NHS England data shows 10,119 Martha’s Rule escalation calls were made between September 2024 and December 2025, helping to save lives and prompt improvements in care. One in three calls (34%, 3,457) identified rapid deterioration, and those alerts led to changes in treatment for 1,885 patients. Of those, 446 involved transfers to higher levels of care that were potentially life‑saving.
More than 6,000 calls raised clinical, communication or coordination concerns and resulted in meaningful improvements to care or helped patients and families navigate the system more effectively. The volume of calls has more than doubled since June 2024, when 4,911 calls had been logged, reflecting an accelerated rollout and rising awareness. All adult and paediatric acute inpatient sites across the NHS are now in the process of implementing Martha’s Rule, and hospitals have run awareness campaigns using posters and other materials to normalise its use.
Martha’s mother, Merope Mills, said the figures show a strongly positive impact: beyond lives saved, over a third of calls have driven marked improvements in care. She added that the process is not being overused, gives patients and families real agency, and urged thorough implementation in maternity services along with rapid introduction across Wales and Scotland.
Dr Aidan Fowler, NHS England’s National Director of Patient Safety, said Martha’s Rule is helping to save lives and change NHS culture. The number of calls and the more than 400 potentially life‑saving interventions demonstrate that families’ concerns are being heard and acted on.
Martha Mills died in 2021 aged 13 after developing sepsis in hospital following a fall. A 2022 coroner’s finding concluded Martha would probably have survived if she had been moved to intensive care earlier. Following campaigning by her parents, NHS England began piloting Martha’s Rule in February 2024 and announced a wider rollout across 143 pilot sites in May 2024.
Martha’s Rule asks staff to use a structured approach to gather daily information from patients and families about a patient’s condition, encourages patients, families and carers to speak up about changes they notice, and provides a route to request an urgent review if deterioration is not being addressed. Staff are also able to escalate concerns to another team if they believe appropriate action is not being taken. The rollout has been driven by Martha’s parents, NHS staff, NHS England and the Health Innovation Network’s Patient Safety Collaboratives.
