South Yorkshire NHS cuts to IVF and gluten-free prescriptions risk worsening health inequality, watchdogs say

The South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (SYICB) unanimously agreed to cut the number of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles available on the NHS in South Yorkshire from one to two at a meeting on December 3, 2025.

At the same meeting, the board also decided to decommission prescriptions for gluten-free bread and mixes. Interim SYICB CEO Chris Edwards described both calls as “difficult decisions”.

Healthwatch Doncaster and Healthwatch Rotherham, two independent organisations tasked with holding health and social care services accountable, said people on lower incomes and with long‑term conditions would be worst affected by the recent SYICB decisions.

“Healthwatch Doncaster and Healthwatch Rotherham are deeply disappointed by the outcomes of the recent South Yorkshire ICB consultation on reducing IVF cycles and stopping gluten‑free prescriptions,” the organisations said in a joint statement.

The changes, which only apply to new referrals, will have a “significant” impact on future patients, the statement said.

Mr Edwards said the SYICB made the cuts in the face of a “difficult financial climate” and that the board has a “a responsibility to balance the needs of all our communities and ensure that we are delivering the best possible value for money within the resources available”.

However, the Healthwatch teams said the decisions were “set against the backdrop of existing health inequalities in South Yorkshire” which “risk deepening the challenges faced by the very people who rely on support the most”.

“Those on lower incomes, people with long‑term conditions, women seeking reproductive care, and individuals already experiencing barriers to good health will feel the impact most sharply,” they said.

“Healthwatch Doncaster and Healthwatch Rotherham will continue to advocate for policies that protect and prioritise those who are most vulnerable, ensuring that financial savings are not placed above the wellbeing and dignity of local people,” the statement finished.

The cuts to IVF services received significant public backlash, with two local authorities – the City of Doncaster Council and Sheffield City Council – expressing public opposition to the proposals during the 12-week consultation period.

A spokesperson for the Doncaster Labour Group said: “We support the right to a family and believe both individuals and couples should have fair access to fertility treatment which does not place residents in financial detriment or at risk of unsafe alternative methods.”

A motion opposing the cuts, proposed by Councillor Gemma Cobby, to full council in Doncaster in September 2025, received near-unanimous cross-party support.

Similarly, a statement from the Sheffield Labour Group called on the SYICB to “reconsider” the decision.

Mr Edwards said the IVF cuts were “an extremely tough choice”, but the SYICB revealed individual funding requests could be secured for more cycles in “exceptional circumstances”.

The decision to decommission gluten-free bread and mixes prescriptions, except for those “most at risk of clinical harm”, has received less attention.

However, Healthwatch Doncaster and Healthwatch Rotherham said the cut poses a financial burden for those who need it.

They said: “Gluten-free food remains significantly more expensive. People told us that removing prescriptions would hit those on the lowest incomes hardest, widening existing inequalities.”

The prescriptions are the “only treatment” for people with coeliac disease – an autoimmune condition where eating gluten prompts an immune response which damages the small intestine, preventing the absorption of nutrients.

“Unmanaged coeliac disease can lead to serious complications and costly hospital admissions; meaning short-term savings may create long-term expense,” the Healthwatch branches said.

The SYICB did not provide a direct response to the Healthwatch statement when approached by the LDRS.