Working with stakeholders

Key facts

• We have an on-line patient panel, "Fertility Views", with over 1000 members, to help us identify what matters to patients and inform our policy making and other regulatory activities
• The HFEA's Licensed Centres Panel (LCP) consults with centres on reviewing regulatory practice, identifying more efficient ways of regulating and implementing new initiatives. The panel is a forum that brings together counsellors, embryologists, fertility nurses and clinicians so that all professions have a say on issues that matter most to them
• We develop and implement policies through partnership working with patient groups and professional bodies
• The HFEA has been recognised by the National Consumer Council as an example of good practice in engaging with its stakeholders 

What are the HFEA's stakeholder relations objectives?

• Engaging with the people and organisations that have an interest in our activities or who may be affected by them 
• Recognising the information requirements and priorities of our stakeholders and engaging with them to help inform our policy making and other regulatory activities  
• Ensuring that our stakeholders understand and support our regulatory approach by maximising opportunities for partnership working, dialogue and information exchange

Why do stakeholder relations matter to the HFEA?

• Openness and honesty are the most important attributes to maintain trust in the regulatory system (Source ? Mori, 2005)
• As a modern regulator we fully support the better regulation principles, including the need to be accountable and transparent
• Effective stakeholder relations help us to:
  - Maintain trust and confidence in our regulatory system
  
  - Work with patients and clinicians to improve the regulation of assisted reproduction treatments and human embryo research processes
  
  - Review, update and develop policies in response to changes in legislation, scientific knowledge, technology and societal attitudes
  
  - Ensure our policies and activities are relevant and practical and evaluate their effectiveness
  
  - Promote cross-industry collaboration to identify and address common issues
  
  - Give those who have a right to be heard an opportunity to be considered in decision-making processes

What is the role of the HFEA?

• We are the UK's independent regulator overseeing the use of gametes and embryos in fertility treatment and research  
• We licence centres carrying out In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), other assisted conception procedures and human embryo research, and provide a range of detailed information for patients, professionals, the public and Government

What are we doing?

Our website provides a range of resources for patients and the centres we licence, these include:

• Guide to Infertility and supporting patient FAQs
• Find-a-clinic facility for clinic performance statistics
• Patient surveys to inform inspection activities
• Responding to more than a thousand public queries per month
• Dedicated 'for clinics' section with data collection forms, guidance materials, quarterly newsletters and an interactive version of the Code of Practice 
• A range of patient and stakeholder publications including an e-newsletter
• We gather structured evidence on public and stakeholder opinions through a variety of methods, including independent polling and facilitated focus groups
  

We have a range of consultative groups that enable dialogue and joint-working between the HFEA and its stakeholders as well as an e-update newsletter service

• These include regular meetings with the professional bodies and representatives from licensed centres, including doctors, embryologists, nurses and counsellors, as well as patient groups and organisations representing the interests of donors and donor conceived people

Other examples of events and fora that our stakeholders participate in include:

• Open Authority meetings which provides members of public with first hand insight into how the key-decision making forum of the HFEA operates
• The HFEA Annual Conference which brings together experts from across the assisted conception and embryo research sectors to allow our conference delegates to stay ahead of the latest thinking in these areas.
• The HFEA Annual Review Meeting which is an opportunity for anyone interested in assisted reproduction, embryo research and its associated issues to meet Authority members and HFEA personnel and learn more about recent activities and future plans.
  
• As we deal with complex and sensitive issues, on which there is a wide spectrum of opinion, we design and conduct public consultations which provide a forum for professionals, clinicians and our other stakeholders to engage in an informed debate

Further information

• Read more about how policy consultations and public events.