Martha’s Rule: Detecting Deterioration
Martha’s Rule is a key patient safety initiative to ensure patients, families, carers and hospital staff’s concerns about a worsening health condition are listened to. This can help detect deterioration early, so action can be taken to prevent more serious health problems.
Campaign details
Topics: NHS
Campaign start date: 31 March 2025
Effective communication is crucial to the success of Martha’s Rule. These communications resources have been developed using independent audience research to identify the messaging and communications formats that resonate most with patients, their families and staff.
We have used these findings, along with the expertise of clinicians, Martha Mills’ family and feedback from NHS organisations, to create the content of this toolkit. We recommend that wherever possible trusts use these materials to help ensure effective and consistent messaging about the programme across the NHS.
Resources
Communications toolkit
Communications toolkit for the patient safety initiative Martha's Rule
Last updated: 9 April 2025
Resources for patients and their families
Resources include leaflets, posters, social media assets and case study guidance
Last updated: 9 April 2025
Resources for staff
Resources for staff for use with the patient safety initiative Martha's Rule
Last updated: 3 April 2025
Additional resources
Additional resources for use with the patient safety initiative Martha's Rule
Last updated: 9 April 2025
Published: 3 April 2025