Martha’s rule: Second opinion rolled out to every acute hospital in England after campaign

The NHS in England will roll out Martha’s rule across all acute hospitals to give patients and families access to a rapid review if they are worried about a condition getting worse (Mills/Laity family photograph/PA) -

A crucial patient safety initiative, Martha’s Rule, is to be rolled out across every acute hospital in England, empowering worried families and patients to seek a rapid second opinion on their care. The scheme, which has already seen hundreds of patients benefit from potentially life-saving changes to their treatment, was established following the tragic death of 13-year-old Martha Mills.

Martha developed sepsis while under the care of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in south London in 2021. A coroner later concluded she would most likely have survived had doctors identified the warning signs of her rapidly deteriorating condition and transferred her to intensive care sooner.