Information about IVF and tattoo removal (FOI)

​Request

A 

Number of persons treated with In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) from 2005 until the end of 2015?

B 

The annual cost per year?

C 

The age of the youngest and the oldest patient treated?

D 

Are patients means tested for the costs of receiving IVF treatment?

E 

Can I be advised if patients are residentially qualified for such treatment and what is the criteria for receiving this IVF treatment?

F 

Can you please supply as above answers to the removal of tattoos?

Response

A 

The number of cycles of In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) per year is recorded, not the number of people treated with IVF. The figures given below are for the number of IVF cycles carried out per year from 2005 to end of 2015. The number of patients cannot be determined as patients often have more than one cycle of treatment in one year. The number of cycles of IVF per year and associated treatments which include egg donation cycles are shown below as per UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) guidelines:

B

The total cost of IVF is not recorded separately and cannot be extracted from the Assisted Reproduction Unit budget.

C

Answering this question would require a manual trawl through patient records, which would exceed the cost limit specified. Anecdotally the ages range from late 20s to 44. 

D

IVF treatment is not usually free, however limited funding is available if couples fulfil the following criteria:

• Both partners must have a valid health card and be resident in Jersey.

• The female partner should be no older than 36 years of age at the time they embark on IVF treatment.

• Both patients must be childless with no living children from any previous relationships.

• Both partners are clinically suitable to undergo treatment required i.e. physically fit and well and the female’s BMI no more than thirty and both partners must be virology negative for HIV, Hepatitis B & C. HFEA Welfare of Child criteria must be met.

• Sub-fertility must not be a result of previous sterilisation of either partner.

• If joint income is below £40,795 but above £34,130 and they fulfil all of the above criteria they can apply for a reduced cost when £1,100 is waivered, however they have to cover all the IVF unit costs in London themselves.

• If their joint income is below £34,130 and they fulfil all of the above criteria they can apply to Health and Social Services for funding for a basic IVF cycle or a basic Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) cycle. The couple have to cover any additional costs in London themselves. For repeat cycles they have to fulfil the same criteria.

• The couple will have to prove total income, including declaring any benefits received, so in this respect they are “means tested”.

• A maximum of three funded cycles will be provided so long as the couple fulfil the above criteria each time they apply for funding. Only one cycle per year is provided.

E

Answered in question D above.

F

Hospital policy has allowed people to have tattoos removed only if they are on the face or below the elbow and are causing emotional distress or adversely affecting employment. Since 2005 less than five people have had tattoos removed at the hospital under this policy. In view of the infrequency of tattoo removal, accurate costs and further details cannot be ascertained. From March 2016 this service is no longer available.

Exemptions and/or refusals applied to this request

Regulation 2 (1) of the Freedom of Information (Costs) (Jersey) Regulations 2014 allows an authority to refuse a request for information where the estimated cost of dealing with the request would exceed the specified amount of the cost limit of £500. This is the estimated cost of one person spending 12.5 working hours in determining whether the department holds the information, locating, retrieving and extracting the information.