OUH Maternity Services rated ‘Good’ by the CQC

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published reports following inspections of Maternity Services run by Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury which were carried out in October 2025.

The CQC has rated both services as 'Good', which is an improvement from their previous ratings of 'Requires Improvement'.

As a result, the CQC's overall rating for the Horton General Hospital site has improved to 'Good' while the overall rating for the John Radcliffe Hospital site remains unchanged as 'Requires Improvement'.

Simon Crowther, Interim Chief Executive Officer, said: "I would like to thank all colleagues across Maternity Services at OUH whose hard work, expertise and dedication have contributed to the improved ratings published today.

"This progress reflects the commitment of our staff to the women, babies and families in their care, and provides a strong foundation for the further improvements we now need to deliver.

"As an organisation that values learning and continuous improvement, we are committed to working on the areas for improvement which the CQC has identified in the inspection reports published today."

The CQC carried out the inspections of Maternity Services at OUH to assess progress and to follow up on concerns raised by people, families, and external partners.

Inspectors found caring and supportive staff who treated women as individuals and involved them in decisions about their care.

They recognised a clear commitment to reducing inequalities across both services, including outreach provision for vulnerable migrant women and specialist support for women with mental health needs.

Inspectors also noted that processes for learning from incidents had been strengthened to inform staff training and development.

The reports also identify areas where further improvement is needed. At the John Radcliffe, the CQC rated the Safe domain as 'Requires Improvement', noting concerns around care and treatment, environment, infection prevention and control, staffing, and governance.

At the Horton General, the CQC recognised that while some issues from their previous inspection remained, Trust leaders had full oversight and were actively working to address them.

Simon Crowther said: “We take these findings very seriously and we have already begun work to address them. It is important that we tackle these areas with urgency and embed the changes needed to build on the progress which has been made.

"We remain committed to driving further improvement and will continue to work closely with women, families, staff and partner organisations to deliver the safe, high quality care that our service users, families and communities deserve.

"Thank you to all colleagues who have been, and will continue to be, part of this journey."