SENIOR British health officials acted swiftly yesterday to end confusion over the continuing treatment of Ms Mandy Allwood, pregnant with octuplets.
A spokesman for King's College Hospital, London, confirmed that Ms Allwood (31), who became pregnant after taking fertility drugs, would be cared for by multiple birth specialist Prof Kypros Nicolaides.
Decisions on which health authority will foot the bill for the treatment it could cost £1 million - will be made later. An earlier decision by Solihull Health Authority banning Ms Allwood's treatment in London was dropped in the interests of her welfare and that of the babies.
Talks began between health administrators in the West Midlands and London on how the treatment would be paid for. King's College raised doubts about whether Ms Allwood could be looked after at the hospital before the funding was settled. Now the hospital has confirmed that Dr Nicolaides will continue caring for her.
Mr Chris Coe, head of communications, said: "She is going to be treated at King's College Hospital. The details of who is to pay have yet to be sorted out but both health authorities in London and Solihull have agreed that should it be their responsibility, they will pay.
Under NHS rules a local health authority becomes responsible for a patient after he or she lives in an area for three months. Ms Allwood has only recently moved from the West Midlands to London.
Solihull Health Authority had earlier refused to pay for her treatment in London since she could receive equally good treatment in Birmingham.
Yesterday's developments came after Prof Rod Griffiths, the West Midlands regional director of public health, met Ms Allwood, now 15 weeks pregnant.
Prof Griffiths said: "I've always been taught `See the patient, look after the patient and the rest follows from that'. If she was staying in Solihull or around Birmingham, I would have supported the line Solihull Health Authority took. But it is now clear that she is not."
A spokesman for the NHS executive in the West Midlands said: "What we are all putting first is her medical care, not the issue of funding."