Care board 'very sorry' to hear of traumatic births

Campaigners held a protest calling on the care board to bring back maternity services

An NHS care group has said it is sorry to hear of patients receiving poor maternity care.

Keep the Horton General campaigners want full maternity services to be reinstated at the Banbury hospital after it was changed to a midwife-led unit.

The campaigners held a protest earlier calling on the board to bring back the service.

The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB) said it was working closely with Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) to review the situation.

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

The re-designation of the obstetric unit in 2016 has meant expectant mothers needing doctors present at birth have had to travel to other hospitals, like the John Radcliffe (JR) Hospital in Oxford.

Speaking outside the meeting at Bodicote House, in Banbury, protest organiser Beth Hopper, who helped put together a dossier documenting the care of 50 women, told the BBC: "Banbury is a rapidly growing town and mothers are experiencing birth trauma, difficulty getting to the JR to give birth, and suffering from PTSD following the care they’ve received at the John Radcliffe.

"It’s apparent the John Radcliffe can’t cope with the excess births that it’s having to deal with following the downgrade of the Horton."

She added: "They have the power to reinstate a maternity unit in Oxfordshire, so now they are aware of the dossier hopefully they’ve had time to read it and will listen to mothers because this is just the tip of the iceberg.

"We’re having more and more come forward and we’re starting a volume two of the dossier."

Andrea Ellis, from Banbury, contributed to the dossier. She suffered a miscarriage in July 2020, during the Covid pandemic.

She called on the board to "put your money where your mouth is and actually help the people of Banbury".

Campaigners argue that mothers are being traumatised by having to travel out of town to get care

In a statement, Nick Broughton, interim chief executive at BOB ICB, said: "We are sorry to hear of the poor experience of care described in the dossier and we are working closely with Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust which is reviewing the cases.

"A full response will be provided once this review process is completed."

He said he also hoped to talk with Keep the Horton General campaigners in a joint meeting with OUH.

Yvonne Christley, chief nursing officer at OUH, said: "The safety and wellbeing of mothers and babies in our care is our top priority, and we sincerely apologise to any women who may not have received the expected level of care.

"We have received a document from Keep the Horton General campaign group, and we will be reviewing its contents.

"We encourage anyone concerned about the care they have received to get in touch by talking to the team looking after them or by contacting our complaints team.

"As a trust, we want to listen, learn, and make improvements based on the feedback we receive.

"Our Birth Reflections Service also supports women who have had a difficult birthing experience, and we encourage any woman who requires assistance to reach out for support."