Martha's Rule was launched in May 2024 following a campaign by Merope and Paul Mills' whose daughter, Martha, died in 2021 aged 13 after developing sepsis in hospital after her parent's concerns were not responded to.

Health and social care secretary, Wes Streeting, said: ‘Martha's Rule puts patients and families at the heart of their care. By rolling this out to every acute hospital in England, we're delivering on our promise through our Plan for Change to rebuild trust in the NHS and put patient safety first.'

Between September 2024 and June 2025, there were 4,906 calls made to Martha's Rule helplines to escalate concerns about care – leading to 241 potentially life-saving interventions being triggered.

The new data published by the NHS shows almost three quarters (71.9%) of calls have been from families seeking help, with 720 calls leading to changes in care. This could include patients receiving a new medication such as an antibiotic.

Almost 800 (794) calls led to clinical concerns such as medication or investigation delays being addressed. A further 1,030 calls helped to resolve communication and discharge planning issues.

Full evaluation of the programme is ongoing and will help inform proposals to expand to other settings.