Restrictions put in place to lower COVID infection rates in NHS fertility clinics in Glasgow have been lifted
Women having IVF treatment will be allowed to bring along their partners to medical appointments two years after the restrictions were implemented.
The rules were removed in August 2022 after criticism from patients that they felt ‘unsupported and overwhelmed’ during consultations and medical procedures.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said it had to ‘strike a balance’ between protecting patients and staff and providing the best care possible.
Several patients spoke out about the extended rules and a review took place.
The Glasgow Health Board apologised for any distress the policy caused.
A spokesperson said: “We need to ensure that we strike a balance between protecting our patients, their relatives, and our staff while continuing to provide the best person-centred care possible.
“While partners have been able to accompany the patient to specific appointments, such as egg collection and pregnancy scans, to ensure we could maintain high levels of safety as well as maximise the number of patients we could see, we limited partners’ attendance at other more routine appointments.
“We are aware of the difficulties this might have caused for couples using our services, and we would like to apologise for any resulting distress or inconvenience.
“However, we are pleased to announce that, from Monday 8th August, all restrictions at the Assisted Conception Service will be removed and partners will be able to attend all appointments once more.”
Have you been affected by the policy? We’d love to hear your story. Email mystory@ivfbabble.com.
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