New data from NHS England shows that between September 2024 and February 2026, 1,781 calls were made by hospital staff to Martha’s Rule helplines.

Of these calls from staff, 1,080 (61 per cent) helped identify acute deterioration of a patient’s condition.

Expansion is continuing to all acute and paediatric inpatient services in England, with hundreds of staff now attending dedicated webinars by NHS England to help them roll out Martha’s Rule at their hospitals.

Hospitals have rolled out communications campaigns, including dedicated posters around their wards and buildings, to help raise awareness and ensure the programme is easy to understand and that its use is normalised for patients, families and staff.

The data also shows that of the calls found to relate to acute deterioration, the greatest proportion were regarding patients belonging to the most deprived groups (26.1%), with the lowest number of calls (14.5%) regarding patients belonging to the least deprived groups.

Professor Aidan Fowler, national director of Patient Safety at NHS England, said: “It’s really encouraging that more than 1000 staff have used Martha’s Rule to help flag rapid deterioration in patents as we continue to roll out this lifesaving scheme.

“And today’s independent evaluation shows that even in the early days of Martha’s Rule, 1 in 3 people already knew about it, but there is more to do to ensure Martha’s Rule is helping every patient and family it could be.

“We know that when concerns are raised, hospital teams are ready to respond, so it’s important that as many people as possible are aware of Martha’s Rule, and hospitals are making it clear and straightforward for patients and families to seek a potentially lifesaving review of care”.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Martha’s Rule is already having a lifesaving impact, and these figures show the real difference it is making to NHS staff, patients and families across the country.

“But this early research also shows there is more to do to ensure that this crucial initiative can be accessed by everyone who needs it.

“I want a health service that listens – to patients, to families, and to the staff who care for them. Work to roll out Martha’s Rule is a crucial part of this as we build a health service fit for the future”.