Martha's Rule
Are you concerned about yours or an inpatient’s condition? We are committed to ensuring your concerns are heard.
Martha’s Rule is a major patient safety initiative providing patients and families with a way to seek a review if their or their loved one’s condition deteriorates and they are concerned this is not being responded to.
Who is Martha?
Who is Martha?
Martha Mills was a 13-year-old girl who fell off her bike whilst on holiday in Wales. She was initially thought to have no injuries. However, she was injured, and her abdomen took the full brunt of the fall. Her family raised their concerns with the medical and nursing staff at the hospital on several occasions, to be reassured by clinicians. However the family recognised Martha had developed signs of Sepsis and asked that she be moved to an Intensive Care Unit for monitoring. Martha was moved to Great Ormond Street Hospital and the following day she sadly died.
What can you do? The first step is to Recognise and Escalate
1. Recognise
Watch for any signs of deterioration or changes in your condition or that of an inpatient, which have not been addressed by a clinician.
2. Escalate
If your condition, or the condition of the patient you are visiting is rapidly worsening and you feel you are not being listened to, you can request a Martha’s Rule review.
You can do this by calling the Acute Response Team (see Making a Martha’s Rule call below).
Making a Martha's Rule call for adults and children - and our response
Step 1:
Discuss your concerns with the nurse or doctor in charge of your care.
Step 2:
If your concerns are not addressed and there is a deterioration in yours or the inpatients condition, it is possible to refer to Martha’s Rule by calling our Acute Response Teams:
- Huddersfield 07350 439 603
- Calderdale Team 07350 439 623
Step 3:
Please provide the following details:
- Name of the patient and ward they are currently on
- A brief description of the concern and up to date actions
- Your contact details and relationship to the patient
Our response
Our Acute Response Team aim to respond within four hours.
If you feel it is an urgent deterioration, please escalate to the Nurse in Charge and doctors on the ward immediately.
When Martha's Rule is not appropriate
Martha’s Rule is a patient safety initiative for when you are concerned about yourself or a loved one. It is not for raising complaints or queries.
These should continue to be directed to the ward teams. If your concerns are not being addressed in relation to a complaint, please contact the Patient Liaison and Advice Team (PALs) on 01484 343800 or email patientadvice@cht.nhs.uk. You can also feedback compliments and concerns via our feedback form.
Martha's Rule poster
You can download a copy of our poster by clicking this link. If you need it in a different format please email ART@cht.nhs.uk
Are you an adult and concerned?
If you are worried that your condition, or the condition of someone you care for is getting worse, you can call for help. This poster outlines some of the questions to consider and what you can do. if you need it in a different format, please email ART@cht.nhs.uk
Questions tailored for younger patients
It is OK for you, your family, friends or carer to ask for help. This poster outlines to consider and what you can do. If you need it in a different format, please email ART@cht.nhs.uk
اردو میں یہ معلومات حاصل کرنے کے لیے ای میل ART@cht.nhs.uk
ਇਸ ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ ਨੂੰ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ, ਈਮੇਲ ART@cht.nhs.uk
ગુજરાતીમાં આ માહિતી મેળવવા માટે ઈ-મેઈલ ART@cht.nhs.uk
Aby uzyskać te informacje w języku polskim, wyślij e-mail na ART@cht.nhs.uk
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