Martha’s rule rolled out to all acute hospitals in England after pilot prompts hundreds of urgent interventions

NHS England has rolled out "Martha’s rule" to all hospitals in England that provide acute or short‑term treatment after a pilot generated thousands of calls and hundreds of interventions, officials said.

The telephone helpline, created after the death of 13‑year‑old Martha Mills, allows families to request an urgent second clinical opinion if they are worried about the care of a relative. NHS England said the service was piloted at 143 hospital sites from April 2024 and received almost 5,000 calls, with 241 calls resulting in interventions described as potentially life‑saving.

Martha Mills died after developing sepsis while a patient at King's College Hospital in London. Her family campaigned for changes after saying their concerns about her treatment were not listened to. A coroner later found failings in the care she received.

Martha's mother, Merope Mills, welcomed the expansion of the rule on what would have been her daughter's 18th birthday and called for the scheme to be extended across the rest of the UK. "These figures prove the need for the rule," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, saying it should foster "a different, more equal kind of doctor‑patient relationship."

NHS England said the helpline offers a rapid route to a second clinical opinion when families or staff are concerned about a patient’s condition. During the pilot phase, interventions prompted by calls included adjustments to treatment plans, further assessments and, in some cases, changes that clinicians say avoided deterioration.

Campaigners who pushed for the rule argued that it provides families with an independent escalation route when they feel their concerns are not being addressed by treating teams. The system is intended to operate alongside existing hospital complaint and escalation procedures, providing rapid clinical review rather than replacing formal investigations.

Health officials said the national rollout aims to make the pathway consistently available at all acute sites in England. Details on the operational hours of the helpline, staffing arrangements and how quickly second opinions will be provided were not disclosed in the summary figures issued by NHS England.

Supporters of the policy say it could prevent avoidable harm by ensuring that fresh clinical perspectives can be brought to bear quickly when a patient's condition is worsening or when families fear that signs are being missed. Hospital leaders and patient safety advocates have previously cited the need for clear escalation routes as part of efforts to reduce failures in care.

Mills’s campaign prompted a wider review of how hospitals listen to families and respond to concerns. With the English rollout now under way, campaigners and some bereaved families said they would press for similar schemes to be adopted in the rest of the UK, while NHS England said it would continue to monitor the helpline’s impact and publish further data as the service is expanded.