- By Aurelia Foster
- Health reporter, BBC News
Image source, Getty Images
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
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.”
‘Worry and distress’
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.
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.
However, many patients the BBC has spoken to said they had received neither.
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.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
