Day in the life of a HFEA clinical inspector: “Our job is to support clinic staff to provide the best service possible to patients on their journey”

I began my role as a clinical inspector in 2024 and love visiting clinics to meet the incredible people working so hard to make people’s dreams of a family a reality. But it’s not just about the inspection! There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes…

8:00

My day always starts with checking emails, noting any questions that may have come in from clinics and taking some time to re-evaluate my working week. Priorities can change daily, and it is important to be responsive to this. Today, I have received a clinic’s licence renewal application to review and check all the details are correct before accepting. I have also been allocated an inspection for next year, so I will need to liaise with my colleagues to arrange a date that is suitable for all of us.

9:00

Organisation is a key skill to have as an inspector. With around 135 HFEA licensed clinics shared between 16 inspectors, we often have to work on documents from multiple clinics at once. This morning, I email an agenda to a clinic expecting their licence renewal inspection in the next few weeks. This gives them an overview of what the day will entail, including the name of the inspectors attending and which guidance notes of the HFEA Code of Practice each of us will be concentrating on. I then send an email to our Chief Inspector and Director of Compliance detailing what the focus of this inspection will be.

My next task is to review some documents I have received from a different clinic in preparation for their mid-licence interim inspection. By law, clinics must be inspected at least every two years to ensure that they are continuing to provide safe, high-quality care. We request a selection of documents prior to the onsite visit as evidence of compliance with regulations. Any concerns found while reviewing these can then be followed up on the inspection day.

10:30

Today, we have a collective inspectors’ meeting where we discuss all things compliance. This can cover topics such as staffing and recruitment, learning and development opportunities, and what our targets and aims are for the year. By having these meetings fortnightly, we are all kept up to date with what is happening within the team, and it’s a nice way to see everyone together, albeit virtually! I’m the minute taker today, so I make my notes as the meeting goes on and will type them up and send to the team after the meeting.

11:00

We also have our monthly clinical inspector reflective discussion meeting today, to share learning from inspections and queries, as it is important that we are advising the same thing to all licensed clinics. We also review audit tools and templates that require updates and discuss any new professional guidance, which can then be circulated to clinics. As registered nurses and midwives, clinical inspectors can use these reflective discussions as evidence of up-to-date knowledge and effective practice for our Nursing and Midwifery Council revalidation, which must take place every three years, to maintain registration.

13:45

This afternoon I have a virtual meeting with the head counsellor of a clinic due an inspection. Many counsellors offer virtual appointments to their patients for ease of access and so, instead of asking them to travel to the clinic on the inspection day, it is easier to arrange an online meeting for any questions I may have for them.

One of my inspection reports has come back from Quality Assurance and so I spend some time gathering the documents required for the Executive Licensing Panel to consider the report. I send them across to the licensing team and update our performance spreadsheet, where we record whether we are meeting targets and deadlines.

15:00

Next up is a meeting with colleagues I am conducting an inspection with this week. We discuss any findings from our desk-based assessment, which is reviewing information in advance of an onsite visit, and whether there is anything we should focus on during the inspection. We are all travelling to the area the day before, so plan to meet for dinner in the evening. Being remote workers, we mostly see each other virtually so it’s always nice to catch up in person when we can. This week is a renewal inspection, with three inspectors attending. I’ll be reviewing the clinical activities in the clinic, so I may pop into theatre to watch an egg collection procedure. This is one of my favourite parts of an inspection – putting on scrubs and watching the interaction between staff and patients is always lovely to see.

15:30

At the end of the day, I check my emails again for anything that needs to take priority this week. I set my out of office message if needed so that anyone who contacts me while I am away can be signposted to one of my colleagues for support. We have an inspector ‘buddy’ system so that when I’m unavailable my named colleague will cover and vice versa. My buddy is a scientific inspector, which is helpful when lab queries come through! By 4pm I have wrapped up for the day and I log off.

Fertility and IVF is an incredible world to work in, and I feel very privileged to be part of such a friendly and knowledgeable team of inspectors at the HFEA. With the ever-growing demand for fertility treatments, as well as innovative technology and scientific developments, there is always something new to learn and include in our work. The inspection process is not about placing blame or trying to catch anyone out. Our job is to work together with clinic staff and support them to improve and provide the best service possible to patients on their emotional, and often challenging, journey.

About the author

Nicola is a registered midwife who attended the University of Hertfordshire to obtain her degree in Midwifery (BSc). Since qualifying in 2017, Nicola has worked in a variety of roles within maternity as part of the multi-disciplinary team, including labour wards, day assessment units, maternity theatres and recovery areas. Throughout her career, she has enhanced her knowledge by attending courses covering topics such as leadership, safeguarding, and Aquanatal teaching, as well as undertaking qualifications in hypnobirthing and Mental Health First Aid, with a passion for supporting people in the workplace and creating healthy working environments.