Assisted Reproduction Registries and Reporting
RRM Academy Synopsis
UK fertility clinic inspections graded 5 of 187 failings critical
An annual report from the UK fertility regulator finds that five of 187 non-compliances found in 2022/23 clinic inspections were critical, down from 4% the year before. The report draws on 85 inspections, incident reports, complaints and the national register of treatments.
Key Findings
- The regulator carried out 85 inspections in 2022/23 and identified 187 non-compliances. Five (2%) were assessed as critical, compared with 4% in 2021/22.
- In 2022/23 the HFEA licensed 107 clinics to provide fertility treatment in the UK. Of these, 66 (62%) were privately owned, up from 62 clinics in 2021/22.
- Clinics reported 517 incidents and 89 near misses, down from 671 incidents and 122 near misses in 2021/22. Of the incidents, 291 were Grade C and 226 were Grade B.
- No Grade A incidents, the most serious type, occurred from 2020/21 to 2022/23. Clinics reported 64 cases of severe and critical ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), in less than 0.1% of cycles.
- The regulator received 59 patient complaints, 12 formal and 47 informal, fewer than the previous year. About 0.1% of the roughly 60,000 patients a year submit complaints.
Interpretation
The report is an annual regulator summary of counts from inspections, incident reports, patient feedback and complaints. The report adds preliminary 2021 treatment data from the Register of fertility treatments and has no comparison group. The authority states that the fall in incident totals is partly due to changed rules on reporting hospital admissions. It also states that its complaint count is no reliable indicator of patient satisfaction. Pandemic effects mean data from 2020/21 and 2021/22 may not compare directly with other years. The report describes clinics licensed by the HFEA in the UK and presents no pregnancy or live birth outcomes.
RRM Context
The report describes OHSS as a possible complication of drugs given to stimulate egg production. Restorative reproductive medicine begins with the ovulatory cycle and the question of why conception has not occurred. IVF bypasses that question, and the regulator's compliance and safety measures do not address it.
Abstract
State of the fertility sector 2022/23 is an annual publication of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) on HFEA licensed centres, covering 1st April 2022 to 31st March 2023. The report summarises what the HFEA has seen through its regulatory work and is compiled from its inspections, its Register of fertility treatments, incident reports and patient feedback. Figures for 2022/23 include 85 inspections carried out and 107 clinics licensed by the HFEA to provide fertility treatment. Of 187 non-compliances identified during inspections in 2022/23, five (2%) were assessed as critical.
Read the guide
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ART Registries and Codes of Practice: A Reference for Patients and Clinicians
A global reference to national IVF registries (HFEA, RTAC, ANZARD, Q-IVF, CDC, DIR, JSOG, CARTR Plus, REDLARA, ESHRE EIM, ICMART) and the codes of practice that govern fertility clinics. What each measures, and what they miss.
