Clive Walsh, the Clinical Development Lead for the Oxfordshire Transformation Programme, attended the Community Network Meeting in Banbury on Tuesday 26 September 2017 to give an update on the Transformation Programme for Oxfordshire. He was asked by Victoria Prentis MP whether the CCG would consider stopping the implementation of Phase 1 and rolling it into Phase 2 of the Transformation Programme. He agreed to bring this back to the Transformation Programme Executive for consideration. We understand the strength of feeling among local people, especially those who live in the north of the county; but the Board of the CCG made decisions in Phase 1 around services that required immediate resolution because of safety and quality issues for patients. They considered and made the decision that it was necessary to proceed. 

Whilst the legal challenges are underway the usual approach is to proceed with implementation steps, in so far as, these are not irreversible, and will not cause the local NHS to incur significant additional costs if they have to reverse them later. For Phase 1 this means the temporary changes remain in place (temporary closure of the obstetric unit at the Horton General Hospital and the 110 hospital beds). We are in the process of agreeing with Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust what actions, if any, can be taken to prepare for implementation of the changes to acute stroke services, roll-out of early supported discharge service and the changes to critical care services at the Horton General Hospital.