The NHS has announced that 143 hospital sites will test and roll out Martha’s Rule in its first year.
Martha’s Rule has received funding for its implementation from April 2024. Once fully implemented, patients, families, carers, and staff will have round-the-clock access to a rapid review from a separate care team if they are worried about a person’s condition.
The story behind Martha’s Rule
Martha Mills died in 2021 after developing sepsis in the hospital after she was admitted with a pancreatic injury after falling off her bike. Her family raised concerns about her deteriorating condition, but they were not listened to. Following this, in 2023, a coroner ruled that Martha would have likely survived had she been moved to intensive care.
The proposed components of Martha’s Rule are:
- All staff in NHS trusts must have 24/7 access to a rapid review from a critical care outreach team, who they can contact should they have concerns about a patient.
- All patients, their families, carers, and advocates must also have access to the same 24/7 rapid review from a critical care outreach team, which they can contact via mechanisms advertised around the hospital and more widely if they are worried about the patient’s condition.
- The NHS must implement a structured approach to obtain information relating to a patient’s condition directly from patients and their families at least daily. In the first instance, this will cover all inpatients in acute and specialist trusts.
NHS England is working with Martha’s parents to develop materials to advertise and explain the initiative in hospitals country-wide to ensure the scheme is utilised.
Merope Mills and Paul Laity, Martha’s parents, said: “We are pleased that the roll-out of Martha’s Rule is off to a flying start and that the need for it has been so widely recognised.
“It will save lives and encourage better, more open, communication on hospital wards so that patients feel they are listened to and partners in their healthcare.”
143 sites will benefit from the patient safety initiative
Initially, the NHS planned to enrol at least 100 sites, however, after significant interest from frontline clinicians, this has been expanded. The first phase of the programme will be in place at 143 locations across the country by March 2025. Hospitals such as Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, Royal Stoke University Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary will be testing the initiative.
Further evaluation of how the systems work in these sites over this year will inform proposals for Martha’s Rule to be expanded further across all acute hospitals, subject to future government spending.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: “Rolling out Martha’s Rule to over 143 NHS sites in this first phase will represent one of the most important changes to patient care in recent years, and we are pleased to have seen such interest from hospitals right across the country, all thanks to the moving and dedicated campaigning by Martha’ parents, Merope and Paul.
“That is why today is such an important milestone, with the NHS outlining the 143 sites where this major patient safety initiative will be rolled out later this year, allowing staff, patients and families to immediately raise concerns and bring about an escalation in care in an easily recognisable and fast way.
“The inclusion of daily insights from families about their loved ones’ condition within patient records is also a really significant step and will help staff identify changes and deterioration using insights from those who know the patient best. While thankfully the need for escalation of care will hopefully only be needed in a limited number of cases, this three-step safety net has the opportunity to truly transform patient care and safety.”
