The HFEA's monthly newsletter for clinic staff |
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Season's greetings from the HFEA - we wish you all the best for the new year. Thank you to clinics and colleagues for working with us during 2024, providing the best treatment and support to patients.
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Upcoming deadlines for stored gametes and embryos |
On 31 December 2024 there are two important legal deadlines relating to the storage of gametes and embryos - appropriate actions must be taken where needed.
For further information, please refer to the October 2024 Clinic Focus. |
Choose a Fertility Clinic (CaFC) data verification and publication in 2025 |
Earlier today clinic PRs will have received a letter by email from our Chief Executive, outlining our approach to CaFC data verification and publication during 2025. This included information about the staggered approach we will be taking for the next update of CaFC.
‘Interim CaFC’ will be published early next year, providing headline data on two metrics for 2022: -
Live birth outcome rate per embryo transfer – by all, and split under and over aged 38
- Multiple birth rates for each age category
Website users will also be able to access the current ‘detailed statistics' (relating to earlier years) for each clinic on our website. We then aim to publish the ‘first full CaFC’, for treatments to December 2023, later in the year.
For this CaFC update to be successful several actions must be taken, and some clinics will have remaining issues to resolve. Please refer to the letter for more detail and whether this applies to your clinic.
If you have any questions, please contact register@hfea.gov.uk |
The HFEA’s response to the government consultation on the 10-year plan |
The HFEA has responded to the government consultation on the ’10-Year Health Plan’. The changes the HFEA would like to see include: -
A focus on early diagnosis and referral, as well as a cross-disciplinary approach to fertility across the health service, which would improve outcomes and go some way to addressing inequalities in access to and outcomes of fertility treatment.
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Removing other barriers to joined up healthcare, such as the inability to share fertility data between the clinic where treatment takes place and the wider healthcare system, to improve patient safety and care.
- Ensure the HFEA has up to date powers to enable patients’ concerns to be addressed
Our response is available to read in full here. |
Best practice in retaining evidence of Marriage Certificates |
When establishing the facts of a marriage prior to treatment with donor gametes/embryos, or when establishing a name change, clinics are advised to review a patient’s marriage certificate (Code of Practice 11.8 and 5.16 respectively). Currently, it is common practice for clinics to make and retain copies of these certificates in the patient’s file. However, if that is your clinic’s practice, you should evaluate whether retaining a copy for marital status verification aligns with the UK GDPR principle of data minimisation.
As the data controller, clinics may wish to establish a process to review and verify these certificates without retaining copies. Medical records should clearly document the assessment, which should be auditable and preserved for future reference. Clinics might consider recording the following details: -
Country of marriage
- Patient name on certificate
- Partner name on certificate
- Date of marriage
- Certificate number, or other identifying document number
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Documented confirmation of the review and by whom
For marriages conducted outside the UK, clinics should continue to assess the validity of the marriage certificate as per guidance issued (Clinic Focus March 2024). If validity is uncertain, clinics should document all supporting evidence to confirm marital status, ensuring records are kept in line with UK GDPR requirements. For more information, visit the Information Commissioner Office’s (ICO) website.
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Updated Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) proforma |
Since 2019, when a clinic reports a case of severe or critical OHSS via the incident reporting system they are sent an OHSS proforma to complete. As part of our aim to continually make improvements we have now revised and updated the OHSS proforma.
Please continue to report cases of severe/critical OHSS via our incident reporting system. You will then be sent the new version of the proforma to complete and return to us.
Please delete any older versions of the OHSS proforma you may have. |
Donor Conception Network’s 'Making it Real workshop’ 2025 |
Bookings are now open for Donor Conception Network’s ‘Making it Real’ workshop, taking place 9 May 2025.
This is an annual workshop designed specifically for those working with donor conception families or with patients using donor eggs, sperm or embryos.
The workshop is aimed at fertility counsellors, psychologists, nurses, midwives, embryologists, family lawyers, donor coordinators, genetic counsellors, academics, clinicians and anyone who works with donor conception families at any point in their journey to parenthood.
This event has sold out the past four years, and an early booking discount is available until end of February. Find out more and book your place here. |
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Regarding Adult Safeguarding The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) have recently updated their intercollegiate guidance: ‘Adult Safeguarding: Roles and Competencies for Health Care Staff’.
It sets out minimum training requirements along with education and training principles.
The updated guidance includes a statutory definition of domestic abuse, as referenced in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (the 2021 Act England and Wales) (in Northern Ireland the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) NI Act 2022) and it also references new legislation such as the Health and Care Act 2022, the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022, and Prevent Duty Guidance (2023).
The updated guidance can be found here. |
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Editorial statement
Clinic Focus is the official electronic newsletter of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, is produced by the editorial team of the HFEA and provides a monthly roundup of news and information for clinics and their staff working in the field of fertility treatment. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission. You can view our privacy policy on our website. Click here to unsubscribe 2 Redman Place London E20 1JQ © Copyright Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, 2019 |
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