IVF Patients Warned as Concierge Clinic Closes, Leaving Clients Without Treatment or Refunds

IVF patients are being warned over unregulated 'concierge clinics' after a popular one went bust leaving scores of clients without treatment or refunds. The fertility watchdog has said that as these clinics do not provide IVF treatment directly, it does not have powers to regulate them. Syreeta Sandhu lost nearly £15,000 when her concierge clinic went bust. She paid Apricity, which matched her with an egg donor and contracted established clinic King's Fertility. She was due to start treatment in December last year when her appointments were cancelled without explanation. Syreeta found out via the company's app that it was ceasing operations on 1 January. When she contacted King's, the clinic said data protection rules meant it did not have access to her file or details of her egg donor. It had not been paid by Apricity so her treatment could not begin.

Concierge clinics offer services like matching patients with donors and doctors, booking appointments and posting medication. The fertility watchdog, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), is warning patients that these new services are not covered by its protections. Clare Ettinghausen, director of strategy and corporate affairs at the HFEA, said: 'The fallout from Apricity's closure and the effect it had on patients highlights how the current law does not reflect the range and type of fertility treatments being offered today.'

Beth Rodgers, 32, from Belfast has Turner syndrome, a rare genetic condition that means her ovaries do not produce eggs. She and her partner paid Apricity £4,600 and had been matched with an egg donor. 'Then I saw a comment on a Facebook group saying 'thinking of everyone affected by the Apricity news,'' she said. The couple were able to claim some of the money back on their insurance but it did not cover a £385 fee for a doctor's appointment and £985 for donor compensation.

In recent years, more British couples have paid for private fertility treatment, in part because IVF on the NHS is a postcode lottery. Jonathan, not his real name, and his wife went through five failed rounds of IVF before they went to Apricity. They paid £10,000 for treatment with their savings and a loan. Cork Gully told Jonathan and other patients in a letter seen by the BBC: 'It is unlikely that there will be funds to pay to patients.'

Prof Emily Jackson is a researcher in medical law and ethics at the London School of Economics. She said: 'You need a licence to do things with embryos and sperm and eggs but you don't need any licence to offer to arrange things on the internet.'

King's Fertility, which was providing Syreeta's treatment, was a contractor of Apricity's and is now a creditor of the company. Its director, Dr Ippokratis Sarris, a consultant in reproductive medicine, said it was likely more concierge clinics would emerge in the future as patients look for convenience and flexibility.