Maternity provision in Banbury will be studied as part of a national investigation
15/09/2025
The investigation will look at the experiences of families such as those highlighted by the Keep The Horton general group
The Oxford University Hospitals Trust is one of 14 Trusts which will be studied as part of a national investigation into maternity and neonatal services. The Trust was responsible for downgrading the maternity provision at the Horton General Hospital to a midwife led birthing unit.
The news has been welcomed by both Banbury’s MP, Sean Woodcock, and campaigners who have been fighting for the restoration of full maternity services in Banbury.
The national investigation, which was announced in June by Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting, will be led by Baroness Valerie Amos.
The investigation will look at a range of services across the entire maternity system, following independent reviews across multiple trusts that have revealed a pattern of similar failings, with women’s voices ignored, safety concerns overlooked, and poor leadership creating toxic cultures.
The investigation will include understanding the lived experiences of families, reviewing the quality and safety of services, identifying the drivers and impact of inequalities and identifying barriers to making improvements.
Baroness Amos said: “It is vital that the voices of mothers and families are at the heart of this investigation from the very beginning.
“Their experiences – including those of fathers and non-birthing partners – will guide our work and shape the national recommendations we will publish. We will pay particular attention to the inequalities faced by Black and Asian women and by families from marginalised groups, whose voices have too often been overlooked.
“Our aims are to ensure the lived experiences of affected families are fully heard, to conduct and publish 14 local investigations of maternity and neonatal services, and to develop recommendations informed by these that will drive improvements across maternity and neonatal services nationwide.”
Sean Woodcock MP welcomed the news that the John Radcliffe Hospital Trust had been included in the national investigation. He said: “On taking office last July, one of the first things I did was stick the dossier into maternity failings, compiled by local Horton Hospital campaigners, on Wes Streeting’s desk.
“That the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has included the Oxford University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Baroness Amos’ review into Maternity failings is a recognition that the service has let down local mums for too long.”
In June 2024 the Keep The Horton General Group, together with local mum Beth Hopper, released a dossier of horrific birth experiences at the John Radcliffe Hospital, calling for the return of consultant-led maternity services in Banbury.
Keith Strangwood from Keep The Horton General said: “We’ve been making it very clear that since the Horton [full maternity] closed the John Radcliffe cannot cope. The dossier we released recently with the 50 cases in it was just the tip of the iceberg and there’s more cases coming in. Something has to be done.
“I’m hoping after this investigation that there’s some real action and that this group has actually got some teeth to insist that something is done afterwards, but with what’s going on politically, nationwide, it’ll come down to money, getting our hospital back up and running with the full service as it used to have up until 2016.
“Our group has been hitting brick wall after brick wall after brick wall for over 2 decades. The fight went through in 2008 and it was won. Then in 2016 they took the service away again permanently and we’ve been fighting since. This is now a glimmer of hope. This is the start of another march.”
Responding to the announcement Simon Crowther, Acting Chief Executive Officer at Oxford University Hospitals Trust, said: “We fully support this review and welcome the opportunity for independent scrutiny. We will work openly and constructively with the investigation team and will share all relevant data and information to assist in their work.
“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.
“We will continue to engage with our staff, patients, and community partners throughout this process.”
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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