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Progress Educational Trust, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 27 Sussex Place, Regent's Park, London NW1 4R, UK
Wednesday 29 April, 6.30pm-8pm
The UK's fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), publishes details of clinic success rates online for the benefit of patients. The 'Choose a Fertility Clinic' section of the HFEA's website is widely used by patients, and is monitored by fertility clinics to compare their own results with those of other clinics. The HFEA is now considering going further, saying 'we believe we could do more to collect and publish patient feedback about their experience of a particular clinic and we know that there is general support for this amongst both patients and professionals'.
The HFEA is currently examining various proposals for publishing patient feedback, which have drawn comparisons with TripAdvisor - the popular travel website which pioneered the use of customer reviews. Options being considered include asking patients to rate a clinic's service on a scale of 1-5, and asking 'would you recommend this service to friends and family?' (a question now used to assess patient experience throughout the NHS). Consideration has been given to soliciting free text feedback, but clinics have expressed concern and a compromise has now been proposed, whereby 'patients... select from a list of statements provided by the HFEA' and the results of this feedback are then represented as a 'word cloud'.
These plans are consistent with an emphasis on patient choice and patient empowerment in recent health policy. Since 2007, for example, the NHS Choices website has published patient feedback on NHS hospitals and services, in the form of both star ratings and free text. Last year the National Information Board, of which the HFEA is a member, issued proposals which take this approach further.
However, such an approach is contentious. TripAdvisor has attracted controversy, with critics questioning its ability to vouch for the honesty and reliability of customer reviews. And since more than half of all fertility treatment in the UK is carried out in the private sector, people writing and reading feedback may be customers as well as patients. The burden of verifying and standardising feedback could be prohibitively high, if this feedback is to be published by a statutory regulator.
This event will see experts with different perspectives debate the pros and cons of a TripAdvisor approach to fertility clinics. In the Progress Educational Trust tradition, much of the event's running time will be devoted to letting the audience put questions and comments to the speakers.
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Organized by:
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Progress Educational Trust |
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Invited Speakers:
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Professor Adam Balen (Chair of the British Fertility Society, and Consultant in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery at the Leeds Centre for Reproductive Medicine)
Antonia Foster (Senior Associate at Carter-Ruck)
Professor Sir Muir Gray (Director of Better Value Healthcare, former Chief Knowledge Officer for the NHS and founder of the NHS Choices website)
Susan Seenan (Chief Executive of Infertility Network UK, and Co-Chair of Fertility Fairness)
Juliet Tizzard (Director of Strategy and Corporate Affairs at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority)
[All of the speakers listed above are confirmed]
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Deadline for Abstracts:
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N/A
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Registration:
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This event is free to attend, but advance booking is required.
Please email Sandy Starr and he will add you to the attendee list.
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E-mail:
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sstarr@progress.org.uk
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