CUTS to NHS services to save £1million a year, including scrapping free IVF for most couples in north Essex, have been approved.

The North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group also yesterday rubber-stamped plans to get rid of free vasectomies and female sterilisation, and stop gluten-free food prescriptions.

Overweight people and smokers could be denied certain surgeries unless they change their lifestyles.

Pam Green, director of transformation and strategy, said: “This is not what we got into the NHS to do, to cut services. We have to do this based on the need to support all of our population.”

The Clinical Commissioning Group needs to save £22million.

IVF will be cut for everyone except patients who are undergoing medical treatment which will leave them infertile, such as cancer treatments.

That was already brought in in Mid Essex last year.

Mum Lauren Goddard, 27, had twin sons Harry and Finlay through IVF on the NHS in 2012.

Without it, she and her husband Richard would not have been able to afford the two attempts it took them to conceive.

She said: “It feels very unfair when you find out you can’t have children. It is a real shame if people don’t get the option to at least try to become parents.”

Vasectomies will be stopped as soon as existing contracts with providers expire, and female sterilisation will also be dropped.

The clinical commissioning group carries out between 300 and 400 vasectomies a year, mainly to people over 40.

Ms Green said: “This is more about a lifestyle choice.”

Gluten-free products will no longer be prescribed. The clinical commissioning group said they can be found at supermarkets.

Smokers and the overweight will have to prove they have changed their lifestyles before being considered for surgery.

The exact details of what surgery this will affect were not available yesterday.

Some of the changes will come into effect immediately but others will be subject to consultation, which is expected to begin in the next fewweeks.

  • You can send feedback by emailing NEECCG.enquiries@ nhs.net or by writing to North East Essex CCG,    Primary Care Centre, Turner Road, Colchester, CO4 5JR.