Martha's Rule rolled out at every A&E department in England

The NHS is expanding Martha's Rule to all hospital emergency departments in England to help patients and families challenge staff and seek second opinions about their care if they want.

It is named after Martha Mills, who died aged 13 at King's College Hospital in London in 2021 after developing blood poisoning or sepsis. Her family's concerns were not listened to, which later prompted her parents, Merope and Paul, to change that culture by creating the rule.

Patients, loved ones and staff in A&E units will be able to call a dedicated phone number to trigger an urgent review if a patient's condition is deteriorating and they are concerned this is not being listened to.

The nationwide expansion starts now and should be complete by March 2028, following a successful trial at seven trusts. It is already being rolled out across all inpatient wards.

In 2022 a coroner ruled , external Martha would probably have survived if she had been transferred earlier to intensive care and given appropriate treatment.

She was in hospital after a bike accident left her with serious injuries to her pancreas.

During a family holiday, she had skidded on some sand while cycling and fell heavily onto the handlebars.

After a few weeks, she developed an infection and then signs of sepsis - when the body's response to an infection is overwhelming and ends up injuring its own tissues and organs - but this was not managed properly.