PLANS to give more couples access to free NHS fertility treatment have been welcomed in the region.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) has recommended wider access to NHS treatment for infertility.

The move is expected to lead to a large increase in the number of North-East and North Yorkshire couples applying for NHS treatment.

It will also bring to an end what has been called a postcode lottery in the region, with couples living within a few miles of each other facing different rules.

One of the areas which would benefit would be County Durham, where a decision to invest money in other services has led to couples facing an eight-year wait for NHS treatment.

Elsewhere in the region, couples from Gateshead and South Tyneside are usually seen within months of being referred. Some areas, including the whole of Tees-side, allow only one free treatment cycle.

Couples from North Durham are given one treatment cycle and then go to the back of the queue before qualifying for a second turn.

The draft guidelines - which are expected to be confirmed next February - say that women aged between 23 and 30 should receive free IVF (in vitro fertilisation) treatment.

Currently, the upper age limit varies from 35 in North Yorkshire, to 38 on Wearside while women in County Durham, Teesside and Tyneside can be treated up to 40.

Peter Kelly, director of public health with Middlesbrough Primary Care Trust, said: "This is definitely a welcome move. It means everyone is clear about what they are entitled to."

His view was echoed by Professor Alison Murdoch, consultant gynaecologist at Newcastle's Centre for Life, who said the move was "a very important step forward" for infertile couples.

Fears have been voiced that the move will lead to cuts in other areas. But Mr Kelly said he thought this was highly unlikely.

"Everyone is getting year-on-year increases," he said. " If you ask me if this will mean will we have to stop doing something else, I really don't think so."

Apart from giving couples two extra free treatment cycles the improved access to NHS facilities would probably encourage more couples to come forward, he said.

But a spokeswoman for Derwentside Primary Care Trust said they would have to look at funding extra fertility treatment "in the context of our competing demands for resources".