CQC lifts maternity rating to “good”
04/06/2026
Some issues remained, but leaders were working to address them
Ratings for Maternity Services at both the Horton General Hospital and the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford have been lifted to “good” following the latest inspection by The Care Quality Commission.
A previous damning report had rated them “Requires Improvement”.
The latest inspection was carried out in October last year.
Despite the improvement the Care Quality Commission noted that at the Horton some issues from their previous inspection remained, although leaders at the Oxford University Hospitals Trust had full oversight and were actively working to address them.
Simon Crowther, Interim Chief Executive Officer, said: “This progress reflects the commitment of our staff to the women, babies and families in their care, and provides a strong foundation for the further improvements we now need to deliver.
“As an organisation that values learning and continuous improvement, we are committed to working on the areas for improvement which the CQC has identified in the inspection reports published today.”
In their report inspectors from the Commission noted caring and supportive staff who treated women as individuals and involved them in decisions about their care.
They recognised a clear commitment to reducing inequalities across both services, including outreach provision for vulnerable migrant women and specialist support for women with mental health needs.
Inspectors also noted that processes for learning from incidents had been strengthened to inform staff training and development.
Mr Crowther added: “We remain committed to driving further improvement and will continue to work closely with women, families, staff and partner organisations to deliver the safe, high quality care that our service users, families and communities deserve.”
The result lifts the overall rating for the Horton General Hospital site to “Good”.
Banbury’s MP Sean Woodcock noted the improvement. He said: “Maternity services in North Oxfordshire deteriorated under the previous government, exemplified by the closure of consultant-led services and the Keep the Horton General Hospital dossier showing multiple failings by the Trust.
“With £3.3m investment into the Horton, including over £100,000 into maternity services, this government is turning our NHS around after years of decline and I look forward to further improvement over coming years.”
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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