Martha’s Rule

Our policy

‘Martha’s Rule’ is a patient safety initiative within the NHS that allows patients, families, carers and staff to request a ‘second opinion’ if they are concerned about a patient’s condition.

Parkbury House Surgery has a system in place to facilitate the second opinion process, known as Martha’s Rule, which has been backed by the government and endorsed by the General Medical Council (GMC), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), and Care Quality Commission (CQC) in the NHS. 

This process will ensure that deteriorating patients and their families are able to seek a second opinion day or night through a rapid review from a critical care outreach team.