A major NHS fertility centre in east London has had its licence to operate suspended and has been reported to police over fears embryos are being destroyed, according to reports.
Homerton Fertility Centre has been ordered to suspend services on the orders of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) regulator after repeated instances of embryos not survive the freezing process, it is claimed.
Intervention by the regulator comes after The Daily Telegraph reported that it raised concerns from whistleblowers with Homerton Heathcare NHS Foundation Trust’s chief executive, Louise Ashley.
It is claimed around 20 cases have been identified in which embryos did not survive the process or were not retrievable.
There are fears about which staff had access to the storage areas for eggs, sperm and embryos, the paper reported.
Peter Thompson, the chief executive of the HFEA, reportedly said the organisation had suspended the centre’s licence to operate with immediate effect because of “significant concerns about the clinic”.
On Friday Ms Ashley reportedly told staff that the police had now been contacted.
Regulators were allegedly warned 153 frozen embryos may not survive its processes and 45 patients affected.
In a letter to patients, published on the fertility centre’s website today, Ms Ashley said the HFEA has suspended its license to practice until May 2024.
She explained there has been “3 separate incidents in the last year within the centre, which have highlighted errors in a small number of our freezing processes”.
She said this has meant that “tragically” in some cases has “resulted in a small number of embryos either
not surviving or being undetectable”.
Ms Ashley said “external clinical experts” are investigating these incidents and, whilst they
have not been able to find any direct cause to explain this, the centre has “made changes in the unit to prevent reoccurrence of such incidents”.
She said the steps the centre has taken included making sure all staff work in pairs to ensure all clinical activities are checked by two healthcare professionals – re-checking all competencies of staff within the unit – and increasing security and access points in the unit.
Ms Ashley added she would like to apologise to those affected” and for the “concern” and “distress” this may cause them even if their “eggs, embryos or sperm are unaffected”.
The centre has opened a helpline for all affected fertility patients.
