Review of Banbury maternity downgrade will happen - but health bosses 'cannot say when'

Keith Strangwood, chairman of Keep the Horton General (KTHG) told hospital and health service managers last week a review had been promised within two years of the downgrade being made permanent in 2018.

Since then, childbirth for many Banbury mothers has been marred by trouble and trauma caused by distance and the pressure on John Radcliffe Hospital. KTHE published a dossier of 50 horrendous birth trauma cases in June.

KTHG members met representatives of the Oxford University Hospitals Trust (OUH) and Integrated Care Board (ICB the regional NHS) on Friday.

OUH chief nurse Yvonne Christley responded to the dossier saying the OUH took its contents extremely seriously and actions had been taken. The Banbury Guardian hopes to analyse the presentation when it is received.

OUH Chief Medical Officer Andrew Brent said: “There are a lot of different stakeholders and interdependencies, including what will come from government around the latest NHS review, all of which will need to be taken into account. What (we) can't do today is say exactly what (the review) going to look like.”

He said due diligence must be done with stakeholders - including Keep the Horton General for the Horton catchment population.

After the meeting Mr Strangwood said: “In 2018 when the downgrade was confirmed, we were promised a review in two years’ time by Lou Patten, CEO of the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group – now part of the ICB. It has not happened and the population has increased by thousands of people.

"KTHG projections show the Horton catchment will grow from 160,000 in the mid 2000s to 405,000 by 2040.

“Oxfordshire’s population is going up at the same rate. The ICB and OUH must know that the JR, in its cramped quarters, will not be able to manage the number of births expected.

"So this review must be started as soon as possible so planning is done now to avoid disaster in future. Buildings, staffing and money all have to be achieved. That can’t be left until there are worse problems.”

Mr Strangwood warned that the second volume of the dossier of birth trauma contains more ‘never’ events.

"The first dossier was 50 cases from a small part of the Banbury population. How many more cases are there? How much trauma and despair has been suffered? Having a baby shouldn’t be a horror story, it is supposed to be a positive experience, bringing a new life into the world.

“Some of the cases in volume 2 of the dossier are far more serious than part one, so a review is a matter of urgency.

“We welcome actions put in place to resolve some issues but volume 2 of the dossier will show that it needs more than taxis for transport or getting glasses of water to mothers on the ward. It’s a question of life and death – that is what is at stake with not having obstetrics in Banbury.

“Unless they bring the JR closer to Banbury the only option is a second Oxfordshire obstetric service here in Banbury. This is what the preferred option of health professionals was in 2018. We need to go back to that as the obvious solution.”