Horton General Hospital maternity downgrade extended

The obstetric unit was re-designated as a midwifery led unit due to a shortage of doctors

A temporary downgrade of the obstetric unit at Horton General Hospital in Banbury has been extended for a second time.

It was re-designated a midwifery led unit on 3 October 2016 due to problems recruiting obstetric doctors.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has now extended the temporary downgrade beyond March 2017 following a review.

The move was made on safety grounds due to a shortage of obstetric doctors.

Documents published by Oxford University Hospitals Trust said only five out of the nine doctors needed are likely to be in place by the end of January.

It follows a previous review in October 2016 which extended the downgrade to March 2017.

Campaigners led a series of protests against plans to temporarily change maternity services

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

Campaigners and Banbury MP Victoria Prentis have raised concerns about how long it would take mothers to reach the John Radcliffe Hospital should they need to be transferred during pregnancy.

In October, Ms Prentis told the House of Commons: "If an emergency arises, or a woman simply changes her mind about having an epidural, our labouring mothers will have to be transferred by ambulance to Oxford, which is about 23 miles away.

"The traffic is dreadful and unpredictable; many of my constituents, myself included, go to enormous lengths to avoid driving into Oxford."

In December, there had been 38 births at the midwife led unit at Horton General Hospital since the downgrade, with five transfers to the John Radcliffe Hospital during labour which was "below the expected rate" according to Oxford University Hospitals Trust.

The trust has said a number of quality measures, in addition to the those it regularly reports on, have been agreed with health bosses to make sure any negative impact on patients as a result of the downgrade is identified early.