Our work
How we represent forum members
- Conveying expert opinion in the field of fertility nursing.
- Leading across the breadth of our specialism whilst improving practice and delivery of care.
- Supporting the learning and developmental needs of members working within fertility nursing.
- Raising the professional profile and promoting the visibility of policy and practice in fertility nursing.
- Leading and influencing the public health agenda to promote high standards in fertility nursing care.
- Engaging with other stakeholder groups in assisted reproduction.
Read the Fertility Nursing Forum 2023 Charter
Contact
Our strategy
- Maintaining an effective fertility nurses committee.
- To deliver the Fertility Nursing forum conference annually.
- To contribute to the ongoing review of publications attached to the forum.
- To represent the RCN and fertility nursing on a number of national committees.
- To enhance membership of the forum.
- Contribute to RCN Congress annually.
- To commence work on new fertility projects.
- Support professional learning and development of fertility nursing community.
- Providing fertility nursing expertise and input to RCN.
- Engaging with fertility nurses to provide leadership and training.
What we are currently working on
- We are working jointly with the Midwifery Forum, and Women’s Health Forum on a position statement around supporting women with reproductive health needs, in the workplace.
- We are embarking on a new project to develop guidelines for nurses, midwives, registered nursing associate to best support women who have experienced early pregnancy loss.
- Creating guidelines for nurses developing skills in Ultrasound scanning in Fertility Care. This project is in collaboration with BFS and SING.
- Developing guidance for nurses working at Advanced level practice in Fertility Care.
- Joint meetings with representatives from BFS and SING continue in order to enhance collaboration and engagement in workstreams.
- We are currently planning our Fertility Nursing National Conference for Wednesday 2 October 2024.
- We are continue to representing RCN and the fertility nursing at a range of relevant national activities (see report below).
We are also running a series of fertility nursing mini seminars:
- 18 June 2024: 1-2pm, Fertility Complications and Management
- 11 September 2024: 1-2pm, Fertility Care and Mental wellbeing
- 3 December 2024: 1-2pm, Pregnancy Loss.
Recent activity
- Read our Fertility Nursing Forum Annual Report 2023.
- Fertility care provision for the UK (2023). This updated publication details the RCN’s position on the provision of fertility treatment in the UK.
- Transitions from Fertility to Maternity Care (2022). This guidance is primarily to raise awareness of possible pathways of care for women and others (their partners/support networks) as they travel through fertility treatment and pregnancy, and how they can best be supported by the health care professionals they encounter along their journey.
- An RCN Education and Career Progression Framework for Fertility Nursing (2024). This is a comprehensive framework highlighting recommended education and training pathways toward career development for fertility nursing. It can be used to facilitate a conversation and enable career development for all nurses and HCSWs in fertility services. See also: Impact Assessment of the Education and Career Progression Framework for Fertility Nursing.
- Fertility Preservation: RCN guidance for nursing staff [2024]. This publication provides information and guidance for nurses who are supporting and caring for those beginning treatment for potentially life-limiting diseases and those who may wish, for non-medical reasons, to defer having children until later in life.
- Fertility care and emotional wellbeing [RCN, 2020]. This guidance has been developed as a resource for all health care professionals in all areas of fertility care and acknowledges the differences between emotional support and wellbeing, implications counselling and therapeutic counselling.
Read our recent project completion and evaluation reports
- Project Completion and Evaluation Form - male factor fertility
- Project Completion and Evaluation Form - mini seminar series
- Consensus statement on RCN Education and Career Progression Framework for Fertility Nursing
- Fillable PDF on the RCN Education and Career Progression Framework for Fertility Nursing
Recent webinars
Fertility complications and management
Fertility immunology and the role of natural killer cells
Nutrition on a Fertility Journey
The ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ Fertility Nursing Forum invited Debi Cale, who is a registered Nutritional Therapist specialising in fertility, reproductive health for men and women, pre-conception and hormones, to discuss the importance of nutrition on a fertility journey. During the seminar Debi focused on foods, vitamins and minerals that will help to support reproductive health for both men and women and gave some great tips that nurses can pass onto their patients. Watch this 1 hour session chaired by Anne Howard, RCN Fertility Nursing Forum committee member to understand the importance of nutrition within a fertility journey.
The surrogacy law and what it means for clinics
Watch the 1 hour session, which was chaired by Francesca Steyn, Chair of the RCN Fertility Nursing Forum, to understand the draft surrogacy bill and learn more about the proposed changes.
Fertility care and emotional wellbeing
Making sense of women's health
Primary ovarian insufficiency in fertility care
Leading, collaborating, influencing
The RCN and its forums are invited to participate in many cross working and multidisciplinary workstreams. Below are a selection of some of the activities that members of the Fertility Nursing Forum are involved in on your behalf.
- . The RCN is represented on the HFEA professional organisations stakeholder group (PSG).
- Sally Cheshire CBE, outgoing Chair of the HFEA, acknowledges the role of the RCN Fertility Nursing Forum in combined efforts to improve fertility treatment and embryo research across the UK.
- . Human Fertility is the official journal of the RCN Fertility Nursing Forum.
- . Members represent the Fertility Nursing Forum at BFS meetings.
- . Members of the Fertility Nursing Forum sit on the steering committee of Fertility Fairness, which campaigns for people to have comprehensive and equal access to a full range of appropriate NHS investigations and treatments for infertility.
- . We continue to strengthen links with SING to increase access to education for fertility nurses.
- All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on surrogacy. Members of the RCN Fertility Nursing Forum are represented on this group.
Page last updated - 09/12/2024