East Cheshire NHS Trust’s Position on Martha’s Rule Implementation

East Cheshire NHS Trust is proud to be part of Phase 2 of the national rollout of Martha’s Rule, a vital initiative aimed at empowering patients and families to escalate concerns about a loved one’s condition.

While we are actively working towards implementation, Martha’s Rule is not yet live at our Trust. We are currently in the development stage, preparing to test the Patient Wellness Questionnaire, with the Call for Concern service to follow.

We understand that recent national publicity may have caused confusion, with some reports suggesting the service is already available in all hospitals. We want to reassure our patients, families, and colleagues that we are committed to delivering this service safely and effectively — and will share updates as soon as it becomes available.

In the meantime, if a patient, relative or colleague has concerns about a deteriorating patient, escalation should continue through the usual channels — such as ward nursing colleagues, Matrons, the Critical Care Outreach Team, or by bleeping the on-call colleagues.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.