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ICB responds following Horton maternity campaigners’ demonstration
21/08/2024
The board says residents’ concerns surrounding the Horton remain a priority for them
The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (ICB) have responded to a number of questions they were asked at their last meeting in relation to the future of the Horton General and the return of a full consultant led maternity service to the hospital.
The ICB are the decision makers who oversee our local NHS services. In July campaigners demanding the return of full obstetrics to the Horton General Hospital demonstrated outside Cherwell District Council’s offices, where the board were meeting. They were handed a dossier with details of 50 harrowing birth trauma cases which have occurred since maternity services at the Horton General were downgraded.
Keith Strangwood, Chairman of the Keep The Horton General Group, asked for details of a senior level vision for the future of the Horton General and a response to the findings of the birth trauma dossier.
The IBC said it is in regular discussion with senior partners at NHS England in regard to commissioning and delivery strategies “to ensure the best possible outcomes for patients in its Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West area”.
They added: “Residents’ concerns surrounding the Horton remain a priority in these discussions, including the changes to the provision of obstetric services.”
In relation to the dossier, the board said that Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust had conducted a thorough review of the 50 cases and were having ongoing discussions with them about the findings and next steps. The board “are committed to keeping the community informed of any developments”.
The dossier’s author, Beth Hopper, asked what steps had been taken to increase the number of Obstetricians and Midwives and how do staffing levels compare to when the Horton’s maternity service was downgraded in 2016.
The board responded that they had been assured Oxford University Hospitals Trust had adopted national recommendations for staffing, but were unable to provide the relevant staffing comparison numbers at the start and end of the eight year period.
“Staffing level requirements for obstetricians and midwives are calculated using nationally recommended workforce tools,” they wrote. “Between 2016 and 2024 these tools and recommended staffing ratios have varied due to changing national recommendations such as those in the Ockenden report and changing strategic direction such as Better Births therefore it is not possible to make a meaningful comparison.”
They added that information in the dossier would be used to inform any potential future strategic review of maternity services.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam