OXFORDSHIRE health bosses have admitted they must ‘learn from experience’ following the heavily criticised first phase of the Oxford Transformation Plan.

Phase one of the local health service overhaul brought in a raft of contentious changes last year including a number of bed closures across the county and the permanent downgrading of maternity services at the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group also faced heavy criticism over a lack of transparency.

Yesterday local NHS chiefs conceded they must work in a ‘very different way’ on any future changes.

A joint statement from system leaders across the NHS in Oxfordshire said: “The NHS has reflected on the experience of running phase one of the Oxfordshire Transformation Programme.

“We understand that we need to learn from the experience and approach the improvement of local services in a very different manner.”

Health chiefs also talked about ‘breaking down organisational barriers’ after Oxfordshire’s health services were criticised by the Care Quality Commission.

Bosses have now promised to better engage with local residents in the next phase to gain a better understanding of how to improve care for patients in Oxfordshire while working to create an ‘over-arching’ strategy to encompass all services and providers.

Details will be revealed in the coming weeks.