Health & Social Care has said it is working to implement the recommendations behind Martha’s Rule – a patient safety initiative which was introduced in England following the death of 13-year-old Martha Mills.
Martha’s Rule is designed to ensure concerns raised by patients, their relatives, carers or staff about a deteriorating patient can be escalated if they feel they are not being adequately addressed by the team providing their care. It includes a route for a patient, or those close to them, to seek an urgent clinical review, while staff can also request that a patient is reviewed by a different team.
HSC medical director Dr Peter Rabey said the Bailiwick supports the principles behind the initiative and is working towards implementing it locally.
‘The evidence shows that Martha’s Rule is benefitting patients and resulting in changes to management of cases,’ he said.
‘We strongly support patients, families and staff in flagging their concerns and having access to escalation routes and involvement of a different team. HSC is working to formally implement the Martha’s Rule recommendations in line with or in advance of the targets for the NHS in England.’
Martha Mills died at King’s College Hospital in London in 2021, after developing sepsis while being treated for a pancreatic injury sustained in a cycling accident.
Her family had raised concerns about her worsening condition, but they were not listened to. A coroner later concluded that Martha probably would have survived if she had been transferred to intensive care sooner.
Her family subsequently campaigned for change by creating the rule.
A trial across seven emergency departments recorded 69 calls from patients, relatives and staff over eight months, with some resulting in immediate surgery or transfer to intensive care.
The NHS announced last month that the scheme was being expanded to every A&E department in England, with the nationwide roll-out due to be completed by March 2028.