East Surrey Hospital will roll out Martha’s Rule in a major new patient safety initiative. 

It is one of 143 hospitals nationally that will test and roll out the new rule in its first year.  It provides a process for patients and families to request an urgent review and second opinion if a condition deteriorates. 

The process will be known as Call 4 Concern or C4C and will initially be trialled on adult inpatient wards.

The hospital’s Critical Care Outreach team will work with ward teams to escalate care concerns. 

The scheme is named after Martha Mills, who died from sepsis three years ago at King’s College Hospital after her family’s concerns about her deteriorating condition were not responded to.