Royal Bolton Hospital will be rolling out a ground-breaking new potentially “life saving” new rule to give families more rights to second opinions. This comes after the NHS announced that 143 hospitals around the country, Minerva Road based Royal Bolton amongst them, will be adopting “Martha’s Rule.” Named after 13-year-old Martha Mills, who died at King’s College Hospital in 2021, the rule will give parents and families the right to a second opinion if they feel they are not being listened to.
Martha’s parents, Merope Mills and Paul Laity, said: "We are pleased that the roll-out of Martha's Rule is off to a flying start and that the need for it has been so widely recognised. “It will save lives and encourage better, more open, communication on hospital wards, so that patients feel they are listened to, and partners in their healthcare." Martha Mills died at the age of 13 (Image: Mills/Laity family photograph/PA) Martha died after suffering a pancreatic injury after a fall from her bike and after her parents Ms Mills and Mr Laity raised concerns about her health several times, which were not responded to.
A coroner later ruled the 13-year-old would most likely have survived if doctors had identified the warning signs of her rapidly deteriorating condition earlier. After their daughter’s death, Ms Mills and Mr Laity campaigned for a single system that would allow families to trigger an urgent clinical review from a different team in the hospital. In February .
