Martha's Rule helplines reach 1,700 calls as NHS expands safety net
Martha's Rule helplines reach 1,700 calls as NHS expands safety net
More than 1,700 NHS staff have used Martha's Rule helplines to raise concerns about patient care, prompting expansion across England.
London has seen a growing use of Martha's Rule helplines, with new figures showing more than 1,700 calls from NHS staff to flag concerns about patient care. The helplines, established after the death of 13-year-old Martha Mills from sepsis in 2021, have been available at 143 hospital sites across England since September 2024. Between their launch and February this year, nearly 1,800 calls were made by staff, and over 1,000 of those calls helped identify serious deterioration in patients' conditions. These numbers underline the helplines' role as a safety net for frontline workers who may worry that concerns are not being heard.\n\nMartha's Rule is designed to empower families, carers and patients to seek an urgent second opinion when there are signs a condition is worsening and to prompt a review from a critical care team if concerns are not being listened to. Clinicians can also request an independent review, and daily insights about a patient’s health can be recorded directly from families. The scheme also aims to support junior staff by providing a non-confrontational path to raise concerns and by allowing them to seek input from colleagues outside their own team.\n\nThe NHS is expanding the availability of the helplines across England, with the goal of ensuring more hospitals can benefit from the second-opinion process when patient deterioration is suspected. Supporters say Martha's Rule has a real impact on patient safety, helping to catch deteriorations early and ensuring that concerns are taken seriously. In parallel reporting from national outlets has highlighted the potential lives saved and the broader safety gains associated with the mechanism, including accounts of families successfully invoking the rule to secure timely reviews for loved ones.\n\nWhile officials emphasise the importance of hearing concerns promptly, critics have called for ongoing assessment to ensure consistent application across trusts and to guard against overuse. Nevertheless, the expansion signals a sustained push toward greater patient involvement in care decisions and a more collaborative approach between families and hospital staff in England. The story of Martha Mills continues to shape conversations about hospital safety, reminding the public that timely second opinions can be crucial when standard care appears insufficient.
