30 March 2010
Spire Healthcare has announced the purchase of Harley Street’s London Fertility Centre.
The UK’s second largest private hospital provider is now managing the well-established fertility centre, a deal which forms the base of Spire’s strategy to become the major national private provider of fertility services in the UK. The acquisition comes just after the launch of IVF Scotland – a comprehensive fertility service at the new Spire Shawfair Park Hospital in Edinburgh.
Dr Fergus Macpherson, Spire Healthcare’s National Head of Pathology, has been appointed to oversee the London Fertility Centre; he says the fragmented fertility market offers significant opportunities.
“The fertility business has shown steady growth and demographic changes suggest this will continue forward, however Spire plans to build on it significantly by growing the core London and satellite markets.”
London Fertility Centre already operates a hub and spoke model with clinicians and hospitals across the south of England, creating major scope for Spire to establish satellite fertility clinics in some of its 37 hospitals across the UK.
“Opening satellite fertility services, with support from the London Fertility Centre and IVF Scotland, is expected to drive growth in general gynaecology volumes in our hospitals. The premises on Harley Street also give Spire a central London presence and we will have scope for offering services beyond fertility from our base there.”
London Fertility Centre offers comprehensive assisted conception treatment services including preimplantation genetic screening and diagnosis (PGS and PGD), gamete donation and surrogacy treatment services, and operates its own donor sperm bank. It opened state-of-the-art laboratory and treatment facilities in September 2008 and is run by a team of dedicated, high calibre staff.