Statement on IVF incident reported in the Sunday Times
30 April 2012
Following an article published in the Sunday Times on 29 April, the HFEA can confirm that the London Woman’s Clinic reported a grade A incident to us on 4 January and that we launched a full investigation immediately.
Our primary concern at this moment is for the patients involved who are understandably very distressed about the incident and the fact that it has become public knowledge. Both now, and in the future, the anonymity of the parents and their offspring is paramount.
Our respect for the privacy of the parents and the fact that the investigation is on-going means that we are unable to release any information about the incident or comment on the actions taken by the clinic. Currently, our Licence Committee is scheduled to meet on 31 May to decide what action should be taken following the outcome of our investigation.
Under normal circumstances, a report into an incident of this kind is made public on our website after the Licence Committee has met. However, we have to be very careful not to include information which may lead to the identification of the patient. In some circumstances, therefore, elements of the report may have to be redacted or it may not prove possible to publish the report at all.
ENDS
Notes to editors
- The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is the independent regulator for IVF treatment and embryo research. Our role is to protect patients and defend standards, to drive improvement in the treatment and research sectors and to provide information to the public and policymakers about treatment and research. We are not an economic regulator.
For further information, please contact the HFEA press office on 020 7291 8226 or email press.office@hfea.gov.uk
Page last updated: 30 April 2012