Thousands of pounds raised for parents of stillborn baby after they are denied IVF treatment on the NHS
Sarah Parsons was left distraught after being denied IVF as her husband already has a child from a previous relationship
A WOMAN who is desperate to be a mother has been refused IVF treatment on the NHS after having a stillborn baby.
Sarah Parsons was left distraught after being denied IVF as her husband already has a child from a previous relationship.
The 37-year-old was left heartbroken by the decision, claiming this might have been her last chance to have a child.
The news comes as another crushing blow for Sarah after she gave birth to stillborn daughter Maggie Pearl Parsons in 2015 at Burnley General Hospital.
After Maggie's stillbirth, Sarah and her husband Mark went on to raise thousands of pounds to buy cold cots for funeral directors and form a quiet room at the gynaecology and breast cancer care ward at Burnley General Hospital.
The generous couple had hoped to have another chance at parenthood, believing they would fit the criteria for IVF available on the NHS.
Sarah, from Blackburn, Lancashire, said: "Being told we couldn't have the treatment on the NHS was really upsetting.
"It's a bit of a postcode lottery because the criteria says the patients, i.e. Mark, has a child from a previous relationship, so we cannot have the treatment.
"However the criteria is different in other areas.
"I don't see why the conditions include this sort of detail and are not just based around my health or condition.
"There weren't any circumstances taken into account, it was a straight 'no'."
Dr Andy Curran, medical director for Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria said: "We cannot comment on the decisions made by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) outside our area.
"All CCGs must make decisions based on the resources available to them and the needs of their overall population, and this differs between CCGs.
"One of the aims of the revised policy is to ensure that in the future we have a consistent approach across the whole of Lancashire and South Cumbria."
He added: "All clinical policies in Lancashire and South Cumbria are subject to five guiding principles.
"The treatments they cover must be appropriate, effective, cost-effective, ethical and affordable.
"The decision to offer assisted conception services to those patients who are childless is chiefly concerned with affordability.
"This is the case for most CCGs across the country which have adopted a similar approach.
"Only two of the eight CCGs in Lancashire and South Cumbria previously provided eligibility to couples where there were no living children from the current relationship.
"The remaining six CCGs only offered assisted conception services to couples where both partners were childless.
"The revised policy reflects the majority position where the service is only offered to couples where both partners are childless."
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