THE Horton Maternity Hospital is already known for its holistic approach to labour. Its midwives are trained in massage during labour, and women are encouraged to use the delivery suites in a way to suit them. Despite this, many still go to Chipping Norton, where there are no obstetricians and, as a result, no epidurals, forceps deliveries or Caesarean sections.

Instead, the six-bedded unit is run by midwives, who guide the majority of their mums-to-be through a natural birth transferring women to the Horton only in an emergency.

So why, if women seem to prefer this option, are there protests that the Horton maternity unit may be heading towards the same model?

As part of cost-saving plans, the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals wants to send its obstetric team down to Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, where all "high-risk" births will be transferred for care.

Cherwell District Council's executive leader, Barry Wood, said: "The local community have been very concerned about the tendency to centralise key health services to Oxford."

But are his views well thought out? Will Banbury really lose out without obstetrics on its doorstep?

According to the National Childbirth Trust, the UK's Caesarean section rate of 22 per cent is much higher than the World Health Organisation's expectations that about 10 to 15 per cent of birthing women need surgical intervention.

And the reason for this is because doctors are less confident than midwives when it comes to letting nature take its course.

NCT chief executive Belinda Phipps said: "We support midwifery-led units because if you're normal and healthy you're more likely to have a good birth there. Of course there needs to be consultant-led units but for a very small section of women.

"About 70 per cent of women can give birth normally without any intervention. If you put all women in consultant units you get high intervention rates.

"What you have to do is gather the section of women who need obstetric care together so the consultants have more patients from a health point of view, the consultants who do procedures more often, are better at them.

"But for other women, the best option is to have care from midwives, away from consultants, who are extremely expert at supporting women to have good births. They are there to tell women they can do it."

Ms Phipps believes Oxfordshire's other midwife-led units could benefit if the Horton loses its obstetric care.

Even members of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists agree.

Spokesman Mr Patrick O'Brien, an obstetrician at London's University College Hospital, said: "There's a grain of truth in the fact that midwife-led units have less intervention in the long run.

"In my hospital, one area is completely midwife-led and the other is consultant-led. The midwives only call a doctor if they feel it's absolutely necessary. They are happy for women to push a bit longer, by and large."

Mr O'Brien was not worried that women delivering at the Horton could have to make a 30-minute ambulance journey to the JR in a medical emergency calling the trip "within a safe time".

He added: "Many women prefer midwife-led units because they are home from homes and a bit more low tech. As long as the women and babies are healthy, they are low risk.

"Transferring at the appropriate time is obviously important and the important thing is that if you say all this to a low-risk woman, and she still prefers to go to an obstetric unit, then she should be allowed that choice."