EVERY eligible IVF patient began receiving treatment within a year of being referred in Scotland, according to data.

Public Health Minister Joe Fitzpatrick welcomed the statistics, which he said showed Scotland was leading the way in providing fertility treatment on the NHS.

Between April and June the four IVF centres in Scotland - Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh - screened 373 eligible patients, up slightly from 370 in the first three months of 2018.

All of these patients were screened within nine months, while for more than four out of five (82.6%) this happened within six months.

Over the last year, 100% of eligible IVF patients have started treatment within 12 months, Public Health Minister Joe Fitzpatrick added.

In Scotland patients referred for IVF on the NHS can receive up to three full cycles of treatment free of charge - with the Scottish Goverrnment descibing this level of provision as the most generous in the UK.

Mr Fitzpatrick said: “Scotland continues to lead the way in the provision of NHS IVF treatment,”