Tories unveil £5m plan to wipe out IVF postcode lottery

Published on Sunday 3 April 2011 19:04

PLANS to set up a £5 million fund to put infertility treatment "at the heart of the NHS" will be unveiled today as one of the top priorities in the Scottish Conservatives' manifesto.

The Tories, who on current polling could hold the balance of power after the election on 5 May, have told The Scotsman that they hope to use their influence to end the "patchy" service for couples seeking IVF treatment north of the Border.

The proposal is part of a "family friendly" package that will be formally revealed today at the Glasgow Science Centre - including a further 20m to provide health visitor support for parents until their children reach five.

The party plans to add flexibility to the 12.5 hours per week nursery entitlement and extend it to two-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds, starting with the most vulnerable.

It appears to be a direct pitch to middle-class voters who returned to the Tories in England in last year's Westminster election, but failed to back the party significantly in Scotland.

However, the Tories propose to help pay for these services by reintroducing prescription charges for those not on benefits, which would put 40m back into the NHS. These were abolished by the SNP during the last parliament.

The most eyecatching of the policies will be a fund to increase access for IVF treatment, which the Tories believe has been left at the fringe of the NHS.

With many couples planning families later in life, it is thought that about one in six couples north of the Border now have problems conceiving. A report by an expert panel in 2005 for the Scottish Executive criticised the patchy service across Scotland, but despite this access has not improved.

In 2010 a freedom of information request revealed that since 2007, 78 per cent of NHS Lothian patients and 43 per cent of Tayside patients were funding the treatment themselves.

A survey last year by support group Infertility Network Scotland found that the waiting time for NHS patients in Lothian was three years - but just eight months for self-funded patients.

The best NHS area for treatment was Lanarkshire, where patients wait just six months.

However, the service in Scotland is better than in much of England, where many health boards offer fewer cycles of treatment.

Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie said the service still needs improving. She said: "IVF may be the only source of hope to many couples wanting to start a family.

"It has to be at the heart of our NHS and the Scottish Conservatives want to be sure that all couples, regardless of where they live, have access to that care and advice."

She added: "I am also proud to make a Conservative commitment to giving much greater access to every young child and to parents with our expanded health visitor policy. These measures are all part of a manifesto for Scotland which is optimistic about Scotland's future, concentrates on creating jobs and growing the economy, but recognises the pivotal role of families in our society."

While they are not talking about entering a coalition with another party, the Tories hope to replicate their tactics in the previous parliament, in which the delicate balance meant they were able to use their votes to bring in changes to the Budget. This included 1,000 extra police offices, a town centre regeneration fund and a reduction in business rates.

The IVF fund and health visitors plans, for which the party failed to secure backing in the last parliament, are now among its key aims for the next administration.

The Tories also claim that their manifesto - entitled Common Sense for Scotland - will help create new jobs and promote enterprise.

The manifesto will include measures to create a Scottish business start-up fund which will support access to enterprise education and vocational training and provide grants and loans to help create new businesses.

How long you'll wait

ACCORDING to a survey published last year by the Infertility Network Scotland the waiting times for couples trying to get IVF treatment on the NHS is "a postcode lottery".

In the Lothians, couples wait three years - but those willing or able to pay can expect to wait just eight months. In Fife the wait is two years, in Greater Glasgow and Clyde it is 22 months and in Dumfries and Galloway it is between 15 months and two years.

The next longest wait is in the Forth Valley health board region - 14 to 18 months - followed by Grampian at 12 to 18 months and Ayrshire and Arran, where couples have to wait for an average of 16 months. In North Highland, couples have a 12 to 15 month wait and those in Tayside a year.

In Lanarkshire, couples have to wait only six months.