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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Andrew Gregory Health editor

Martha’s rule may have saved 400 lives so far in England, figures show

Martha Mills NHS Merope Mills England Paul Laity NHS England
Martha Mills smiling for photo
Martha Mills, 13, died in 2021 from sepsis. A coroner found she would probably have survived if she had been moved to an intensive care unit. Photograph: Mills/Laity family photograph/PA

More than 400 lives may have been saved as a result of Martha’s rule, which lets NHS patients request a review of their care, official figures reveal.

Helplines received more than 10,000 calls in the first 16 months of the scheme after its introduction in England in 2024, according to data seen by the Guardian. Thousands of patients were either moved to intensive care, received drugs they needed or benefited from other changes as a direct result of the calls.

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