Personalised treatment has always been at the heart of care at Bourn Hall, the world’s first IVF clinic. The pioneers realised that giving patients a place of sanctuary was as important as appropriate treatment and medication to secure successful IVF outcomes. Now the clinic has appointed Lee Willmott to manage the Patient Services team and drive forward the clinic’s commitment to the highest quality of patient care at every stage of the patient journey.
Lee was previously the Patient Advocacy Manager at Amgen and has a strong track record in the life-science and healthcare sectors. She has worked closely with patient groups and sees some of the recent changes to service delivery brought on by the pandemic – such as virtual appointments – as a distinct advantage for some patients, enabling patients to engage with their healthcare teams more flexibly.
Best possible outcome
She says: “Infertility puts a huge pressure on mental wellbeing and treatment undoubtedly creates a rollercoaster of emotions. The relationship that our team has with patients is critically important to ensure the best possible outcome.
“We are looking at how the changes made through necessity, can shape new initiatives to further improve the patient journey. For example, online appointments have made it much easier for couples to attend consultations together, but from separate locations, without needing to take time off work.
“We have also been running the Fertility Support Group, led by an independent fertility counsellor, virtually, and have found that attendance has increased as people can log in from home with networking supported by a social media platform moderated by patients themselves.
“The Bourn Hall team is passionate about helping people achieve their dream of creating their family. I am looking forward to supporting them by bringing my experiences gained from other healthcare sectors to this role.”
Personalised treatment
Lee will be based at Bourn Hall Cambridge and has overall responsibility for the patient services teams at Cambridge, Norwich and Wickford.
Dr Mike Macnamee, CEO of Bourn Hall, worked with the founders to develop the first generation of fertility medicines, innovation in treatment and laboratory techniques and has seen significant advances in embryology including recent work which is creating a greater understanding of egg and embryo development.
He welcomes Lee’s arrival: “Our knowledge of the science is increasing our ability to tailor personalised treatment, but of equal importance is the patient communication and support. Lee brings a rich combination of new skills to our team that will complement the medicine. We are delighted to have her on board.”
Fertility Fair 6th November
Bourn Hall Clinic is hosting a virtual Fertility Fair which is taking place throughout National Fertility Awareness Week. On Saturday November 6 there will also be the opportunity to ask questions in a live one-on-one confidential chat with specialist fertility nurses, fertility consultants, a nutritionist and patient support advisers.
During the week (1-6 November) visitors will be able to explore the different information booths and find out more about the main causes of infertility, as well as what they can do to boost their chances of a successful pregnancy.
To find out more and register for the event visit the Fertility Fair page.
