ALMOST 400 people have weighed in as part of a survey on travel times from Banbury to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford - revealing an average journey time of an hour and a half.

The survey was launched at the start of January by Banbury MP Victoria Prentis after the downgrade of the Horton General Hospital's maternity unit, which will mean hundreds more expectant mothers every year will need to travel to the JR to give birth.

A total of 371 people have so far recorded their journey times.

Official advice is that it takes about 45 minutes to get from North Oxfordshire to the Headington hospital.

But Mrs Prentis, whose survey also takes into account the time needed to park, told the Oxford Mail: "My survey shows otherwise.

"Those doing the journey have told me that, on average, it is taking around 90 minutes.

"Parking is even more varied: responses range from five minutes to an hour. More than ten people have said it has taken them at least an hour to find a space."

Since October the Horton has run a maternity-led unit (MLU) due to a lack of middle-grade doctors in post, meaning 'high-risk' mothers and those who develop complications during birth need to go to the JR for consultant-led births.

The change could be made permanent as part of 'transformation' plans for the NHS currently being consulted on by Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

Mrs Prentis said: "I am afraid the results have done nothing to allay my concerns about the proposals.

"Using journey times courtesy of Google Maps does not constitute a robust evidence base.

"It is simply not good enough; real life experiences should inform decisions about the future organisation of healthcare in Oxfordshire.

"The safety of our mothers and their babies is paramount, yet I am fearful for the future if my survey results are not given the attention they deserve.

"From the strength of opposition expressed so coherently by those at the public meetings, local elected officials and our councils, I cannot see how the Clinical Commissioning Group will be able to take their proposals forward."

CCG spokeswoman Rachel McQuillaim said: "The CCG acknowledges the initiative taken by Victoria Prentis MP for Banbury around health journey times, which will be considered alongside other feedback and comment as part of the Oxfordshire Transformation consultation."