Campaign groups welcome maternity care review

Maternity care at Oxford University Hospitals, including the John Radcliffe, has been criticised in recent years

Campaign groups calling for improved maternity care at an NHS Trust have said they are "pleased and relieved" it has been included in a national review.

Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) is one of 14 NHS Trusts that will have their services examined as part of a rapid review of maternity care in England, the government announced on Monday.

The Oxford trust's maternity services have come under scrutiny in recent years, with both the Families Failed by OUH Maternity Services and Keep the Horton General campaign groups, raising concerns over care.

In a statement, OUH said it would "fully support" the review and welcomed the opportunity for independent scrutiny.

Rebecca Matthews, from Families Failed by OUH Maternity Services, said they were "pleased and relieved" to see OUH included in the "long overdue" review.

The group, which was co-founded by Ms Matthews after she experienced what she described as a "traumatic" birth and inhumane post-natal care at the John Radcliffe Hospital, lists more than 620 families as members.

"We hope that the team will, as a priority, listen to the harmed families whose voices have been ignored and dismissed for so many years," she said of the upcoming inquiry.

"The trust has escaped scrutiny for too long. Now, finally, we hope it will be held accountable."

• Families want Oxford maternity care inquiry

• New mum says maternity treatment was 'humiliating'

• Campaigners tell harrowing childbirth stories

The Keep the Horton General (KTHG) campaign group added that it was "not surprised" to see OUH included in the review, after it shared more than 50 cases of traumatic childbirth experiences last year.

"This crisis was predicted by our campaign group, midwives, mothers and many others when the trust downgraded the Horton's consultant unit without consultation in 2016," the group said in a statement.

"We hope that any inquiry listens to our case, includes us in its investigation, and does not shy away from the obvious solutions."

It wants full maternity services to be reinstated at Horton General Hospital, in Banbury, after it was changed to a midwife-led unit in 2016.

The Horton General was changed to a midwife-led unit in 2016

Simon Crowther, acting chief executive officer at OUH, said: "We recognise that some families have experienced care that did not meet the high standards we strive for."

"To those families, we offer our sincerest apologies. We are listening, and we are determined to learn from every experience to ensure that no family feels unheard or unsupported."

"This review is an important step in a national effort to improve maternity care across the NHS."

"We are committed to playing our part in this journey – with openness, transparency, and a relentless focus on the safety and wellbeing of every woman and baby in our care," he added.

Announcing the local inquiries on Monday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said bereaved families had shown "extraordinary courage" in coming forward with issues dating back more than 15 years.

Baroness Amos, who will chair the review, added that she was committed to ensuring families affected by maternity care failures were heard and that the 14 investigations would lead to improvements nationwide.