Campaigners vow to keep pushing to protect Oxfordshire gynaecology counselling service
Thousands of people have written to Oxford University Hospitals opposing cuts
A group of campaigners say they will continue fighting to protect a specialist counselling service for women in Oxfordshire, with demonstrations now a possibility.
More than 4,800 people have written to Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) raising concerns about cutting its Gynaecology Counselling Service.
Unite the Union says staff were informed that this was at risk in April, and a consultation was launched shortly after.
The union says its campaign led to the consultation being paused in May, with referrals restarting in June.
It is now calling for confirmation that the service will not be cut
Kate Attwooll, regional officer for Unite the Union, said: “We’re not going to stop and we’re not going to abandon women in Oxfordshire. We want to safeguard these services.
“We will be starting demonstrations if needed.”
The service provides support for women dealing with a range of experiences including miscarriage, fertility treatment, endometriosis and traumatic births.
Unite says around 80 women a week access the service across Oxfordshire, and that it provides support for groups who can already face barriers to healthcare, including disabled women, LGBTQ+ communities and women from Black, Asian and minority backgrounds.
Ms Attwooll said the service is unique and could not easily be replaced.
“There is no other partner agency in Oxfordshire who could pick up the care that they provide,” she said.
The campaign has also coincided with Baroness Amos' review into maternity and neonatal care at 12 NHS trusts in England, including Oxford University Hospitals.
Ms Attwooll said the report's recommendations – including listening to women and expanding trauma-informed psychological support – highlight the importance of retaining the service.
"If this service were to close, those women would have no recourse to any care or support. They would essentially be abandoned," she said.
"It's a women's health care issue, but it's also a matter of patient safety."
A spokesperson for Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “The Gynaecology Counselling Service at Oxford University Hospitals has developed and evolved organically over time and so we launched a consultation with the staff who currently provide the service to understand better how it is currently working and how it could be delivered in the future to provide the best possible support for women in our care.
“We were also keen to understand how the OUH service relates to other support which is available for patients.
“No decisions have been made and, in recognition of the significant concerns and strength of feeling from stakeholders, we have now decided to pause the consultation so that we can engage more widely with our patients and with those who have raised their concerns.”
The Trust added that the maternity early pregnancy loss counselling service Petals was not included in the consultation and remains in place.