Martha’s Rule

Our Trust is proud to have implemented the Martha’s Rule Call for Concern patient safety initiative across adult and Paediatric inpatient wards at New Cross Hospital.

This means parents and carers of patients, or the patient themselves, will be able to get an independent review if they feel any concerns they may have about their loved ones’ deteriorating condition are not being listened to.

Martha’s Rule was established following a campaign by the family of Martha Mills, a 13 year old who died in 2021 after developing sepsis in hospital, where she had been admitted with a pancreatic injury after falling off her bike.

Martha’s family’s concerns about her deteriorating condition were not responded to, and in 2023 a coroner ruled the teenager would probably have survived had she been moved to intensive care earlier.

The then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and NHS England committed to implement Martha’s Rule across the NHS and NHS England announced on 4 September that Martha’s Rule is now available in every acute hospital in England. This was announced on what would have been Martha’s 18^th birthday.

In Wolverhampton, Wellness Rounds have been introduced where patients are asked, at least daily, how they are feeling, and if they are getting better or worse. The information is then acted on in a structured way and speedily and is helping to reduce deteriorating patient numbers.

If you are concerned about a noticeable change or deterioration in a patient’s condition, please let staff on the ward know.

If you have already spoken to the ward team and are still concerned, there is a phone number you can use to tell someone:

You’ll need to state:

• The patient’s name
• The ward they are on
• A brief description of the problem
• Your contact details and relationship to the patient

This service should not be used to report general, less serious issues as the ward team will handle these.

It should also not be used for issues covered by our Patient Relations Team which offers advice and support to informally resolve any concerns about care provided.

After prioritising the urgency of the problem, a senior clinician will contact you to discuss your concerns and evaluate the situation.

Following feedback from children and young people using our services, we’ve also created a service available for Paediatrics.