Martha’s rule must be available 24/7, England’s patient safety commissioner says

Martha’s rule is the result of a campaign by the parents of Martha Mills, who died in 2021 after doctors failed to admit her to intensive care. Photograph: family handout/PA

Patients and their relatives will be able to request a second opinion from senior medics around the clock when the “Martha’s rule” system starts in hospitals in England.

The government’s patient safety commissioner, asked by the health secretary, Steve Barclay, to advise on how to implement the change, has said access to a medic’s opinion must operate 24/7.