Meroop MillsAlmost one in eight phone calls made under the Martha’s Rule scheme led to a potentially life-saving change in treatment, NHS England has revealed.
The scheme allows rapidly deteriorating patients and their families who feel their concerns are being ignored to dial a phone number at the hospital and seek immediate assessment from the Critical Care Outreach Team. Request the
Meroop Mills started campaigning for the scheme An investigation was found A change in the care plan could have prevented her 13-year-old daughter Martha’s death from sepsis in 2021.
And on Tuesday, she told BBC R4’s Today program that she was “thrilled” with early figures from its rollout across 143 NHS hospitals in England.
In September and October, 286 (50%) of 573 calls led to a critical review of care, resulting in a change in treatment, such as antibiotics, oxygen or other medications, in 57 cases and a further 14 patients being transferred to intensive care. transferred to maintenance
After injuring her pancreas in a cycling accident, admitted to King’s College Hospital in south London, Martha died of an infection that led to sepsis.
‘clear evidence’
“Losing a loved one in a preventable way adds to your grief and your devastation,” her mother told TODAY.
“But if nobody learns from it, nothing changes.”
Campaigning for Martha’s rule was “exhausting,” but seeing people willing to learn from mistakes helped her and her husband.
Ms Mills said there was “definitely skepticism” at the launch of the scheme in April.
He told TODAY: “There were people who said if you give patients that kind of power, they’ll call for the wrong reasons – they’ll complain about food, they’ll get a cup of tea. will be needed.
“And we have the first clear evidence that this is not the case.”
“It’s clear to me that if we implement Martha’s Principle nationally, we can say with confidence that it will greatly improve care, change culture and save lives. ”
Ms. Mills shed light. Institute of Global Health Innovation Report Of the more than 15,000 preventable deaths in the UK last year, saying the Martha’s Rule “could play a role in reducing that number”.
And she is calling for the scheme to be extended to all NHS hospitals, with posters and leaflets displaying the same branding.
“I’d really like it to be simple across the country and for patients to understand it the way they understand 999 and 111,” Ms Mills added.
NHS England says 2025 and 2026 will see further progress to extend the scheme and adapt it where necessary.
A similar scheme is being run by the NHS in Wales and is being considered in Northern Ireland.
And in Scotland, 2019 legislation gives NHS patients the right to request a second opinion.