THE Health Department has insisted that there will be no disruption to IVF services this year – despite earlier warnings that a significant slice of the treatment budget would be swallowed up by staff costs that were never properly funded.
The reassurance comes one week after the JEP reported that IVF now accounts for more than one in every 13 births in the Island – a rate more than double that of the UK.
Local fertility charity Tiny Seeds, which campaigned for the publication of the figures for more than five years, said: “These figures show that IVF already plays a significant role in births in Jersey and is becoming an increasingly important part of the Island’s future.”
But there were concerns over whether the £620,000 budget allocated by the government for funded IVF this year was sufficient to meet demand, after it emerged that a significant portion – around £268,000 – was due to be absorbed by unaccounted staffing costs.
In February, Assistant Health Minister Andy Howell warned that unless additional money is found, the Island may “run out of money” this year and have to suspend publicly funded IVF treatment until 2027.
But, following queries from the JEP, the Health Department said it “does not anticipate any service disruption later in the year”.
A spokesperson said that the department cannot predict exactly how many couples will come forward, but is working on the assumption that demand will mirror 2025 levels.
Health added that uptake of IVF against the existing criteria and allocated budget is reviewed on a quarterly basis.
“At this point in the financial year, there are no plans to amend the criteria, but this could be subject to change depending on the number of couples accessing funded IVF,” the spokesperson said.
The figures published by Tiny Seeds showed that the majority of IVF cycles – 120 out of 183 – were still being paid for privately, even after eligibility was widened in 2025.
Deputy Lucy Stephenson, who is a governor of Tiny Seeds and lodged the original proposition urging the government to expand access to funded IVF, said the data showed “just how important access to fertility treatment and care is”.
