarding access to NHS funded
infertility treatment. I amresponding as this subject falls within
my Ministerial portfolio.
Firstly, may I explain that, in order to provide some uniformity
to infertility services, national
criteria for access to Level III IVF services were developed by
the Expert Advisory Group on
Infertility Services in Scotland (EAGISS) in 2000, which NHS
Boards were asked toimplement.
Following on from this, a review of infertility services in
Scotland was undertaken, to which
the Government, in early 2007, recommended widening access to
NHS funded infertility
treatment by raising the upper age limit for treatment and
updating information on timingsbetween treatments.
Whilst we do expect NHS Boards to meet current national
infertility guidance, this will be
informed additionally by focal protocols and funding deCIsions.
Our position on the provision
of infertility services for same sex couples is clear in that we
fully expect NHS Boards to
comply with the law. There should be no discrimination on the
grounds of race, faith, gender,identity, sexual orientation or
disability.
Scottish Government Ministers are fully aware that there are a
number of issues concerning
the provision of infertility services in Scotland, including
inequity of access, and this is clearly
not acceptable. That is why, last year, we established the
National Infertility Group, to make
recommendations to Ministers aimed at resolving these concerns
by ensuring
standardisation and equity of access across Scotland.
Infertility experts and the patientstakeholder group Infertility
Network Scotland are core members of the group.
The Group is due to formally report to Ministers by the end of
2012 and recommendations
made by the group will be fully considered at that time.
Taigh Naomh Anndrais, Rathad Regent, Dun Eideann EH1 30G
St Andrew's House, Regent Road. Edinburgh EH1 30G
www.scotland.gov.uk
()INVESTOR IS PHOPLB
mailto:[email protected]://www.scotland.gov.uk/http://www.scotland.gov.uk/mailto:[email protected]
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I hope this response assures you that the Scottish Government is
committed to improving
equity of access to infertility services for all couples,
irrespective of sexual orientation.
Taigh Naomh Anndrais, Rathad Regent, Dun Eideann EHl 3DG
St Andrew's House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG
www.scotland.gov .uk1l'\,\'F~'iTORIS PE,OPl.B
http://www.scotland.gov/http://www.scotland.gov/
