New party launches petition to return full maternity services to Banbury

Simon Garrett, the newly-installed chair of Your Party North Oxfordshire, kicked off the Change.org petition at the weekend.

The newly formed branch covers an area from Banbury and Bicester down to Witney – areas whose families, they say, need accessible obstetric services to keep mothers and their babies safe.

Mr Garrett’s petition says: “The recent (Maternity and Neonatal report) by Baroness Amos has unveiled serious failings in maternity care across several hospitals, raising alarm bells about the adequacy of (maternity) provision in Oxfordshire.

“The decision to strip Horton General Hospital of its full maternity services has placed an immense burden on expecting mothers in Banbury and the surrounding areas. The stress and potential risk of travelling to Oxford for essential services can be overwhelming, especially in urgent situations.

"We believe it is vital to return these services to the Horton General to ensure that every woman has access to safe, high-quality, and local maternity care.

“Reinstating full maternity and obstetric services at the Horton General Hospital is not just a matter of convenience, it is a matter of safety and equity. Local healthcare facilities must be equipped to handle all aspects of maternity care to reduce the pressure on the John Radcliffe Hospital and improve outcomes for mothers and babies.”

Mr Garrett says the centralisation of services goes against the core NHS values of being within reasonable reach.

"It directly contradicts the core values of our healthcare system—to provide accessible and comprehensive care for all. With the growing population in Banbury, the importance of having fully-functional maternity services at Horton General cannot be overstated.

"It is vital that we prioritize the health and wellbeing of all families in Oxfordshire,” he says.

Mr Garrett urges residents to sign the petition, advocating for a healthcare system that serves everyone fairly and efficiently – one that ‘values lives over budgetary constraints’

Keep the Horton General group, which launched the Bring Back Births to Banbury campaign in 2024 said it encourages all efforts to persuade Oxford University Hospitals Trust and Thames Valley Integrated Care Board to return obstetrics to the Horton.

The group has published its full submission to the national maternity inquiry – see here.