Extend Martha's rule across maternity care, says mother

Martha's rule, an NHS safety initiative that allows families and patients to seek a rapid second opinion on their hospital care, should also be rolled out across maternity care in the UK, the founder of the scheme has said.

- HARRY COCKBURN

Merope Mills said the availability of Martha's rule in maternity care would give women and their partners concerned about the care they were receiving a "greater voice".

Ms Mills and her husband launched the campaign for the initiative after their daughter Martha died at King's College Hospital in Camberwell, aged 13, in 2021 after developing sepsis. Their concerns about Martha's deteriorating condition were brushed aside.

A coroner later concluded that Martha would most likely have survived had doctors identified the warning signs of septic shock and transferred her to intensive care sooner.

Martha's rule is now operational in all English hospitals delivering acute or short-term treatment and has already seen hundreds of patients benefit from potentially lifesaving changes to their treatment.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Ms Mills said she was calling for the extension of the initiative to the rest of the UK, and also into maternal care.