Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley visited the hospital today(Wednesday) where he toured the hospital, spoke to staff and trust bosses to discuss the hospital's operation problems and met the teams seeking long-term solutions.

These included campaigners George Parish and Dr Peter Fisher and members of the community forum interested in finding alternatives to the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust's plans to move full maternity and children's services from the Horton to Oxford.

"Many of the reconfiguration proposals seemed to me and David Cameron as not evidence-based in respect of the express wishes of the community and GPs. Happily the IRP (Independent Reconfiguration Panel] said no," he said.

Mr Lansley said services could not be decommissioned if GPs – who are soon to be given more responsibility for commissioning hospital services for their patients – wanted them to remain.

"I feel very strongly that if you shut down obstetric services then consequently access to choices will be incapable of being delivered," he said.