'Abandon horton's changes'

The Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, made up of county and district councillors, believe proposals to move paediatric and maternity services to John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, are potentially unsafe for patients.

Their views are expressed in a response to a public consultation on the future of the Horton.

The committee's made its comments after talking to health professionals and service-users. It claims there are question marks over whether the changes are really needed, and also about the safety and sustainability of some services in the future.

The proposed changes will see mothers in labour, very sick new-born babies, and young children, being transferred from the Horton to the John Radcliffe if complications arise.

The committee says: "The prospect of sending patients to Oxford has raised fears about patient safety and also about the major problems it could cause for their families, particularly those from disadvantaged neighbourhoods."

The committee says that if the Trust is unwilling to withdraw the proposals then it should call in an independent organisation such as the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) to examine the proposals and report publicly.

Committee chairman Cllr Dr Peter Skolar said: "We are very concerned that health services should continue to be provided locally wherever possible and that all services should be safe and sustainable.

"We have great concerns that the proposals put forward by the Trust do not address those issues."

The consultation period ended on October 13, after being extended for six weeks at the request of the overview and scrutiny committee.

The ORH Trust has received more than 4,000 consultation responses.

A Trust spokesman said it would continue to 'read, think through, and respond' to all of the comments, and that it planned to publish a report summarising what it had received.