Martha's rule permanently rolled out in Oxfordshire hospitals
The initiative offers 24-hour urgent review access for patient concerns
An initiative that allows 24-hour access to an urgent review when there are concerns about a patient’s worsening condition has officially launched at hospitals in Oxfordshire.
Following a successful pilot, the scheme has been introduced across all four of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's hospitals: John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford, and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.
The development of Martha's Rule
The national escalation service was designed by NHS England to improve responses to patient deterioration, inspired by the case of 13-year-old Martha Mills who died from sepsis in 2021. Martha’s family’s concerns about her deteriorating condition were not responded to, and in 2023 a coroner ruled that Martha, aged 13, would probably have survived had she been moved to intensive care earlier.
It means patients and those close to them can request an urgent review from an independent, specialist team if they believe a patient’s condition is worsening and that their concerns are not being properly addressed.
How to access Martha's Rule
Anyone wanting to use Martha's Rule for OUH inpatients should call the Trust switchboard on 0300 304 7777 and quote 'Martha's Rule call'. The service is available 24/7.
Abi Mansfield, Project Manager for Martha’s Rule at OUH, explained, "By introducing Martha's Rule across OUH, we are strengthening patient safety by ensuring anyone who is worried about an inpatient’s deterioration can trigger an urgent review.
It builds on the safeguards already in place, empowering patients, families, carers, and staff to speak up. It also brings greater consistency to how concerns are managed across our hospitals and reflects our commitment to delivering compassionate excellence."
Professor Andrew Brent, Chief Medical Officer at OUH, noted, "Martha's Rule is an important step forward in how we support inpatients whose condition may be deteriorating. Families and carers play a crucial role in recognising subtle changes that may not yet appear in clinical observations, and their insights can help us act sooner.
Our aim is simple: if someone is worried, they can get help quickly – and we will respond. Ensuring people feel confident to raise concerns is central to safe, high-quality care."