Decision

RESOLVED:

1. That this Council notes:

a)      That National Fertility Awareness Week 2026 will take place from Monday 2nd to Friday 6th November 2026, bringing the fertility community together to change perceptions, provide support and raise awareness for everyone struggling with fertility issues.

b)      That around 1 in 6 people in the UK face fertility issues at some point in their lives, meaning that in a city the size of Milton Keynes many thousands of residents are affected.

c)      That NICE guideline CG156 recommends that eligible women under 40 who have not conceived after two years of trying should be offered three full cycles of IVF on the NHS, with one cycle recommended for eligible women aged 40 to 42.

d)      That NHS commissioners are not legally required to follow NICE guidance, that local Integrated Care Boards decide what they fund within their own budgets, and that only a small number of ICBs fund the three cycles NICE recommends while the majority fund only one.

e)      That eligibility criteria also vary widely between areas, including maximum age limits ranging from 35 to 42, BMI restrictions, smoking status and whether either partner has children from a previous relationship, so that two patients with identical clinical circumstances may receive completely different levels of NHS support purely on the basis of where they live.

f)       That England is the only UK nation without a single national policy: Scotland funds up to three cycles, Wales funds two, and Northern Ireland typically funds one.

g)      That residents of Milton Keynes are currently covered by a policy offering a maximum of one non-full cycle for eligible patients aged 23 to 42, below the NICE recommendation.

h)      That the Government's 2022 Women's Health Strategy for England included a commitment to remove the geographical variation in access to NHS-funded fertility services, and that patient groups, clinicians and parliamentarians of all parties continue to press for that commitment to be fully realised.

i)       That where NHS funding is unavailable, residents face private treatment costs which commonly range from £6,000 to £10,000 or more per cycle, placing the chance of a family beyond the reach of many families on ordinary incomes.

j)       That commissioning responsibility for this area is changing as part of the current reorganisation of Integrated Care Boards, presenting a welcome opportunity to establish a fairer and more consistent policy for residents across the region.

1. That this Council believes:

a)      That infertility is a recognised medical condition, not a lifestyle choice, and should be commissioned and funded by the NHS on that basis.

b)      That no resident's chance of becoming a parent should be determined by their postcode.

c)      That infertility carries significant stigma and isolation and has a well-documented impact on mental health and on relationships

d)      That NICE guidance exists to ensure clinically-led, evidence-based consistency, and that residents everywhere would be better served if that guidance were applied consistently across England.

e)      That the right goal is to bring provision in every area up to the NICE-recommended standard, so that access reflects clinical need rather than local geography.

f)       That employers, including this Council, have a role to play in supporting employees who are undergoing fertility treatment or who are childless not by choice.

1. That this Council resolves to:

a)      Ask the executive to consider:

i)       adopting the formal workplace fertility pledge; 

ii)      marking National Fertility Awareness Week 2026, and to support local activity raising awareness of fertility issues and highlighting of the support available; and

iii)     publicising, through the Council’s communications channels during National Fertility Awareness Week, the support and information available to residents affected by infertility.

b)      To ask the Chief Executive to review this Council's own workplace policies and consider whether they provide sufficient support to employees undergoing fertility treatment, and those who are childless not by choice.

c)      To ask the Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care welcoming the commitment made in the Women's Health Strategy and asking that the Government establish a single, national, properly funded standard for NHS fertility services in England consistent with NICE guideline CG156.

d)      To ask the Leader of the Council to write to all three Members of Parliament in Milton Keynes asking them to raise this matter in Parliament and to support relevant parliamentary action to end the postcode lottery.