'Martha's rule' can save lives in our hospitals

14 PEOPLE TRANSFERRED TO INTENSIVE CARE UNDER NEW SCHEME TRIALLED ACROSS REGION

- HELENA VESTY

A NEW scheme which allows patients and their loved ones to the right to a second medical opinion can 'save lives a grieving mother has said.

Merope Mills, whose daughter Martha tragically passed away from sepsis at a London hospital in 2021, is advocating for the scheme - called Martha's Rule to be implemented nationally.

Seven hospitals across Greater Manchester are currently taking part in the trial rollout of the initiative.

In the first two months of the pilot scheme, 14 individuals were transferred to intensive care units after either patients, their families or NHS staff requested a second opinion. Other patients have been moved to high-dependency units, coronary care units and have received other forms of care, such as returning to operating theatres.

In Greater Manchester, the hospitals which have taken part in the pilot include:

• Tameside General Hospital

• The Christie

• Royal Oldham Hospital

• Royal Albert Edward Infirmary

• St Mary's Hospital

• Royal Bolton Hospital

• Royal Manchester Children's Hospital

The M.E.N. understands that more hospitals in the region have plans in place to join the scheme.

A LITTLE GIRL WHO COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED

Martha Mills, aged 13, tragically succumbed to sepsis in 2021 after sustaining a pancreatic injury from a bike accident. Martha's parents, Ms Mills and Paul Laity, raised repeated alarms about their daughter's deteriorating health but their fears were dismissed.

Following an inquest, a coroner concluded that Martha might have been saved if she had been moved into intensive care sooner if doctors had recognised the warning signs of her condition's severity.