Campaigners will ‘fight to the bitter end’ after deciding to appeal the outcome of a judicial review over the downgrading of maternity services at the Horton Hospital.
Cherwell District Council with support from South Northamptonshire and Stratford-on-Avon district councils and Banbury Town Council, had accused Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (OCCG) of carrying out a flawed consultation on plans for the hospital.
But a judicial review ruled in favour of OCCG at the end of last year.
Last night the Keep the Horton General campaign group held a meeting a voted to appeal the decision of Mr Justice Mostyn.
The group’s chairman, Keith Strangwood, said: “We have come this far and have been supported wholeheartedly by the public, financially and in spirit.
“This not the time to let those people down.
“We will fight to the bitter end if needs be.”
Cherwell District Council and the other authorities are not expected to appeal the decision and campaigners decided to continue the fight.
But the decision has been referred to the the independent expert on NHS service change – the Independent Reconfiguration Panel – after a request from Banbury MP Victoria Prentis.
Proposals in the consultation included permanently closing 200 beds across the county and taking all of the most serious critical care cases, along with people who had suffered strokes, directly to Oxford.
Doctors were moved from the maternity unit at the Banbury hospital in 2016, supposedly on a temporary basis.
OCCG resolved to make that permanent in August last year and the county’s Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee referred the matter to Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt.
This means it is run by midwives and resulted in mothers who are considered to have a high-risk pregnancy having to travel to Oxford to give birth.
Article originally appeared on Bicester Advertiser
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