Martha's rule to be adopted by 143 NHS hospitals in England by March 2025
30 May 2024
The Guardian has reported that Martha’s rule, an initiative to enable those whose health is failing to obtain an urgent second opinion about the treatment, is being rolled out to 143 NHS hospitals in England.
The rule will enable patients, relatives and staff to secure a review of their condition, treatment and management from doctors and nurses outside of the team caring for them. The rollout will commence in Autumn 2024 and be complete by March 2025.
The rule has come about following the death of Martha Mills from sepsis at Kings College Hospital in 2021. A coroner subsequently ruled that Martha would have survived if her doctors had moved her to intensive care earlier. Martha’s mother’s concerns about sepsis were ignore by the treating clinicians.
It is hoped that by providing access to an independent critical care team, reviews can be requested to address the cause of a patient’s deterioration or any other concerns that may arise. By improving communication, tragic events like those leading to Martha’s death will hopefully be avoided in the future.
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Source: Martha’s rule to be rolled out in 143 NHS hospitals in England | Hospitals | The Guardian