Lobby calls for end to IVF 'postcode lottery'

A woman from West Sussex is leading a lobby outside parliament calling for the end of what she describes as a postcode lottery for NHS-funded fertility treatment.

Katie Rollings, from Billingshurst, is the founder of the campaign group Fertility Action, which has just helped release a report saying women in some areas struggle to get NHS treatment.

Rollings spent more than £25,000 on two rounds of IVF privately to conceive her twins.

A Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson said: "No-one should miss out on the care they're entitled to because of their postcode, especially when it comes to trying for children."

One in six people are affected by infertility, yet just three NHS areas in England offer the full IVF treatment recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the Fertility Action report says.

Rollings told BBC Radio Sussex: "This is a big deal for a lot of people across the country who are being treated differently.

"We're outside parliament hoping someone listens and hoping for change.

"So many people need this treatment to get the family they need. Everybody deserves the right to get fertility treatment."

Over 52,500 people undergo IVF in the UK each year with less than 27% receiving NHS treatment, according to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

In Sussex, the NHS cut the number of free rounds of IVF from three to just one in 2025.

The DHSC statement added: "We expect every local integrated care board to commission fertility services in line with the NICE guideline updated earlier this year.

"We'll keep working with the NHS to close these gaps and make sure everyone gets fair access to fertility treatment, wherever they live in England."

NHS England has been approached for comment.

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