NEW FERTILITY CARE COORDINATORS IMPROVE PATIENT ACCESS
NEW FERTILITY CARE CO-ORDINATORS IMPROVE PATIENT ACCESS
A new pathway for patients receiving fertility treatment has been launched at Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM), providing an innovative single point of access to make their experience as seamless as possible.
Each patient is now given a dedicated ‘fertility care co-ordinator’ to act as their designated contact, affording direct access to the consultant, nurses and other medical professionals who are treating them.
Fertility care co-ordinator Cydney Chapman said: “What this means is that all patients now have one named individual on our team they can turn to with any questions, who will liaise directly with their consultant or specialist nurses and provide smooth connection at this very important time in their lives.
“We meet ‘our’ patients in person at the start of their treatment so they can put a face to our name, and we liaise with them after every appointment, and during treatment, and are available for them if they have any concerns.
“We act as a kind of go-between to ensure patients don’t have to repeat their story to a variety of different individuals. Our focus is on making them feel really well-supported and thoroughly looked after throughout their time with BCRM.
“It gives patients such confidence to be able to contact a familiar person, and they really appreciate that we can help them with any unknowns, especially the quick access to their consultant or other colleagues when necessary.
“The fertility care co-ordinators at BCRM are the most experienced patient advisors at the clinic, and the heart of our new role is this regular ongoing contact. There are six of us and we are each assigned to a number of specific consultants and have responsibility for liaising with the patients they’re treating.
“The doctors really like the new pathway too, because if they have any concerns about a patient they can quickly check in with us to get the latest update, knowing we can be relied on to put them in the picture.”
Infertility is more common than is generally realised, with around one in six couples needing to seek help for fertility problems. In the UK alone over 400,000 babies have now been born using IVF, and currently over 3% of all births are the result of fertility treatment - equating to roughly one child in every classroom.
BCRM is the longest established fertility clinic in Bristol, helping people from throughout the South West and Wales with fertility treatment for both private and NHS patients. The clinic is involved in innovative research and has one of the best success rates with IVF and other fertility treatments in the UK.
Free open evenings, which include the opportunity for a confidential one-to-once mini consultation, are held regularly throughout the year.
