TIME is up for members of the public to weigh in on plans that will change the face of the NHS in Oxfordshire forever.

Phase One of Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group’s (OCCG) consultation on ‘transformation’ closed at midnight on Sunday.

It follows a tumultuous three months of public events, fraught meetings and campaigns that saw criticism levelled at OCCG.

Banbury MP Victoria Prentis submitted her 30-page response on Thursday.

She said: “True consultation involves offering options on which the consultees can comment having seen the evidence they need to make informed choices. This is not the case here.

“Given its failings I still believe this consultation should never have started, or should have been stopped some time ago.”

David Smith, chief executive of OCCG, thanked all those who took part and said the results would be considered by the board in May.

He said: “Some of these proposals have generated very strong feelings, particularly in the Banbury area.

“But this must be about making services across the whole county the best they can be within the financial boundaries we have.”

The plans aim to address a predicted £134m black hole in the Oxfordshire NHS by 2020 as well as staff shortages.

Fears remain that not enough people understood what was at stake over the 12 weeks.

Rosalind Pearce, chief executive of Healthwatch Oxfordshire, said: “Until the consultation is written in a way that people can understand what it means, there is going to be distrust of it.”

Keith Strangwood of Keep the Horton General (KTHG) said the campaign had had to take it upon themselves to inform people.

The group is supporting a consortium of local councils seek a judicial review over the consultation being split.

Mr Strangwood said: “It was left to KTHG to let everyone know what’s going on because OCCG haven’t done a proper job.

“What we want to happen is to get to a court hearing and then if necessary get an injunction to stop what they are doing.”

Dr Ken Williamson, chairman of the Keep Our NHS Public campaign, added people who could be affected by Phase Two were now ‘frustrated and in limbo’.

This week Oxfordshire County Council and the county’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee both issued their final responses.

Both groups raised a litany of concerns, including the split consultation and the sense that the outcome was a ‘fait accompli’.

All responses will be collated and meetings held between the CCG and stakeholders ahead of Phase Two, which will include changes to A&E, children’s services and community hospitals as well as broad plans to reshape GP services.