HFEA publishes the Fertility Sector 2024/25 report

More than 100,000 fertility treatment cycles took place in UK licensed clinics last year, with incidents occurring in less than 1% of them, the HFEA has found.

The Fertility Sector 2024/25 report showed that the number of incidents reported to the HFEA increased by more than a third (36%), from 581 in 2023/24 to 792 in 2024/25.

None of last year’s incidents were the most serious category (Grade A). The rise in reported incidents was mainly in the least serious category (Grade C), which rose by 53% from 289 in 2023/24 to 443 in 2024/25 and related to aspects of treatment including clinic administration, laboratory processes and clinical incidents.

One reason for the rise in reported incidents could be that clinics have responded to learnings shared by the HFEA with more diligent incident reporting. UK licensed clinics are required by law to report incidents to the HFEA and, as in all healthcare settings, prompt reporting of incidents is a sign of a responsible sector.

Clinic administration incidents, which made up just over a third of the Grade C incidents, include issues like emails being sent to the wrong recipient. Many patients who responded to our recent National Patient Survey described situations where administration of their treatment did not meet their expectations.

Around 2,500 patients provided feedback via the Choose a Fertility Clinic webpage on clinics licensed by the HFEA. Patient feedback was positive overall, with most patients reporting they would be likely to recommend their clinic to friends or family (84%).

The report provides a snapshot of the HFEA’s regulatory work for the year, covering the number of inspections, reported incidents and non-compliances.

Peter Thompson, Chief Executive of the HFEA, said:

“Patients can be reassured that fertility treatment in UK licensed clinics remains very safe. We know from our recent National Patient Survey and the feedback we receive on our website that most people are satisfied with their treatment.

“Incidents in fertility clinics are rare, occurring in less than 1% of cycles, but any incident is distressing for the people involved. The HFEA takes incidents very seriously, sharing learning with clinics so they can ensure incidents do not happen again.

“We recognise the impact that clinic administration incidents can have on patients, and we are raising this as an area of improvement for clinics, so patients have a positive experience of treatment.”

The Fertility Sector report also found that:

• Clinics reported 224 Grade B incidents, 22 more than the previous year, but similar to 2022/23. Of these, 67 were cases where patients had severe and critical Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS), broadly in line with the previous year. None of these were among patients donating their eggs.
• The number of inspections decreased from 104 in 2023/24 to 88 in 2024/25, due to license length changes that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as six additional inspections.
• The number of non-compliances identified during inspections decreased from 226 to 131. This is in large part due to the lower number of inspections carried out compared to the previous year. Across all clinics, the average number of non-compliances was 1.5 per inspection carried out.
• The HFEA received 56 patient complaints in 2024/25, a decrease of 13 since the previous year. This includes 14 formal complaints and 42 informal complaints.

To read the full report, click here.

Ends

For more information or for interviews with a HFEA spokesperson, please contact press.office@hfea.gov.uk or call 020 7291 8226.

For out-of-hours requests, please call the duty press officer on 07771 981920.

Notes to editors

• This report is compiled from information gathered from our inspections throughout the year and other sources of information, including incident reports, patient feedback, and patient complaints.
• Incidents are graded as:
  • Grade A: involves severe harm to one person, or major harm to many
  • Grade B: involves serious harm to one person, or moderate harm to many
  • Grade C: involves minor harm
  • Near miss: an event not causing harm, but with the potential to cause injury or ill health.
• Non-compliances are graded as:
  • Critical: An area of practice that poses a significant risk of causing harm to a patient, donor, embryo or to a child who may be born as a result of treatment services; or a significant shortcoming from the statutory requirements.
  • Major: An area of practice that poses an indirect risk to the safety of a patient, donor, embryo or to a child born as a result of treatment services. This area of non-compliance may also indicate a major shortcoming from the statutory requirements and/or indicate a failure by the Person Responsible to carry out their legal duties.
  • Other: An ‘other’ area of practice that requires improvement is any area of practice, which cannot be classified as either a critical or major area of non-compliance, but which indicates a departure from statutory requirements or good practice.
• Further notes on The Fertility Sector 2024/25 can be found in the report. A full list of definitions of classifications of incidents and complaints are available in the underlying dataset of the report.

About the HFEA

• The HFEA is the UK’s independent regulator of fertility treatment and research using human embryos.
• Set up in 1990 by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, the HFEA is responsible for licensing, monitoring, and inspecting fertility clinics - and taking enforcement action where necessary - to ensure everyone accessing fertility treatment receives high quality care.
• The HFEA is an ‘arm’s length body’ of the Department of Health and Social Care, working independently from Government providing free, clear, and impartial information about fertility treatment, clinics and egg, sperm and embryo donation.
• The HFEA collects and verifies data on all treatments that take place in UK licensed clinics which can support scientific developments and research and service planning and delivery.
• Around 4,300 children in the UK are born each year through the help of a donor (2023). The HFEA holds records of all donors and children born since 1991.
• The HFEA is funded by licence fees, IVF treatment fees and a small grant from UK central government. For more information, visit hfea.gov.uk.