HFEA visits Bourn Hall, “home of IVF”
21 Jan 2016
It was a pleasure to meet Sally Cheshire and Peter Thompson of the HFEA, and to show them around Bourn Hall, the world’s first IVF clinic.
Sally Cheshire is Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which is the independent regulator for the UK’s IVF clinics.
She comments: “At the HFEA we want everyone affected by assisted reproduction to get the best possible care,
“Bourn Hall has been at the forefront of high quality care since it’s founders helped create the first IVF baby Louise Brown nearly 40 years ago.
“Its consistently excellent inspection reports show that it has maintained that standard ever since, and it was a pleasure meeting the staff today, touring the centre, and hearing about the clinic’s plans for the future.”
The HFEA licenses fertility clinics and centres carrying out in vitro fertilisation (IVF), other assisted conception procedures and human embryo research.
HFEA visits Bourn Hall
Sally and Peter Thompson, HFEA Chief Executive, have visited about 10 clinics so far and are keen to meet staff and share good ideas and best practice.
Dr Mike Macnamee, CEO of Bourn Hall, worked with IVF pioneers Steptoe and Edwards in the early days of the clinic as a young researcher and he was delighted to give a tour of the clinic including the study where Steptoe worked and the embryology lab which has seen many world firsts.
He says: “It is always good to put faces to names and it was great to have the opportunity to meet Sally and Peter informally in this way.”
If you are unable to play the video above you can view it on YouTube here.
Peter Thompson and Sally Cheshire from the HFEA meet Mike Macnamee of Bourn Hall Clinic
Find out how can we help you
Book a consultation call with our team to find out how Bourn Hall can help you on your fertility journey
Latest articles
Does your company have a Fertility Policy?
Your boss may be the last person you want to tell about your fertility problems…
Bedfordshire mum’s baby joy after ‘grief cycle’ of infertility
“It was like a grief cycle every month, it was so draining,” says Megan from…
Suffolk mum shares her story of joy following the ‘trauma of infertility’
“I still feel emotional when I think back to how sad I felt when we…
Patient reviews you can trust
Genuine experiences from real patients. See why so many trust us with their fertility care.
“We went to an open evening at Bourn Hall Wickford and came away feeling really positive about the place. The staff were really friendly and the presentation was clear about the statistics regarding success rates and live birth rates; their data was very transparent. We came away feeling like we would really be looked after.”
Katy and Leigh are parents to Charlie after IVF
Patient 2023
“We chose to make an appointment at Bourn Hall Wickford because of the favourable reviews. When we got there and met the staff they were just so lovely, making us feel welcome and explaining to us what tests would need to be done and what our options were; we just thought ‘yes, let’s get the ball rolling!”
Jess and Fran are mums to Nathan after IVF with donor sperm
Patient 2023