Martha's Rule | What the roll out to acute hospitals means for patients and families

It was announced by NHS England on 4th September, that Martha's Rule would be rolled out into all acute hospitals following a successful pilot program but what exactly does this mean?

What is Martha's Rule? 

Martha's Rule is a healthcare policy introduced in the UK to give patients and their families the right to request a second opinion or an urgent clinical review if they feel that their concerns about a patient's condition are not being heard or addressed adequately by medical staff.

Martha’s Rule is named after Martha Mills, a 13-year-old girl who died in 2021 from sepsis at King’s College Hospital in London. Despite her parents raising concerns multiple times about her condition, their worries were not acted upon in time. A coroner concluded that Martha could have survived with earlier intervention.

Her parents, particularly her mother, Merope Mills, campaigned for a system that empowers families to speak up and be heard—leading to the formation and rollout of Martha’s Rule.

What does this mean for patients and their families? 

• It allows patients and their families to escalate care directly, bypassing standard hospital hierarchies if needed.
• The review is usually carried out by a critical care outreach team or a senior clinician not directly involved in the patient’s current care.
• It is designed to be easy to access and clearly advertised within hospitals.

Here's what our Clinical Advisor Judy Timson has to say about the roll out... 

Find out more about Martha's Rule and the changes it has made to patients and their families HERE.