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22 December 2011

Summary of request

The Authority was asked whether the HFEA records patient complaints about such cases as IVF embryos being lost by a clinic and if so, how many have there been in each of the last three financial years.

HFEA response

The HFEA’s statutory remit permits it to investigate complaints and concerns from patients or donors that may suggest a licensed clinic has failed to comply with the terms or conditions of its licence or a failure by a clinic to follow its own complaints procedure. The purpose of this complaints policy is to ensure clinics meet and maintain the standards required by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (as amended) and the HFEA’s Code of Practice.  In line with other regulators we always encourage a patient or donor to access the clinic’s own complaint procedure before pursuing the matter with us.

A search of our formal complaints log shows that the HFEA has not received a complaint from a patient in the last three financial years (08/09 – 10/11) about the type of event you describe.

Page last updated: 16 August 2012

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