'FEARFUL and angry' people in North Oxfordshire have been let down by OUH this summer, the MP for Banbury has said.

Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday Victoria Prentis proposed a bill to make it mandatory for trusts to consult people locally before bringing in changes like the Horton downgrade, which she said came in July with 'no warning and no consultation'.

She said: "Three weeks ago obstetricians left, and we became a midwife led unit, or MLU. I have repeatedly asked the trust to see risk assessments, and been sent nothing. 

"My office eventually tracked down some risk assessments online, which showed an alarming number of 'high risk' factors. I asked for an explanation and received nothing.

"My constituents are fearful and angry. We have had a summer of protests. I feel let down by the way we have been treated this summer, by the lack of good management, transparency or evidence-based decision-making. I am concerned that without change to the law, other areas may also suffer as we have.

"The Trust holds all the cards. Only it has the ability to manipulate the number of births each centre receives. They have all the evidence, and carry out all risk assessments. 

"Where major changes to service provision are proposed, clinical groups and medical consortiums are not a replacement for public consultation. Doctor may know best, but only when he has listened to the patient. Local decision making can work, but only with democratic accountability."

The Bill was backed unanimously by those in the chamber and a second reading will take place on Friday, January 27.

Spokeswoman for OUH Susan Brown said the trust took a decision in August to temporarily transfer some maternity services from the Horton General Hospital to the John Radcliffe Hospital. 

She added: "The decision was taken under our emergency powers on the basis that patient safety would have been directly compromised if the trust had continued with an obstetric-led service at the Horton without enough doctors able to give this obstetric care.

"Consulting formally on the temporary transfer of some maternity services was therefore not an option given the urgency of the situation at hand. Nevertheless, we have and are continuing to engage with Victoria Prentis MP, local healthcare practitioners, campaign groups and the wider community to ensure they remain informed while this temporary transfer remains in effect.

"The Oxford Clinical Commissioning Group (OCCG) is planning its Oxfordshire wide consultation on its Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) early next year. Within this process there will be a full public consultation on the delivery of maternity services across the county, and the Horton will fall within this.

"In the meantime the Trust is continuing its recruitment efforts to fully staff the Horton with the required obstetricians to enable the obstetric-led services to be returned to the Horton.

"With regard to the specific point made by Mrs Prentis about our risk assessments, we can confirm that a ‘risk register’ was published as part of our Board Papers on 31 August when the Trust Board approved the decision to temporarily transfer these services from the Horton General Hospital."