Health
NHS England begins expanding Martha's Rule to all emergency departments
A dedicated phone line for urgent clinical reviews is expanding to every hospital emergency room across England, BBC News reports.
The short version
- NHS England is rolling out Martha's Rule across all hospital emergency departments to allow patients, families, and staff to request urgent clinical reviews.[BBC News]
- The initiative lets individuals call a dedicated phone line if they believe a patient's condition is deteriorating and initial concerns are ignored.[BBC News]
- The nationwide rollout follows a trial across seven hospital trusts and is scheduled to finish by March 2028.[BBC News]
Key facts
- The NHS is introducing Martha's Rule to all emergency departments across England to allow second opinions on deteriorating patients.[BBC News]
- The full rollout of the emergency department initiative is scheduled to conclude by March 2028.[BBC News]
- An eight-month pilot program conducted across seven hospital trusts received 69 calls via dedicated lines.[BBC News]
- The policy is named after 13-year-old Martha Mills, who died of sepsis in 2021 after family concerns were overlooked.[BBC News]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.
- Martha's Rule rolled out at every A&E department in EnglandBBC News - Health