Merope Mills awarded CBE in king’s honours list for Martha’s rule campaign

In 2022, a coroner ruled Martha would probably have survived if doctors had not failed to identify and properly treat sepsis she contracted while in hospital. Photograph: Courtesy of Merope Mills

The healthcare campaigner and journalist Merope Mills has been made a CBE in the king’s birthday honours list for services to patient safety.

Mills, a senior editor at the Guardian, was a driving force behind the introduction of an initiative in England said to have potentially saved hundreds of lives. She has spent years campaigning for the introduction of Martha’s rule under which patients, relatives and staff can seek a second opinion if they have concerns about the care being provided.