Martha's rule: Call for right to second opinion after tragic teen death

The parents of a teen who died successful infirmary 2 years agone are calling for patients to beryllium fixed the close to an urgent 2nd opinion, if they consciousness their concerns are not being taken earnestly by aesculapian staff.

Martha Mills, who would person been 16 today, died aft failures successful treating her sepsis astatine King's College Hospital.

An inquest said she could person survived had her attraction been better.

Martha's mother, Merope, has been speaking exclusively with the BBC.

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that her household were not listened to by elder doctors connected respective occasions and were "not fixed the afloat picture" astir Martha's deteriorating information - leaving them incapable to talk up for amended treatment.

She wants hospitals astir the state to bring successful "Martha's rule", which would springiness parents, carers and patients the close to telephone for an urgent 2nd sentiment from a captious attraction squad astatine the aforesaid infirmary if they person concerns astir their existent care.

The infirmary that looked aft Martha has admitted mistakes were made and the spot said successful a connection that it "remains profoundly atrocious that we failed Martha erstwhile she needed america most".

An NHS spokesperson said: "All patients and families are capable to question a 2nd sentiment if they person concerns astir their attraction and, arsenic nonrecreational guidance for doctors successful England sets out, it is indispensable that immoderate patient's wishes to question a 2nd sentiment are respected."

The blessed 13 twelvemonth aged had been enjoying her summertime holidays - "her days filled with books and memorising opus lyrics", Merope, an exertion astatine the Guardian, recalls.

But portion Martha was connected a household vacation successful Wales, cycling connected a level and "family friendly" path, she slipped connected immoderate sand.

She fell onto the grip bars of her bike, with her abdomen taking the afloat brunt of the tumble.

Merope told the BBC: "At first, we thought she was conscionable winded due to the fact that determination wasn't immoderate humor oregon [a] cut.

"It didn't look similar thing serious. But it turns retired that the unit of the autumn pushed her pancreas against her spine, causing a laceration.

"It was a difficult, tricky injury, but it did not person to beryllium a fatal one," Merope says.

Martha was transferred to the children's liver squad astatine King's College Hospital NHS Foundation spot - 1 of the fewer teams successful the state that specialises successful dealing with young radical with pancreatic trauma.

After a fewer weeks connected the ward, she developed an corruption that would not spell distant and her information worsened drastically.

Martha had developed signs of sepsis - erstwhile the body's effect to an corruption is overwhelming and ends up injuring its ain tissues and organs.

A consequent inquest and aesculapian reviews into her decease revealed this was not managed properly.

One of the large failings was Martha not being transferred to intensive attraction rapidly capable to enactment her organs arsenic they became overwhelmed.

The coroner said; "If she had been referred promptly and had been appropriately treated, the likelihood is that she would person survived her injuries."

Reviews suggest determination had been respective missed opportunities to act.

Merope said arsenic her daughter's information started to worsen the family's concerns were not taken seriously.

"She started bleeding retired of the conduit successful her arm... and 1 successful her abdomen arsenic well.

"It was a batch of humor arsenic well, you know, soaking her sheets and astatine night, we had to support changing them.

"The doctors conscionable told america it was a mean side-effect of the infection, that her clotting abilities were somewhat off."

But Merope says immoderate experts person advised her that this is the constituent her girl should person been moved to intensive attraction - arsenic the bleeding was apt a motion of precise disordered clotting and terrible sepsis taking hold.

The bleeding did stop, but the corruption did not spell distant and Merope was acrophobic that the August slope vacation play was approaching, erstwhile it mightiness beryllium much hard to get clasp of definite staff.

"We started putting 2 and 2 unneurotic and stared utilizing the satellite sepsis ourselves.

"I said to the consultant, I'm disquieted it's going to beryllium a slope vacation weekend, and she's going to spell into septic shock.

"And nary of you volition beryllium here."

But she was "reassured again."

"And truthful we weren't listened to and Martha herself was ignored."

Martha had further worrying signs of sepsis including a rash that that was mistaken for an allergic reaction, but it was aft Martha had a acceptable successful her mother's arms that she was yet transferred to intensive care.

Merope said: "The happening that I find astir unforgivable, is that they near her truthful long, she knew she was going to die.

"She laic successful furniture and she said to maine it feels similar it's unfixable."

By this constituent "it was excessively precocious for them to bash thing and a time later, she was dead".

The time earlier her decease she was moved to London's Great Ormond Street Hospital arsenic an exigency transfer.

Merope wants to talk retired to debar others going done the aforesaid agony.

"Even if you were to springiness the doctors the payment of the uncertainty and accidental they were trying not to interest us, the effect is that they did not springiness america immoderate bureau successful demanding the close attraction for our girl - and that power - that overconfidence successful yourself and your determination making - is perfectly good if the strategy works perfectly, but the strategy is truthful acold from perfect."

Merope has helped the think vessel Demos constitute a report which is calling connected NHS England to urgently enactment successful spot Martha's rule.

This would "effectively formalise the thought of asking for a 2nd opinion, from a antithetic squad extracurricular the squad presently looking aft you if you consciousness you are not being listened too", she said.

She added that asking for a 2nd sentiment erstwhile there's a deterioration "shouldn't beryllium a occupation and it shouldn't impact confrontation".

It mightiness beryllium that a diligent oregon household could escalate to different squad implicit the telephone to get an urgent captious attraction review.

Some akin systems beryllium already astir the world, including 1 astatine the UK's Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Here radical who are disquieted a diligent is deteriorating, but that the healthcare squad is not recognising their concerns, tin ringing a captious attraction hotline for contiguous help.

In Australia hospitals successful Queensland person a process called Ryan's rule, which came into effect aft the tragic decease of a lad called Ryan who besides had a poorly managed superior infection.

Merope acknowledges that immoderate medics would person concerns that the strategy could beryllium overrun but reviews person shown this not to beryllium the case.

When the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust archetypal tried it, determination were conscionable 37 calls to the strategy successful the archetypal twelvemonth - immoderate resulting successful life-saving interventions.

She said: "I genuinely judge that bully doctors should invited bully input from patients oregon household members - who are the different experts successful the country - and they should surely invited the input and 2nd sentiment of different doctor."

King's College Hospital said it had enactment respective measures successful spot since Martha's death, including sepsis grooming for each objective unit looking aft children.

New infirmary guidelines urge the "escalation of a child's attraction successful those cases wherever we are incapable to supply capable reassurance to parents".

And the spot has introduced a specially trained squad to reappraisal earnestly unwell children connected wards.

BBC Radio 4's Mishal Husain asked Merope however she is coping now.

She said: "In each honesty, her sister is what gets maine done the day.

"Martha would beryllium 16 and I deliberation astir her each the time, each day.

"I deliberation astir what she'd been doing and however overmuch amusive she would beryllium having and however overmuch amusive she has already missed.

"I anticipation successful having these conversations we tin halt different radical going done this horror."