Starting April, English hospitals will have the chance to apply for funding to implement “Martha’s rule” which would provide seriously ill patients access to a second opinion when their medical condition deteriorates, according to the NHS. Approximately 100 hospitals, or two-thirds of all hospitals, will be able to apply initially. This follows a campaign by the parents of Martha Mills, a 13-year-old who passed away from sepsis after her symptoms went unnoticed.
The acute hospital system will use posters and leaflets informing patients and their families they could directly ask a team of critical-care medics for a “rapid review” of treatment. Additionally, doctors will formally record the medical observations of families regarding a patient’s behavior or condition. Martha’s mother, Merope Mills, stated that the system would save lives and that it would mean her daughter had died meaningfully.
Martha’s admissions to King’s College Hospital, south London, in 2021, after injuring her pancreas slipping on to the handlebars of her bike while cycling, had been followed by sepsis which she might have survived with better care, according to an inquest. The hospital has apologized for its failure. Patients were previously given the opportunity for a second opinion if their medical conditions worsened, however, funds currently imposed different systems.
This new policy would offer patients and their families 24/07 access to a quick clinical review to better identify those who experience severe deterioration so that they can be diagnosed and treated quickly. Evaluating the scheme over the next year would be followed by the possible funding for all acute hospitals, according to NHS England. Proposals which would adapt it for community hospitals and mental-health trusts are also being considered
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