Homerton Fertility Centre: Licence ban extended after loss of some embryos

Image source, Getty Images

By Aurelia Foster

Health reporter, BBC News

The fertility regulator has extended the closure of a London clinic, which is under investigation following the “tragic loss” of some embryos.

Homerton Fertility Centre had its licence suspended in March after some frozen embryos did not survive being thawed or were “undetectable”.

Hundreds of patients had their treatment delayed or put on hold.

The regulator said it would not let the clinic reopen until it was certain patients could be treated safely.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) said it took the rare decision to close the clinic in Hackney on 8 March for an initial period of two months, because of the “significant concerns” following “three serious untoward incidents”.

• In May 2023, “the correct procedure had not been followed” when freezing some embryos
• In October 2023, it was reported that a higher than expected number of frozen embryos had not survived the thawing process
• In December 2023, some embryos “were not found” when attempts were made to thaw them

One patient, Abigail, not her real name, who cannot naturally fall pregnant, had several embryos in storage at the clinic.

When she went to start IVF treatment recently, she was told that the highest quality of them – those most likely to result in a pregnancy – had not survived being thawed.

“I just felt so angry and disappointed. It was just really upsetting, we felt like we’d been robbed of time, robbed of our chances,” she said.

“It made us think this was the best chance of having a baby this year and now that’s not possible, and it feels like if we had been somewhere else this might not have happened”

Abigail said she thought it would be “worrying” if the clinic reopened before all the issues had been resolved.

Like Abigail, another patient Sarah, not her real name, was told two of her embryos had not survived being thawed. The clinic agreed to give her more treatment to help her fall pregnant, but closed soon afterwards.

She told the BBC: “We are still waiting for answers and alternatives from Homerton. Since the licence was suspended, their official communication has gone silent. It is very upsetting to think this could be allowed to happen and that patients would be left in the dark, without support or answers.”

The clinic said that while some investigations are complete, the incident in December is still being looked into.

The BBC has asked to see the investigation reports.

HFEA chief executive Peter Thompson has said the clinic’s licence should remain suspended until August – longer than initially expected – until all investigations are completed.

“Serious incidents in fertility clinics in the UK are rare, but each one is distressing for those patients involved, which is why we take them very seriously,” he said.

“The HFEA investigates what clinics do in response to incidents to make sure that everything is done to understand what went wrong and, crucially, to take steps to ensure it does not happen again.”

Since 8 March, the clinic has only been able to treat some patients who had already started cycles of IVF. Many other patients have frozen eggs or embryos in storage there and are waiting for treatment.

The clinic has been banned from starting any treatment cycles, and has only been allowed to continue treatment which had already begun.

Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said the incidents had highlighted “problems in some freezing processes” and that investigations are continuing.

It confirmed that 32 patients had been affected, but that number was “subject to change as our investigations continue”.

In March, the trust told the BBC that as many as 150 embryos may have been affected.

Its chief executive Bas Sadiq said: “We want to apologise again for the worry and distress these incidents have caused our patients.

“We are focused on continuing our investigations and doing everything we can to learn from and rectify the issues which have caused the loss of embryos in the fertility unit.”

The trust said that since the incidents, staff now have to work in pairs, staff competencies have been checked and security has been increased.

Metropolitan Police officers visited the clinic on 8 March, after concerns were raised by staff members.

However, there is no police investigation at this time.

The trust said all patients have received letters and offered free counselling.

Homerton Fertility Centre has been under a high level of oversight by the HFEA for several years, because of numerous incidents of “non-compliance” identified during inspections.

Patients also had treatment delayed when the clinic temporarily closed in 2022, because of staff shortages.

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