Martha's Rule rolled out across all A&E departments in England

The rule is named after Martha Mills, who died aged 13 at King's College Hospital in London in 2021

The NHS is expanding Martha's Rule to all hospital emergency departments in England to help patients and families challenge staff and seek a rapid review of their care if they want.

Patients, loved ones and staff in A&E units will be able to call a dedicated phone number to trigger an urgent review if a patient's condition is deteriorating and they are concerned this is not being taken on board.

Scotland is beginning to use Martha's Rule and Northern Ireland is considering using it, while Wales has a similar scheme called Call4Concern.

A coroner ruled, external in 2022 that Martha would probably have survived if she had been transferred earlier to intensive care and given appropriate treatment.

Prof Aidan Fowler, national director of patient safety at NHS England, said the expansion of Martha's Rule would give families and NHS staff "a critical new lifeline" to help improve care and save more lives.

Staff can also ask for a review from a different team if they are concerned the appropriate action is not being taken.

Elliott Paterson, from Cheltenham, told the BBC he "truly believes" Martha's Rule saved the life of his 67-year-old father, Chris, who was treated at Gloucester Royal Hospital last year after he broke four ribs falling off his bike.

The family noticed Chris' deterioration in health, Elliott said, and called the critical care team, which was then able to treat both Chris' injuries and his Addison's.

"I am incredibly fortunate and grateful to have had Martha's Rule at our disposal at the time."

In some cases, it led to a patient having immediate surgery or being transferred to intensive care.