IVI London re-opens after the pandemic: Find out what the return to our clinic will be like

IVI London re-opens after the pandemic: Find out what the return to our clinic will be like

• Measuring the temperature before entering the clinic, providing masks and marking safe distances in the clinic are some of the safety measures taken in our assisted reproduction clinics
• All our laboratories are prepared to work with type 2 infectious agents, such as SARS-CoV-2 so there is no risk in this area.

Many of you have had to stop your assisted reproduction treatments because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And, throughout the confinement, many of you have asked us about the return to fertility treatments. Today we can confirm that the HFEA will allow clinics like IVI London to apply to reopen.

The return to activity will be progressive, for which we will assess each case individually and above all we will take the necessary safety and preventive measures to protect both the health of our patients and our staff.

Safety and Preventive Measures against COVID19

IVI London will individually contact the patients who had their treatment suspended.
 
For those who come to the clinic, very strict guidelines will be established to prevent contagious patients coming to our centres. One of the most important drives at IVI has always been to achieve healthy babies and, in addition to the already strict safety and control protocols, we are going to add all the relevant safety measures recommended to minimize the risks of infection. Therefore, if you are a patient, before coming to the clinic, you should comply with the following:

• Do not come to the clinic if you have or have had a fever, cough, respiratory symptoms or a sudden absence of smell or taste in the past 14 days, and please tell your doctor. From the clinic we will be in contact with you to follow your evolution and provide you with a new appointment as soon as possible.
• Do not come for an appointment if you have been in contact with someone with a diagnosis or suspicion of COVID in the last 14 days, and please tell your doctor.
• Whenever possible, go unaccompanied, unless you have been instructed otherwise.
• Be on time, but try to stick to your appointment time so you do not stay in the clinic longer than necessary.
• Come wearing a mask or other type of facial covering.

Once at the clinic:

• The patient’s temperature will be taken and, if the patient has a temperature over 37.8 degrees, the appointment will be rescheduled.
• Masks will be provided to patients if they do not have them, they will be asked to dispose of gloves if they have brought them from outside, doses of disinfectant gel will be provided, and they will be reminded of safety distances, which will be indicated in all areas of the clinic, among others.
• We would kindly ask that you make all your payments by card, through the gateway payments or by bank transfer to avoid handling cash

Will I be tested for COVID-19?

In addition to the prevention measures mentioned above, all patients will undergo serological tests at the start of the treatment to determine their immunological status regarding the Coronavirus, to find out whether they have antibodies to COVID-19 or not, that is whether they have had the disease. And before any puncture, insemination or embryo transfer, a PCR test will be carried out, taking a nasopharyngeal sample, to avoid any risk of infection during the procedure and to check that the patient is not infected prior to all the actions described.

Telemedicine, a reality in our clinics

All of you who wished to have your first visits online throughout the confinement were able to do so without any inconvenience, our fertility specialists were there to serve you. If you still prefer to have a first online consultation, you can do so either by making an appointment on our website or by calling us on 0800 52 00 161.
At IVI, we had been preparing for telemedicine for a long time, but now more than ever, the first online visit is here to stay.

Our duty is to prevent the return to our daily activities leading to an increase in infection rates, which is why at IVI we are following all the necessary evidence-based measures established by the relevant scientific organizations. It is important that you help us to comply with all of these measures.