Banbury MP Sean Woodcock has praised recent improvements at the Horton General Hospital and invited Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to visit the town and see the changes for himself.

The Banbury MP extended the invitation during Prime Minister's Questions today (June 10).

The offer came following the upgrading of the Horton General Hospital’s midwife-led maternity unit by the Care Quality Commission.

Previously, the unit had been rated as ‘as requires improvement’, but following a recent inspection, the unit has been upgraded to 'good'.

Sean Woodcock has invited Keir Starmer to Banbury to see the improvements at the Horton General Hospital.

placeholder image — Sean Woodcock has invited Keir Starmer to Banbury to see the improvements at the Horton General Hospital.

Horton midwife-led maternity, Banbury is upgraded to 'good' - some improvements ...

Mr Woodcock said: “Maternity care in North Oxfordshire declined under the previous government, with the loss of consultant-led services at the Horton Hospital, where I was born, and serious failings by the trust, which are now part of Baroness Amos’ enquiry.

“However, last week the Care Quality Commission upgraded the Horton maternity unit to good.

“Will the Prime Minister visit the Horton Hospital in Banbury to see the change that this government’s £3.3million investment into that hospital has delivered since July 2024?”

The Prime Minister didn’t respond to the invitation but said he was pleased to hear of the improvements in Banbury and acknowledged there is still more to do to improve maternity services across the NHS.

He said: “I’m pleased that his (Sean Woodcock’s) local maternity services are seeing improvements. We now have a record number of midwives working in the NHS, and we are investing over £150million to address critical safety risks.

“There is much more that we need to do so every mother is listened to and receives outstanding care. The recommendations for the Amos enquiry will be published shortly, and we will act to deliver lasting change.”

Following Prime Minister’s Questions Sean Woodcock said: “One of the first things I did on coming into office as MP was put the Keep the Horton General dossier on failed maternity care in Oxfordshire on the desk of Wes Streeting.

“From that, we've had the inclusion of OUHT in the national enquiry into maternity care and had over £100,000 of extra funding for improving maternity provision at the Horton Hospital.

“I was pleased to invite the Prime Minister to come to Banbury and see the changes that have been made as a result of this. I will continue to push for better outcomes for mothers and children in North Oxfordshire."