In August 2021, 13-year-old Martha Mills, tragically passed away after contracting sepsis at King's College Hospital, London. She had initially been admitted with a pancreatic injury after falling from her bike. Despite her parents voicing concerns about her treatment, it is said that her care team failed to escalate her treatment to intensive care. A coroner later concluded that Martha would “probably have survived” had she been transferred to the intensive care unit at an earlier stage. Her parents later went on to form a campaign calling for new formal ways for families to voice urgent concerns in relation to care being received.
What is Martha's rule?
According to NHS England, Martha's rule is a major patient safety initiative for inpatient hospital care providing patients and families with a way to seek an urgent review if they or their loved one's condition deteriorates, and they're concerned this is not being responded to.
The pilot for Martha's rule came into effect by NHS England in April 2024 across 143 hospitals. It is now being rolled out at every acute hospital in England.
There are 3 components as follows:
- Patients will be asked at least daily about how they are feeling, and if they are getting better or worse, and this information will be acted on in a structured way.
- All staff will be able, at any time, to ask for a review from a different team if they are concerned that a patient is deteriorating and they are not being responded to.
- This escalation route will also always be available to patients themselves, their families and carers, and advertised across the hospital.
The rule was put in place to help improve the quality and safety of care for patients whose conditions were worsening. It is said to be a key priority of NHS England in improving its patient safety record.
The consequences of failing to treat sepsis appropriately
The NHS definition of sepsis is that it is a life-threatening reaction to an infection. It happens when your immune system overreacts to an infection and starts to damage your body's own tissues and organs.
Sepsis is very serious and therefore, urgent diagnosis, reaction, and treatment is required for the best outcomes.
There can be several consequences of failing to provide appropriate or prompt treatment for sepsis.
- Septic shock – If a patient enters septic shock, then they may suffer damage to their organs or ultimately death. These patients should be admitted to a critical care environment and be closely monitored.
- Death – Any delay in diagnosis and treatment increases the risk of death. Globally sepsis claims one in five lives worldwide and in the UK it contributes to 48,000 deaths a year. This highlights how serious this condition can be.
- Long term health conditions – If there has been delayed or inappropriate treatment this can result in permanent damage to the body.This can include damage to internal organs, amputation due to necrosis, or cognitive impairment such as difficulty concentrating or memory loss. This may lead to a survivor suffering long term effects which could significantly diminish their quality of life.
- Post sepsis syndrome – This is a more unknown issue. This is described as a cluster of long-term symptoms including fatigue, muscle weakness, poor sleep, anxiety, depression and flashbacks. Again, this can have a severe impact on the quality of life for a survivor.
How we can help
Our specialist sepsis claim team will ensure your compensation claim reflects the nature and seriousness of the harm you or a loved one has suffered and the rehabilitation you or they may need in the future.
If you are considering making a sepsis compensation claim for you or a loved one, contact Lauren Goode by emailing lauren.goode@mfgsolicitors.com, calling us on 0121 2367388, or complete our online contact form here and we respond as soon as possible.
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