Fertility campaigners have warned that a new interim subfertility policy introduced today by NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB) risks deepening existing inequalities in access to fertility treatment and will be devastating for many patients.
Following a public consultation, the ICB has confirmed that from 1 February 2026 eligible patients under the age of 40 will be offered just one NHS-funded IVF cycle. This replaces ten previous local policies across Cheshire and Merseyside, under which patients could access between one and three funded cycles depending on where they lived. Patients aged 40–42 remain eligible for one cycle.
Campaigners estimate the change represents a reduction of more than 70% in local fertility treatment funding, leaving thousands of people across the region with access to care far below national clinical recommendations.
The decision follows similar cuts elsewhere in England, including NHS Greater Manchester, meaning millions of women and families of childbearing age could now receive fertility care that falls short of the standards set out by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Kate Osborne MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Fertility said:
‘This will be devastating news for people who need fertility treatment in Cheshire and Merseyside. It follows other health boards who have taken similar decisions to reduce accessibility to IVF – against the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. This is a backwards step that will devastate so many.
The guidelines are there for a reason, to uphold best practice and it renders them pointless if health boards don’t follow them and there are no repercussions when health boards go against them. Moving further away from the guidelines is illogical and deeply unfair.
There are so many people and families desperate to have children who need IVF and they are being disadvantaged and discriminated against because of these decisions. I will continue to do all I can and work hard via my APPG to improve access and care.’
National clinical guidance from NICE recommends that eligible patients under 40 should be offered up to three NHS-funded IVF cycles, based on evidence showing this significantly improves the chances of a successful outcome and represents best value for the NHS.
The World Health Organization has also highlighted the growing global impact of fertility care gaps. As the WHO Director-General has stated, “Infertility is one of the most overlooked public health challenges of our time and a major equity issue globally.”
Katie Rollings, Founder and CEO of Fertility Action and lead of the national Fertility Access Campaign in Parliament, said:
“This recent announcement will be heart-breaking for so many of the patients we support, and will yet further increase the unfair divide in access to care across Cheshire and Merseyside, and so soon after the announcement in Greater Manchester too. Infertility is recognised by the World Health Organization as a medical condition, yet access to evidence-based treatment continues to depend on where you live and what you can afford.
NICE guidelines recommend three funded IVF cycles because the evidence shows this offers patients the best chance of success. Moving to a single cycle as a default risks pushing more people into paying privately – if they can – while others are left with no realistic options.
With one in six families affected by infertility, this is not a niche issue; it’s a mainstream public health challenge. Cutting provision by more than 70% sends the message that fertility care is optional, when for many it is their only route to having a family.
As a charity, we recognise the financial pressures facing the NHS and appreciate the engagement shown through the consultation process. However, a levelling-down approach that reduces access for patients, despite the evidence presented, is short-sighted and risks widening health inequalities rather than addressing them.
The NHS was founded on the principle of care based on need, not ability to pay. Fertility care should be no exception.”
Although the policy is described as interim ahead of updated NICE guidance expected in March 2026, existing recommendations already support up to three NHS-funded IVF cycles for eligible patients under 40. For patients facing time-limited fertility windows, even temporary reductions in access can have permanent consequences.
Additional changes under the new policy include standardised smoking criteria requiring both partners to be non-smokers, revisions to the definition of childlessness that exclude those who have previously had a live birth or adopted a child from further embryo transfers, and clarification of age eligibility up to a patient’s 43rd birthday.
Fertility Action is urging anyone affected to contact their MP and call on local ICBs to commission fertility services in line with national guidance.
The charity is calling on NHS leaders to work collaboratively with patients, clinicians and charities to ensure fertility services are commissioned equitably, consistently and in line with the best available clinical evidence, so that no-one is denied care simply because they cannot afford to pay.
We (Fertility Action) have created a template for you to write to your MP about this, and join the advocacy work for the Fertility Access Campaign.
