Government backs Martha’s rule on right to second medical opinion in England

A coroner ruled that Martha, pictured, would probably have survived if doctors had identified warning signs and transferred her to intensive care. Photograph: Mills/Laity family photograph/PA

The health secretary, Steve Barclay, has announced the government is committed to bringing in “Martha’s rule” in England, making it easier for patients and their families to get a second medical opinion if they believe their concerns are not being taken seriously by medical staff.

It follows a campaign by the parents of Martha Mills, who died in 2021 after hospital doctors failed to admit her to intensive care. Martha, 13, died after developing sepsis while under the care of King’s College hospital NHS foundation trust in south London.