Guidance
What is Guidance?
Under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, the HFEA is required to give guidance to licensed centres about 'the proper conduct of activities carried out in pursuance of a licence'.
This guidance is contained in the HFEA Code of Practice, which is currently in its 8th edition.
New HFEA guidance takes the form of a Chair's Letter, a Chief Executive's Letter or Directions and is usually incorporated into the subsequent edition of the Code of Practice.
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Directions
Directions are essentially rules. They can be "General" which apply to all centres or "Special" which apply to particular licensed centres.
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Chair's letters
Chair's letters notify licensed centres of changes to HFEA policy. Sent by the Chair of the HFEA, the letters tell centres what they are expected to do in light of the policy change.
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Chief Executive's letters
Chief Executive's letters notify licensed centres of changes to HFEA operating procedures. They also provide relevant information about developments at the HFEA.
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Multiple Births Minimisation Strategy: achievements and compliance
In January 2009 we set the Year 1 maximum multiple birth rate at 24%. This was the first step in our policy to reduce what professional bodies and patient groups recognise as the single biggest, and avoidable, risk of IVF treatment.
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Frequently used guidance
See a list of the guidance – whether best practice guidance in the Code of Practice or regulatory guidance set out in Directions – that is most frequently sought by those working in licensed centres or the patients that they care for.
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Do I need to be registered by either the CQC or licensed by the HTA?
Through our joint working programme we have looked at how to reduce the burden of an HFEA licensed centre being registered by either the CQC or HTA.
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Retrieval of storage of gametes where patients are unable to consent
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Surrogacy and legal parenthood – changes from 1 October 2013
On 1 October 2013, we will be changing our guidance and consent forms on legal parenthood for intended parents involved in surrogacy arrangements.
Page last updated: 04 January 2013
Find quick links to the guidance most often referred to by those working in licensed centres or the patients that they care for.
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