Merope Mills awarded CBE for Martha’s rule campaign
7 reported
Healthcare campaigner and Guardian senior editor Merope Mills has been made a CBE in the king’s birthday honours list for services to patient safety, according to a single-source report. Mills was a driving force behind Martha’s rule, an initiative in England that allows patients, relatives, and staff to seek a second opinion if they have concerns about care. The rule is named after her 13-year-old daughter Martha, who died in 2021 due to failures to identify and treat sepsis while at King’s College hospital in London. A coroner ruled in 2022 that Martha would probably have survived if warning signs had been identified earlier. Mills and her husband, Paul Laity, campaigned for the system, which lets people call a hospital-run helpline for a rapid review. NHS statistics cited in the report suggest Martha’s rule may have saved more than 500 lives since 2024. Former health secretary Wes Streeting stated last month that more than 500 people had received potentially life-saving care through the mechanism.
What’s reported
Merope Mills received a CBE in the king’s birthday honours list for services to patient safety.
She is a senior editor at the Guardian and a driving force behind Martha’s rule.
Martha’s rule allows patients, relatives, and staff to seek a second opinion about care.
Martha died in 2021 at age 13 from sepsis after a cycling accident; a coroner ruled in 2022 she would likely have survived with earlier intervention.
Mills and her husband Paul Laity campaigned for the system, which involves a hospital-run helpline for rapid review.
NHS statistics suggest Martha’s rule may have saved more than 500 lives since 2024.
Former health secretary Wes Streeting said last month that more than 500 people received potentially life-saving care due to the rule.
Key figures
Merope Mills: healthcare campaigner, Guardian senior editor, awarded CBE
Paul Laity: Martha’s father, co-campaigner
Martha Mills: daughter, died in 2021
Wes Streeting: former health secretary
Sources: The Guardian
