Additional patient information and guidance
Here you will be able to find a range of resources that patients may find useful for a range of treatments.
Clinic Portal
This section includes more general guidance we provide to clinics and research centres that doesn't fit into the other categories.
This includes inspection of surgical procedures guidance and our multiple births minimisation strategy.
Here you will be able to find a range of resources that patients may find useful for a range of treatments.
Treatment add-ons are non-essential treatments that may be offered in fertility clinics in addition to routine treatment, with the claim that they can improve treatment outcomes.
Licensed clinics are also authorised to use certain laboratory processes in order to carry out each licensed activity. For example, clinics carrying out the licensed activity ‘Creation of embryos’ can use IVF or ICSI to do so.
If an incident happens in your clinic, we have timeframes for you to report it to us. Find out how and when to report an incident or 'near miss' to us.
Patients can report complaints to us where it indicates a potential breach of the Act, licence conditions, Directions issued by us or the guidance set out in our Code of Practice. Get tips on how to best manage a complaint to resolve it as quickly as possible.
The Compliance and Enforcement policy sets out the approach the HFEA will take in dealing with non-compliance by licensed clinics and research centres.
Controlled drugs accountable officers (CDAOs) are responsibile for all aspects of controlled drugs management within their organisation.
We have produced a new set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers to help guide clinics during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
More and more people are using DNA testing and matching services online to find out about their ancestry, health information or to identify and potentially make contact with their genetic relatives. We added guidance to our Code of Practice (Guidance Notes 11, 20 and 30) in 2019 relating to donor anonymity under the HFE Act and the potential impact of direct-to-consumer DNA testing and matching services.
EU Exit guidance
Find out more about the fees we charge.
Guidelines on what information is needed in each section of the import application form. If you are unsure about what information is needed please contact your inspector for further guidance.
This guide was created to provide clinics with tips and examples of how to collect donor information, our expectations about sharing information and information on how to redact donor information.
Information and FAQs for clinics on Portal and RBAT
The HFEA and the professional and patient bodies that are the signatories to the consensus statement on the responsible use of treatment add-ons in fertility services have put together the following list of freely available resources from their respective organisations and the Cochrane Library. These resources can be used to support conversations with patients about add-ons.
In the past, a number of fertility clinics were inspected by both the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the HFEA. Over the years, we have been working closely with colleagues at the CQC to reduce this regulatory overlap where possible.
We have reviewed our inspection methodologies with a view to implementing a different approach to inspections.
There is no more important role than that of PR for the successful running of a UK fertility clinic. The HFEA Code of Practice clearly sets out the statutory requirements and responsibilities placed on all PRs.
On 28 November 2024, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Amendment) Regulations 2024 come into force, affecting fertility treatment in two separate areas. The guidance below is to support clinics to implement these changes.
It is a criminal offence to undertake a licensable activity without a licence; retrieval and storage of gametes is not covered by the law and procedures relating to general organ donation and relatives do not have the right to give consent where none exists; in all circumstances of this kind they should seek their own legal advice immediately and before deciding on a course of action.
A Special Direction for import or export is effectively special permission given by our Statutory Approvals Committee, allowing a licensed fertility clinic to carry out an import or export despite not meeting the requirements of General Directions 0006.
On 1 October 2013, we will be changing our guidance and consent forms on legal parenthood for intended parents involved in surrogacy arrangements.
Whistleblowers who want to raise a concern about malpractice in a licensed centre, and who have felt unable to address their concerns directly with management, are able to speak to us in confidence. Read our whistleblowing policy here.