In its latest patient safety measure, NHS England (NHSE) has announced the 143 hospital sites that will trial Martha’s Rule this year.
The initial plan was to roll out the programme to 100 sites, but NHSE says that, due to significant interest, Martha’s Rule will be rolled out across 143 sites by next March.
Health leaders will evaluate the scheme over the course of this year and decide whether the initiative can be launched across all acute hospitals.
Martha’s Rule is made up of three key components:
- An escalation process that is available 24/7 to all sites that enables patients and families to contact a critical care outreach team that can assess cases quickly
- The same process is available to NHS staff who have concerns about someone’s condition
- Clinicians will formally record daily insights and data about a patient’s health directly from their family
“Rolling out Martha’s Rule to over 143 NHS sites in this first phase will represent one of the most important changes to patient care in recent years,” said NHSE’s medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis.
“While thankfully the need for escalation of care will hopefully only be needed in a limited number of cases, this three-step safety net has the opportunity to truly transform patient care and safety.”
NHSE announced funding for the programme in February, while also suggesting similar models could be introduced across other settings like community and mental health sites.
The scheme is in honour of Martha Mills, who died from sepsis aged 13 in 2021 at King’s College Hospital. Campaigning from Martha’s parents – Merope and Paul – found widespread support for the concept of Martha’s Rule.
NHSE is working with Merope and Paul to develop materials to advertise and explain Martha’s Rule in hospitals up and down the country.
They said: “We are pleased that the roll-out of Martha’s Rule is off to a flying start and that the need for it has been so widely recognised.
“It will save lives and encourage better, more open, communication on hospital wards, so that patients feel they are listened to, and partners in their healthcare.”
Dr Aidan Fowler, NHSE’s national patient safety director, will be the scheme’s senior responsible officer.
“Working closely with Martha’s parents and colleagues across the NHS over the last few months on this rollout, I am in no doubt this programme will deliver clear change,” said Aidan.
The measures will “no doubt” lead to improvements in patient care, added Aidan.
The roll-out includes King’s College Hospital as well as other sites such as Addenbrooke’s, The Royal Marsden, Great Ormond Street, St Bartholomew’s, Countess of Chester, The Christie, and Alder Hey.
Image credit: iStock
