Patient families get second opinion with Martha’s Rule

THE families of patients will be able to ask for a “rapid review” of their loved one’s hospital care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, under Martha’s Rule which is set to be announced later this month.

The Telegraph understands the Government will accept a recommendation from the patient safety watchdog that patients, families and carers will have “24/7 access to a rapid review from a critical care outreach team”.

They will be able to request this if “they are worried about the patient’s condition”.

In September, Steve Barclay, then health secretary, said the Government was committed to introducing such a rule, more than two years after Martha Mills died from sepsis as a result of failings in her care at King’s College Hospital, in London.

Her parents, Merope Mills and Paul Laity, have been campaigning to make a second opinion a legal right after concerns about Martha’s deteriorating condition were dismissed by doctors.

Mr Barclay asked Dr Henrietta Hughes, the patient safety commissioner, to come up with recommendations to guide how this would work.

She put forward her recommendations in October. But since then there has been a change of health secretary.

However, Dr Hughes told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme yesterday that she was “optimistic” an announcement would be made soon.

“It was only a few weeks between Steve Barclay asking me to run some policy sprints back in September last year and I gave him the recommendations in October,” she said.

“I know the Government has been working at breakneck speed to get a system up and running and I feel very optimistic that we will get an official announcement.”

She said there needed to be a “sea change” i n terms of “l i stening to patients and families and acting on their concerns”.

“So whether it’s acting on Martha’s Rule uou will be able to get an urgent review if you’re concerned that your own or your relative’s care isn’t meeting all their needs,” she said.

It is expected that Victoria Atkins, the Health Secretary, will publish her conclusions in the next few weeks.