NHS Fertility Funding Landscape: What Your Patients Need to Know

A conversation we know all too well

If you're a GP, you'll know this conversation well: a patient sitting across from you, hopeful and anxious in equal measure, asking what NHS support is actually available to them. It's one of the most common, and most time-consuming, conversations in primary care, and right now, with policies shifting across multiple Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), it's only getting harder to keep up.

At Care Fertility, we spend every day helping people make sense of exactly this landscape. So we've pulled together where things currently stand, region by region, to make that conversation a little easier for you, and a little less daunting for your patients.

Why your patient's postcode matters more than it should

England has no single, unified fertility policy. NICE sets out national guidance on who should be offered treatment and how many cycles, but each ICB decides locally whether, and how closely, to follow it. [1,2]

In practice, that means what's available to your patient depends heavily on where they happen to live, not only on their clinical circumstances. NICE recommends three full IVF cycles for eligible patients under 40. Today, around 70% of ICBs across England fund just one. [3] That gap between national guidance and local reality is wide, and it isn't closing.

Eligibility goes well beyond cycle numbers, too. How long a couple has been trying to conceive, BMI, whether either partner already has children, and any previous privately-funded treatment can all come into play. [1,4] We know how much there is to explain here, and how little a ten-minute appointment gives you to do it.

What's changing, and where

Policy movement across England has picked up pace recently, and in several regions the direction has been toward less funding, not more. Here's the current picture in the areas where things have shifted.

Cheshire & Merseyside

From February 2026, a new interim fertility policy applies consistently across the whole Cheshire and Merseyside ICB footprint, reducing funded IVF to one cycle for eligible people under 40. Previously, different local policies sat side by side across the region. [5]

Greater Manchester

NHS Greater Manchester has standardised its approach: women aged 39 and under who meet the criteria are now offered one complete IVF cycle, with a second attempt available only if the first couldn't be completed or was cancelled. [6,7]

Kent and Medway

From April 2026, NHS Kent and Medway's updated policy funds one full IVF cycle, down from the additional cycles some patients could previously access in certain circumstances. Prior approvals and some exceptional cases may still qualify for extra treatment. [8]

North West London

NHS North West London has been reviewing its IVF policy while awaiting updated NICE guidance, which has now been published. A final decision on funding hasn't been made yet, so this remains one to watch, and we'd encourage patients here to check the current local position rather than assume anything has changed. [9,10]

Nottingham and Nottinghamshire

Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB's policy is now published in national NHS data, offering one NHS-funded IVF cycle for eligible patients. That makes local provision easier to check, even if the offer itself hasn't grown. [11]

South Yorkshire

In December 2025, NHS South Yorkshire reduced funded IVF from two cycles to one for new referrals, part of a wider effort to manage resources consistently across the region. [12]

Sussex

From July 2025, NHS Sussex's revised assisted conception policy moved new GP referrals from three funded cycles to one, bringing the area in line with most of the rest of England. [13]

A free tool to take some of the guesswork out

We hold the majority of NHS fertility contracts across England and treat over 2,000 NHS patients a year, so we see the real-world impact of this shifting landscape every day, and we know how much of the navigation burden lands on you.

That's why we built our NHS IVF Eligibility Calculator, a free tool you can share directly with patients. They enter their GP practice postcode, and it identifies their ICB along with that board's published eligibility criteria, so they arrive at your appointment already understanding where they stand.

It won't replace the conversation you have with your patient. But it should make that conversation shorter, and a lot less confusing, for both of you.

Check eligibility here

Once eligibility is confirmed

Once a patient believes they're eligible, the NHS pathway starts with a GP referral. In most areas, that referral goes to a local NHS secondary care provider for diagnosis, further testing, and funding approval, before an onward referral to a tertiary fertility clinic.

At several of our clinics, including Care Fertility Bath and Care Fertility Sheffield, we can accept GP referrals directly, without that secondary care step. That can mean a shorter wait and an earlier start to treatment for your patient.

Referring to Care Fertility

We're the UK's largest NHS fertility provider. Our patients rate us Excellent on Trustpilot, and our success rates are among the best in the sector.

Referring is straightforward. We manage the admin, keep you updated throughout your patient's journey, and typically see patients within two weeks of referral.

Information is correct as of April 2026. ICB policies can change, sometimes with limited notice, so we'd always recommend confirming the current local position directly with the relevant ICB alongside using our calculator.

Information sources

1. NHS IVF overview (nhs.uk/conditions/ivf/availability) and GOV.UK, NHS-funded IVF in England (gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-funded-ivf-in-england/nhs-funded-in-vitro-fertilisation-ivf-in-england)

2. NICE fertility guidance NG257 (nice.org.uk/guidance/ng257)

3. PET — Nearly 70% of ICBs in England offer only one NHS-funded IVF cycle (progress.org.uk/nearly-70-percent-of-icbs-in-england-offer-only-one-nhs-funded-ivf-cycle/)

4. GOV.UK, NHS-funded IVF in England — eligibility criteria data tables (gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-funded-ivf-in-england/nhs-funded-in-vitro-fertilisation-ivf-in-england)

5. Cheshire & Merseyside interim subfertility policy, Feb 2026 (cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk/latest/news/new-interim-subfertility-policy-for-cheshire-and-merseyside-introduced)

6. NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership — Changes to IVF policy across Greater Manchester (gmintegratedcare.org.uk/news/changes-to-ivf-policy-across-greater-manchester/)

7. PET — NHS IVF cycles cut across Manchester (progress.org.uk/nhs-ivf-cycles-cut-across-manchester/)

8. NHS Kent and Medway ICB policies on fertility treatments (kentandmedway.icb.nhs.uk/policies-on-fertility-treatments/)

9. NHS North West London ICB — IVF treatment policy update statement (nwlondonicb.nhs.uk/news/news/ivf-treatment-policy-update-statement)

10. PET Fertility Policy Tracker — NHS North West London (progress.org.uk/fertility-policy-tracker/nhs-north-west-london/)

11. Nottingham & Nottinghamshire ICB policy data (progress.org.uk/fertility-policy-tracker/nhs-nottingham-and-nottinghamshire/)

12. NHS South Yorkshire ICB board decision on future of NHS funded IVF cycles (southyorkshire.icb.nhs.uk/news/board-decision-future-ivf-funded-cycles)

13. NHS Sussex ICS updated on assisted conception policy (sussex.ics.nhs.uk/updated-on-assisted-conception-in-sussex/)