Politicians of all parties back campaign call for return of full maternity services to Horton, Banbury

Banbury MP Sean Woodcock joined Conservatives and Liberal Democrats and Chipping Norton Town Council’s deputy mayor at the launch of a new campaign banner last week.

The banner has been produced by the Keep the Horton General (KTHG) group, which this summer published a dossier of 50 cases of birth trauma suffered by Banbury area mothers who had to give birth at the overwhelmed JR Hospital, Oxford.

The Horton’s consultant-led maternity service was removed without public consultation in 2016. Since then almost all of the 1750 – 2000 births each year have had to be managed in Oxford. Mothers reported PTSD and horrific experience of traumatic childbirth and miscarriage in the current system.

Mr Woodcock said: “I’m fully supportive of the campaign. I made the Horton a priority during the election and I want to do what I can to improve the Horton and bring consultant-led maternity back here.

"You only have to look around to see the development there has been around Banbury. It’s a growth area and we need the best services we can get at the Horton.

"Maternity services across the country are particularly in a bad way, so it's going to be difficult. I think we need everyone in Banbury behind us,” he said.

“Maternity services need wholesale change and I’m going to push to ensure the Horton Hospital and maternity unit here have a place in that.”

Cllr Keiron Mallon, Oxfordshire and Cherwell Conservative councillor said: “I've been a member of the of the KTHG group or a supporter for 30 years and I was chairman of the Horton Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, trying to bring maternity back. This is vitally important. Banbury and the surrounding villages are getting more and more houses, more people. That means more births and a 40-, 50- in some cases, 60-minute drive to to Oxford is not good enough.

"We deserve to have full facilities at the Horton which covers three counties, north Oxfordshire, south Warwickshire and parts of Northamptonshire.

"The JR has at certain times not been able to cope with the sheer volume of people going into it. You have to wipe out a complete day to get there. If you have services here, if you live in the villages around Banbury, it's a five or ten minute drive. Hats off to Keep the Horton.”

Cllr Chris Brant, (Lib Dem) deputising for Cherwell leader David Hingley, said: “As the administration for Cherwell we completely understand people’s extreme worries. With the growth in north Oxfordshire and we need the infrastructure. That’s why we support this campaign here today and we stand with the community on this.”

Steve Akers, deputy mayor of Chipping Norton, said: “The retention of the Cotswold midwife unit in Chipping Norton remains a priority but in general terms in Banburyshire of which Chippy is fully a part we never wanted to see the loss of a full maternity service at the Horton and we’re very pleased to support the campaign.

"The full obstetrics and gynaecological service and consultant-led maternity can’t come back to the Horton a moment too soon.”

Cherwell Green Party also expressed support for the campaign.