Patients to get second opinion with lifesaving rule named after youngster

20 February 2024 , 22:02

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The police, named after Martha Mills, means it will be easier to get a second opinion (Image: PA)

Patients and families worried about a worsening illness while in hospital will be able to get a rapid review under a new policy called Martha’s Rule.

The escalation process will allow a second opinion by a critical care team and be available 24/7. An urgent clinical review would be carried out by a different team if a patient’s condition is getting rapidly worse and they feel they are not getting the care needed.

At least 100 NHS trusts will launch it from April and it will be evaluated for two years. The plan is to extend it to all acute English hospitals, subject to Government funding.

The move follows the 2021 death of Martha Mills, 13, who developed sepsis under the care of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in South London after suffering a pancreatic injury in a fall. A coroner ruled she would likely have survived had doctors identified warning signs of her deteriorating condition and moved her to intensive care earlier.

Martha's mother Merope Mills has campaigned for the rule change (Today/BBC Radio 4)

Her parents, Merope Mills and Paul Laity, raised concerns but these were brushed aside.

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They have campaigned for Martha’s Rule, saying it will save lives. They said in a statement: “Families and carers by the bedside can be aware of changes busy clinicians can’t. Martha’s Rule will mean that our daughter didn’t die completely in vain.”

NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said it could “save many lives”.

Jane Kirby