Overseas Patients
Every year we see a number of private patients from overseas. Ideally you will still need to be referred in to us by a doctor but we can also accept a personal referral. Please post or fax your referral letter to the above address. It is important that you bring your medical records with you, and do not post them to us.
If you require a laparoscopy or hysteroscopy we will make every effort to carry out this procedure within a few days of your consultation to cut down on your accommodation costs in the UK. Although there should be no real discomfort afterwards, you must not travel outside the UK for at least 48 hours after the procedure. If you require IVF, you may need six weeks minimum in the UK and ideally you should be in London at least three days before the start of your period. However, we may be able to arrange for you to arrive much nearer to your start date if you contact us in advance. Male partners will need to be here to give a sperm sample before treatment. Whilst undergoing treatment you may live at any place convenient to you within reach of
the hospital.
We are happy to advise you on accommodation and transport to the hospital and make arrangements for you in advance of your consultation if necessary. We regret that we are unable to supply letters for visas, so please ensure your documents are in order before making an appointment.
NHS Referrals
Our NHS patients are seen in the new Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital gynaecology outpatient department, which is on the Hammersmith Hospital Du Cane Road site.
Most patients are referred to us by their family doctor (GP) or consultant gynaecologist. Your GP will need to see you first and may ask for a few tests to be done before making a formal referral to the fertility clinic. Once this is received we will process the referral and send you an appointment as soon as we can, usually for the next available appointment. In some cases your local Primary Care Trust may ask that you are seen at another (local) hospital first. If in doubt, call on 020 8383 4908 (see NHS Funding section).
Unfortunately, we cannot categorise between routine or urgent appointments and we send out the appointments on a first-come first-served basis. However, our waiting times are currently well within the 13 week NHS standard.
NHS Referrals should be addressed to:
The Consultant
Department of Reproductive Medicine
3rd Floor Hammersmith House
Hammersmith Hospital
Du Cane Road
London W12 0HS
Tel: 020 8383 4152
NHS Funding
NHS Patients contemplating IVF treatment for the first time are often confused by the rules surrounding the criteria needed for their successful funding. While private patients can start IVF treatment as soon as they are given the go-ahead by the consultant and IVF doctor, NHS patients must meet various criteria before their name can be added to the waiting list.
Many GPs are unable to refer patients for IVF as their Primary Care Trust (formerly Health Authority) do not fund any assisted conception. Some PCTs do fund IVF, but have a preferred hospital that they like to use which limits patients to using that hospital as a funded NHS patient or going to a hospital of their choice and having to pay privately.
Where Primary Care Trusts do fund IVF at the Hammersmith, they often ask that the initial investigations be undertaken at a local hospital first before patients are sent to us as tertiary referrals (these are referrals made by one hospital consultant to another). Once they have been referred we then have to ensure that they meet the relevant eligibility criteria of age, children from previous relationships, referral source and number of previous cycles. Nearly all PCTs have different eligibility criteria, so it is worth checking with us as early as possible if you are entitled to treatment.
The responsibility for making sure patients receive the treatment available to them under the NHS falls to the service manager, who is available to discuss the terms of NHS IVF funding on 020 8383 4908 as well as funding for ICSI, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, egg donation and embryo freezing.
