

Martha's Rule
Martha's Rule is a patient safety initiative in the NHS (UK) that allows patients, families, and staff to request an urgent review if a patient's condition is deteriorating.The initiative is named after Martha Mills, a 13-year-old girl who died from sepsis in 2021 in a NHS hospital after an inquest found that a change in care plan could have prevented her death. Her mother, Merope Mills, campaigned for the initiative.
Aim of Martha's Rule
The 3 components of Martha’s Rule are as follows (NHSE 2024):
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Patients will be asked, at least daily, about how they are feeling, and if they are getting better or worse, and this information will be acted on in a structured way.
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All staff will be able, at any time, to ask for a review from a different team if they are concerned that a patient is deteriorating, and they are not being responded to.
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This escalation route will also always be available to patients themselves, their families and carers and advertised across the hospital.