Today, Oxfordshire politicians sent a clear message to the County's healthcare body over its “ill-thought out plans” for local NHS care, particularly at the Horton General Hospital.
Back in January, the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group launched a major consultation into healthcare services across the County. Proposals include transferring outpatient appointments from the John Radcliffe in Oxford to the Horton Hospital in Banbury, the reduction of in-patient beds in local hospitals, centralising stoke care at a specialised unit in Oxford and permanently downgrading the Horton’s maternity service to a midwife-led unit.
In a strongly worded letter, Oxfordshire County Council chairman Michael Waine spelt out the Council’s opposition to the current consultation and the CCGs plans for Oxfordshire healthcare. Thanks to intervention from Banbury Conservative Councillors Kieron Mallon and Arash Fatemian, Oxfordshire County Council strengthened their position and fully objected to the CCGs proposals.
This motion was passed unanimously by the Council and formed the backbone of the Council’s submission to the CCG.
Speaking after the meeting, Bloxham and Easington Councillor Kieron Mallon said: “I felt that if the County Council, whose elected members represent all of Oxfordshire, sent a clear message to the powers who will decide the Horton's future they may, at last, understand that there is not just a localised northern opposition to their ill thought out plans for the Horton."
He continued: “If we as a Council did not send a clear message to the CCG and Oxfordshire University NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust pointing out the flawed two-part consultation, the domino effect, and increased pressure the proposals would have on the whole of Oxfordshire and the residents who we represent, then we would have been doing the whole of Oxfordshire a disservice”.
In his letter backed by all political parties, Chairman of the Council and Councillor for Bicester Town Michael Waine said: “County members felt these proposals lacked transparency.” He said councillors were “frustrated” at the lack of alternative options and felt the consultation “implies a fait accompli”.
During the Council's meeting, Deddington Councillor Arash Fatemian passionately outlined the failures of the Trust who he said did not give “a sufficiently comprehensive vision for the future of healthcare services at the Horton Hospital.” He thanked his colleagues for “rejecting the proposals so robustly”.
A full copy of the County Council’s letter can be read below.
