More than 10,000 calls have been made to Martha’s Rule helplines in the first 16 months of the NHS scheme, saving lives and helping thousands of patients benefit from changes to their care.
Data from NHS England shows that one in three calls (34%) to Martha’s Rule by patients, families and staff identified rapid worsening of a patient’s condition, helping the NHS to identify concerns more quickly and make crucial interventions to care.
Moreover, hospitals have rolled out communications campaigns, including dedicated posters around their wards and buildings, to help raise awareness of Martha’s Rule.
This ensures the programme is easy to understand and that its use is normalised for patients, families and staff.
The tragedy that led to Martha’s Rule
Martha Mills died in 2021, aged 13, 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 addressed, and in 2022, a coroner ruled that Martha would probably have survived had she been moved to intensive care earlier.
In February 2024, NHS England began implementing Martha’s Rule, following campaigning by Martha’s parents, Merope and Paul, and announced a roll-out across 143 pilot sites in May 2024.
Merope Mills said: “The more data that is gathered, the clearer it becomes that Martha’s Rule is having a hugely positive effect. Apart from the lives saved, over a third of the calls have led to a marked improvement in care.
“The process is not being overused and has obviously met a need, giving patients and families real agency.”
Rollout of Martha’s Rule has significantly increased escalation calls
Between September 2024 and December 2025, 10,119 escalation calls were made to Martha’s Rule helplines.
3,457 of these calls helped identify acute deterioration, leading to treatment changes for 1,885 patients, including 446 potentially life-saving interventions, such as transfers to enhanced levels of care.
More than 6,000 calls have addressed clinical, communication, or coordination concerns, leading to meaningful improvements in care or system navigation for patients and their families.
Calls to Martha’s Rule helplines have more than doubled since June last year (4,911) as the rollout has been ramped up, with all adult and paediatric acute inpatient sites in the NHS now implementing Martha’s Rule.
A new approach to patient care
The major patient safety initiative in hospitals requires staff to use a structured approach to obtain information about a patient’s condition from patients and their families at least daily, and encourages patients, families, and carers to speak to the care team if they notice changes in someone’s condition.
It also provides them with a way to seek an urgent review if their or their loved one’s condition deteriorates, and they are concerned it is not being addressed.
Staff can request a review by another team if they are concerned that the appropriate action is not being taken.
The roll-out of Martha’s Rule has been made possible by the dedication of Martha’s parents and the hard work of NHS staff across the country, supported by NHS England and the Health Innovation Network’s Patient Safety Collaboratives.
Team Health Accessible
Health & Wellness Editorial Team
HealthAccessible editorial team delivers trusted, accessible, and evidence-based health information for everyone.
