Multi-million pound IVF clinic opens at office park

A new IVF clinic that will help bring the gift of children to thousands of couples across the Humber region and beyond has been officially launched.

The multi-million pound state-of-the-art clinic, based at Hesslewood Office Park, Ferriby Road, Hessle, has been developed by The Hull IVF Unit after the clinic outgrew its previous base at the Women & Children’s Hospital on Anlaby Road, Hull.

Along with the change of location, the company is also changing its name to better reflect the broad range of services it offers as well as the increased number of couples it will be able to treat from its new, more accessible base.

The clinic will now be known as Hull & East Riding Fertility rather than The Hull IVF Unit, which it was founded as in 1986.

Philip Robinson, managing director of Hull & East Riding Fertility, said the facility would enable the clinic to treat more than 1,000 patients each year – a large increase on its previous capacity.

The purpose-built base also allows for the use of more advanced technologies which provide a greater number of treatment options to couples experiencing fertility issues.

Robinson said: “There is an increasing demand for fertility services, and we identified three or four years ago that we would need to expand our facilities if we were going to help as many people as possible struggling to conceive.

“We also wanted to create a facility that would be able to serve patients from a greater geographical area, giving the people beyond this region access to world-class fertility services.

“We feel our new base in its very tranquil surroundings at Hesslewood Office Park fulfils these objectives perfectly.

“We will be capable of providing treatments to many more patients a year, and its location west of the city centre makes it much more accessible to people from the east side of Leeds, York, and from the south bank.”

The Hull IVF programme was founded by Dr John Robinson, a clinical scientist then at the University of Hull, in 1986, along with two NHS consultant obstetrician and gynaecologists, Mr Alan Gordon and Mr Douglas Hay, at the Princess Royal Hospital. In 2003 it moved to the Women & Children’s Hospital.

The latest move marks a new chapter in the history of clinic, which is one of the longest established IVF facilities in the UK.

Dr Robinson said: “Our aim from the start was to establish a centre of excellence in the field of IVF, serving the people of East Yorkshire.

“Over the years, the facility has enabled countless couples to have children who otherwise might not have had that chance, and that is a source of considerable pride for everyone who has worked here.”

The new facility current employs 28 people; new jobs are likely to be created as the clinic expands.

Where possible, Hull & East Riding Fertility employed local businesses to work on the development, including main contractor, Hull-based Hobson and Porter.