Hospital rollout for patient safety initiative
Date of release: 20 February 2025
Patients, families, carers and advocates are being made aware of a new patient safety initiative set to be widely rolled out at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital next month (March).
Martha's Rule stand at RWT
Martha’s Rule Call for Concern, encourages people to raise concerns if they believe a loved one is deteriorating and their concerns have not been addressed when raised with ward staff.
The initiative, developed following the death of teenager Martha Mills, was initially piloted at New Cross last November for step down patients who are discharged from the Integrated Critical Care Unit. The pilot was then extended to A12 (surgical) and C26 (medical) wards in January this year.
The wider rollout will take effect from Monday 3 March – with the exception of Maternity, Neonatal and the Emergency Department.
Martha's Rule Call for Concern aims to ensure that patients and families can get a second opinion if they feel their loved one’s condition is deteriorating and this has not been addressed after they’ve spoken to the ward Nurse or Doctor.
They can then contact the dedicated Call for Concern phone number. This number is available 24 hours a day seven days a week specifically for this purpose - it is not for general concerns that can be addressed by ward staff.
The rule is named after Martha Mills who died aged 13 in 2021 from sepsis after her family's concerns about her deteriorating condition were not addressed. A coroner later concluded that Martha, who had been taken to hospital following a fall from her bike, would likely have survived if she had been moved to intensive care earlier as her condition deteriorated.
Samantha Sewell, Matron – Critical Care Outreach Team at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, said: “Engagement with patients and families, as well as our own teams within the hospital, is a priority so we ensure as many people as possible are aware of this important initiative.
“The pilot was run by our Critical Care Outreach Team and we had a number of conversations with patients and their families to raise awareness – these conversations will continue up to and well beyond the rollout. We want people to feel empowered to speak up if they feel their concerns are not being dealt with appropriately and reassured they will be listened to.”
Samantha and colleagues are hosting a stand near to Greggs in New Cross Hospital today (Thursday 20 February) until 1pm for patients, families, visitors and staff to find out more about Martha’s Rule Call for Concern.
