How would you make a complaint about your clinic?

[LRed]

I have been an IVF and IUI patient at a well-known private clinic in central London since 2020. Last month, my IUI cycle was abandoned due to the clinic’s negligence and they refuse to admit and try to cover it up.

After all those hormone injections and trips to the clinic, they missed my ovulation, despite all the scientific evidence and the fact that I told them about my ovulation positive tests in advance and begged them to believe me. In the end, a scan proved that I had ovulated and the cycle had to be abandoned.

First, the clinic ignored my ovulation test result and didn’t test my LH in time. Then, they made a bad judgement and a wrong decision of not triggering before it was too late. As a result of a series of negligent actions and wrong steps by the clinic, I lost one of my last few chances of trying to conceive (I am turning 44 in a few months).

They labelled my cycle as 'suboptimal cycle' and suggested that my leading egg could have just 'collapsed'. It is just a convenient narrative of denying the clinic's fault and failure. I feel it is disrespectable, disgraceful and immoral to cover it up when I am still grieving.

I have had ovulations for 33 years. I know what an ovulation looks like and feels like. I also know the ovulation test strips I use are amazingly accurate. They never fail. Or lie. Two weeks after my self-reported ovulation, my period started, which yet again proved that I was right about my ovulation timing.

I feel crushed physically, emotionally and financially. I have laid awake every night since the incident, in enormous grief and distress.

While the cycle cost us a lot of money, my partner and I also spent a huge amount of time and efforts into this IUI. We started prepping three months in advance by taking time off work for screening tests and taking expensive supplements.

When a fertility business makes a mistake like this, they are not just messing up the patients’ money and body. They are also crushing our last hope to have a family.

I made a complaint to the clinic. But they care about their own interests more than those of their patients. They cherry picked evidence and drew conclusions in their own favour. There was not a word of apology and not a penny of refund. They hope I will just give up and disappear, possibly like many other frustrated patients.

I know that the next step is to make a complaint to HFEA. But I understand that HFEA receives funds from large fertility factories including my clinic. So it could be tricky and hard. How did you make your complaint? Have you tried escalating your complaint with HFEA? Did you get any satisfaction or justice?

Many thanks for your advice.

[wool12]

I am so sorry to hear of the trouble you have had! What about complaining to the CQC? They will carry out inspections if needed. Is the clinic just a private clinic or also open to NHS patients?

[LRed in reply to wool12]

Hi, the clinic is just a private clinic I think. Thank you so much for the idea about CQC! I think I can use the their feedback form(cqc.org.uk/give-feedback-on....

[wool12 in reply to LRed]

Of course! I think you can complain directly to CQC and they take complaints seriously.

[Twiglet2]

I am so so sorry! It’s so frustrating when they don’t listen to you, the person who knows their body best! I had a bad experience once and started on the complaints journey but I decided just to move on and forget it as the only persons time and emotions it was taking up was mine. That’s not usually my stance and probs not what you wanted to hear, sorry 😢 I usually fight injustice at every turn but this journey is hard enough without adding in things that’s not going to change the past or the outcome. Perhaps pop a note in to HFEA if you think it will make you feel better but in my experience the best thing you can do is move on (and perhaps move clinics?) sending you love xx

[LRed in reply to Twiglet2]

Hi Twiglet2, sorry to hear that you have had bad experience too. That's exactly right - they don't listen to you. They can appear friendly and professional but in fact treat you like a piece of meat. I totally understand your reasons of moving on. I am aware of the cost of time and emotions. I am trying to treat the complaint journey as a job. I try to keep my emotional distance and do it with efficiency. That really helps. I believe in fairness and justice. It is so wrong for this horrible industry to treat vulnerable women badly. No other woman should suffer what I had to go through. I will try everything I can to fight injustice. xx

[Twiglet2 in reply to LRed]

Totally agree good luck lovely 🥰 🤗 you need to do what works best for you and for me it was letting it go to move on but everyone is different xxx

[StarsAllAround]

First you need to put your complaint in writing to the to the clinic and do a subject access request for all information they hold on you including any telephone calls email etc you have made to them. They will have a time frame that they need to respond in if they miss that deadline or you are not satisfied with their response you can then contact HFEA to investigate. Link below.

hfea.gov.uk/contact-us/maki...

Good luck 👍

[LRed in reply to StarsAllAround]

Thank you.