The Lister Fertility Clinic, Chelsea Egg Freezing Review

The Lister Fertility Clinic recorded 638 egg storage cycles across 463 patients in 2023, the second-highest verified volume of any London clinic that year (HFEA, 2026). Part of HCA Healthcare and one of the longer-established names in London fertility care, it's also one of the ten clinics covered in our full London comparison guide, which puts all ten side by side on cost, HFEA ratings and activity volume.

The basics

The Lister Fertility Clinic was established in 1988 by Mr Hossam Abdalla, described by the clinic as a pioneer in the field (HCA Healthcare UK, n.d.-a). It now operates under Medical Director Mr James Nicopoullos, treating around 2,000 couples a year across its network, and states it has contributed to more than 23,000 births since opening. Alongside the flagship Chelsea site at The Lister Hospital, the group runs satellite clinics including one at The Portland Hospital (covered separately in this series), Beaconsfield, The Shard and Canary Wharf, with seven-day-a-week scheduling for time-sensitive stages like egg collection.

What the HFEA says

• Inspection rating: 5/5, from an inspection dated 30 August 2022 (HFEA, n.d.).
• Licence status: Licensed until 28 February 2027, with the clinic holding an HFEA licence since 1992 (HFEA, n.d.).
• Patient rating: 5/5, based on 26 patient ratings, with particularly strong scores for privacy, dignity and empathy from staff (HFEA, n.d.).
• 2023 activity: 638 egg storage cycles across 463 patients (HFEA, 2026).

Its Google rating sits noticeably lower than its HFEA scores: 3.4/5 from 131 reviews. That gap between an official, audited HFEA patient rating and an open, unaudited Google rating is worth reading into directly rather than averaging away, since recent public reviews for this clinic include a data-handling complaint. Read a spread of the actual reviews yourself before drawing conclusions from either number alone.

How it compares in this series

Across the ten highest-volume London clinics covered in our comparison guide, The Lister Fertility Clinic sits second by verified 2023 activity, behind only London Women's Clinic, and its 5/5 HFEA inspection rating and 5/5 patient rating both sit at the top of the range. Where it stands out less favourably is its Google rating: at 3.4/5, it's among the lower scores in the series, closer to Guy's and St Thomas' (2.8/5) than to the 4.5-plus scores at CRGH or Aria Fertility. That combination, strong regulator-audited data alongside a weaker open-review score, is unusual enough among these ten clinics to be worth sitting with rather than averaging away.

What it actually costs

HCA doesn't publish a fixed egg freezing price on its main Lister Fertility Clinic pages; instead it directs patients to a separate price list and promises "a clear and transparent quote outlining exactly what's included" (HCA Healthcare UK, n.d.-b). Based on that price list, egg freezing cycles start from £4,130, which the clinic states covers the pre-treatment nurse consultation, counselling, the HFEA fee, monitoring, egg collection, vitrification and the first year of storage. Medication and blood tests are charged separately, in line with the pattern across most London clinics covered in our full cost breakdown.

The clinic partners with Access Fertility and Assured Fertility for payment plans, and offers free counselling at any stage of treatment, worth factoring in if that support matters to you during the process.

Track record and things to check

Neither the Lister Fertility Clinic nor HCA has published its own peer-reviewed outcome data for this site, unlike some other clinics in this series. The broader academic literature is worth keeping in mind regardless of which clinic you choose: a large individual patient data meta-analysis found that live birth rates after egg freezing depend heavily on age at freezing, a factor no clinic's own marketing can change (Cil, Bang and Oktay, 2013).

This is one of the older, larger-scale operations on this list, with a self-reported 23,000 births since 1988 and roughly 2,000 couples treated a year across its network. That scale can mean broader appointment availability, but it also means treatment may involve a rotating team rather than a single consultant throughout, worth asking about directly if continuity of care matters to you.

The gap between its HFEA and Google ratings is the single most notable thing about this clinic's public data. A 5/5 HFEA patient rating from 26 respondents sits alongside a 3.4/5 Google rating from 131 reviews, a meaningfully larger sample. Neither number alone tells the full story: the HFEA rating reflects a structured survey with specific categories, while Google reflects whoever chose to leave an unprompted review. It's worth reading both in context rather than picking whichever is more convenient.

Confirm which site you're booking. The group's Portland Hospital satellite clinic, covered separately in this series, holds its own distinct HFEA licence and has a considerably higher Google rating (4.3/5) than the Chelsea flagship. The two shouldn't be assumed to offer the same experience.

Questions worth asking this clinic specifically

• Given the gap between the HFEA patient rating and the Google rating, can I speak to recent patients or read verified reviews directly?
• Will I see the same consultant throughout my cycle, or a rotating team, given the clinic's scale?
• What is included in the £4,130 starting price, and what is the realistic all-in total once medication and blood tests are added?
• What data-handling and privacy safeguards are currently in place, given the complaint referenced in recent public reviews?

Who this might suit

Patients who want a well-established, large-scale provider with flexible scheduling and multiple London locations may find this clinic's infrastructure appealing. Given the public rating gap, it's worth doing more of your own diligence here than usual, reading recent reviews directly and asking the clinic pointed questions about continuity of care and current service standards, rather than relying on the HFEA patient rating in isolation.

This article is general information, not a personal recommendation of this or any clinic. Prices, ratings, activity volumes and inspection outcomes change; always confirm current figures directly with the clinic and via the HFEA's own clinic-search tool before booking.