More than 500 people have received potentially life-saving care thanks to Martha's rule, which gives hospital patients the right to seek a second opinion about their health. The patient safety mechanism, implemented by the NHS in England in 2024, has led to 524 adults and children being moved to intensive care or specialist units after concerns were raised by patients, loved ones, or staff.
How Martha's Rule Works
Martha's rule allows patients, relatives, and staff to call a hospital helpline if they are worried about a person's condition or treatment, requesting a rapid review of their care. In the 18 months between September 2024 and February 2026, a total of 12,301 calls were made to these helplines. Approximately one in three calls (4,047) helped identify a deteriorating patient, with three-quarters of those calls made by patients or their carers and the remainder by hospital staff.
Life-Saving Impact
Health Secretary Wes Streeting hailed the figures as proof that Martha's rule is already having a life-saving impact. The rule is named after Martha Mills, who died aged 13 in 2021 after her family's concerns were ignored by staff at King's College Hospital in London. An inquest found that Martha would likely have survived if doctors had detected sepsis sooner.
Martha's parents, Merope Mills and Paul Laity, campaigned tirelessly for the right to a review by a different clinical team. They noted that issues such as hierarchy, poor communication, and resistance to challenge affect hospital care daily. They said, 'For instance, consultants failed to move her to intensive care, even though at least one nurse identified that's where she needed to be: had Martha's rule been in place, the nurse could have called the number.'
Cultural Change Needed
An interim review found that 32% of the public are aware of Martha's rule, but those with higher education are four times more likely to know about it. Paul Whiteing, chief executive of Action against Medical Accidents, said, 'Too often the people we support still tell us about the culture of defend and deny that they face when they ask questions or raise concerns about their treatment. If this rule is challenging that culture, then its use must be expanded as soon as possible.'
Streeting added, 'Martha's parents have fought tirelessly to turn the most unimaginable grief into something that is genuinely changing how our NHS works. The NHS is changing its culture and putting patient safety at its heart. Change isn't always easy, but Martha's rule is proof that it can be done.'
