NHS ombudsman calls for Martha's rule to give power to patients

Top boss of NHS complaints in England has told the BBC he wants Martha's rule to be introduced to give patients the power to get an automatic second medical opinion about hospital care, when they think things are going wrong.

Rob Behrens said he had been moved by the plea of Merope Mills, who shared the story of her daughter's death.

Martha was 13 when she died from sepsis. 

Merope Mills wants hospitals around the country to bring in Martha's rule, which would give parents, carers and patients the right to call for an urgent second clinical opinion from other experts at the same hospital, if they have concerns about their current care.

It is something that Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Rob Behrens fully supports.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Along with many others, I was moved and in great admiration for what Merope has said and done and I give unambiguous support.

"Unfortunately, as tragic as this case is, it's not the first and there have been many cases where patients have been failed by their doctors because they haven't been listened to."

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Source: BBC News, 5 September 2023