Banbury maternity unit puts babies at risk of harm, watchdog says

Maternity services at the Horton have been rated as 'requires improvement' by the CQC

Babies are at risk of harm at a maternity unit deemed to have "poor governance and ineffective systems", the health watchdog has said.

The facility at Horton General Hospital in Banbury, Oxfordshire, has been told by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that it requires improvement.

It is the first time the unit has been graded in its own right since being downgraded to a midwife-led service, which prompted angry protests in 2017.

The hospital said it was improving.

Inspectors visited the ward run by Oxford University Hospital (OUH) in October.

Campaigners protested against the downgrading of the maternity unit in 2017

It had previously only been evaluated in conjunction with the gynaecology department.

Carolyn Jenkinson, the CQC's deputy director of secondary and specialist care, said: "When we inspected maternity services at Horton General Hospital we found a service with poor governance and ineffective systems and processes which meant women, people using the service and their babies could be put at risk of harm."

She said a "lack of oversight meant leaders weren't always able to identify issues or make improvements when issues were found".

It was also "concerning that safety equipment wasn't always checked regularly", she added.

The downgrading of the unit in 2017 followed years of campaigning against the then-proposed changes, with an estimated 5,000 people encircling the hospital in protest about the downgrading of maternity services in 2015.

The report criticised the maternity unit's "ineffective systems"

Keith Strangwood, chairman of Keep the Horton General campaign group, said the CQC report was "saying what we've been saying for years".

The hospital as a whole was also downgraded from "good" to "requires improvement".

Milica Redfearn, director of midwifery at OUH, said: "We are disappointed by this result but we always welcome feedback on ways to improve our services and we will work with staff, women, and birthing people to make the improvements suggested."

Prof Meghana Pandit, chief executive officer at OUH, said that "as a learning organisation we will improve services along the lines highlighted in the report", and that the trust's commitment to the Horton was "unwavering".

She added: "Although this new rating is a setback, we are immensely proud of our local hospital, the services it provides, and our wonderful staff."

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