Martha Mills died after developing sepsis while under the care of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
The parents of a girl who died after doctors failed to admit her to intensive care are calling for the introduction of ‘Martha’s rule’ to make it easier to get a second opinion.
An inquest heard there were several opportunities to refer Martha to intensive care but this did not happen. The trust has since apologised for mistakes in Martha’s care. The couple are now calling for Martha’s rule to give patients, families and carers the chance to easily request a second opinion from a senior doctor in the same hospital in the event of a suspected deterioration or serious concern.
“I talked to a nurse, but she said to trust the doctors. I didn’t have the language or knowledge to request a critical care review.“A national expert on sepsis worked just down the corridor in paediatric ICU : had he seen her following a review, we know her treatment would have been utterly different.
The study said Martha’s rule should be advertised to families, and staffed by an independent clinical review team, which many hospitals already have in place. She added: “Martha’s rule would help to shift power, encouraging patients to challenge in the most difficult of circumstances and clinicians to listen to them. In other countries it has been proven to save lives.”
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