We also know that any deterioration in someone’s condition can be worrying and you may have questions about what is happening.
If they are staying on a hospital ward, the clinical team supporting their care will be at hand to help you understand any care plan that will be in place.
However, if you feel your concerns about someone’s deteriorating condition have still not been addressed, the Call for Concern service offers access to an independent rapid review for urgent help and advice. You may have also heard this called ‘Martha’s Rule’.
Martha Mills died in 2021 after developing sepsis in hospital in London, where she had been admitted with a pancreatic injury after falling off her bike. Martha’s family’s concerns about her deteriorating condition were not responded to, and in 2023 a coroner ruled that Martha would probably have survived had she been moved to intensive care earlier.
In response to this and other cases related to the management of deterioration, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and NHS England committed to implement ‘Martha’s Rule’ in the NHS nationally; to ensure the vitally important concerns of the patient and those who know the patient best are listened to and acted upon.
The Call for Concern service is our way of implementing ‘Martha’s Rule’ in Lincolnshire.
It has been available at Lincoln County Hospital and Pilgrim Hospital, Boston, since December 2025 and February 2025 respectively, and has expanded to our four community hospitals.
John Coupland Hospital, Gainsborough, County Hospital, Louth, Skegness Hospital and Johnson Community Hospital in Spalding, were among the first wave of community-based NHS services nationally to introduce the service from March 2026.
There are three dedicated Call for Concern telephone numbers to reach the service, which can be found on the Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust and United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospital NHS Trust websites. Please also look out for the service information displayed on our hospital wards.
The free and confidential Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) also remains available for those needing help with general questions and advice about hospital services. This includes issues about a hospital stay such as about general patient care, appointments, food and parking.
It is hoped the service will expand again to include Grantham and District Hospital during 2026.