Overview

• The policy gives patients, families, carers and staff a formal route to request an urgent, independent clinical review if deterioration concerns are not being addressed.
• Pilots ran at 143 sites between September 2024 and June 2025, prompting a national expansion that added 67 hospitals to reach full coverage.
• NHS figures show families made 71.9% of calls, with 720 resulting in changes to care, 794 resolving clinical delays, and 1,030 improving communication or discharge planning.
• Local trusts report measures to embed the rule, including daily wellness questionnaires and education for staff and patients on recognising deterioration.
• The initiative followed the 2021 death of 13-year-old Martha Mills and a 2023 coroner’s finding that earlier intensive care might have saved her, after which her parents led a campaign for change.