Young people from across Dudley have helped create a powerful new animation to raise awareness of Martha's Rule and encourage patients and families to speak up if they are worried about a loved one's condition.
Dudley Young Health Champions worked with NHS staff, voluntary sector partners and creative professionals to turn a complex patient safety message into a clear, engaging story. The group brings together young people aged 11 to 25 from schools and communities across Dudley to help shape and improve local health services.
Martha's Rule was introduced by NHS England following the review into the death of Martha Mills, a 13-year-old girl whose family repeatedly raised concerns when her condition deteriorated in hospital. The initiative aims to ensure patients, families and carers have a clear route to request an urgent review if they feel concerns about a patient's condition are not being adequately addressed.
Recognising that awareness of Martha's Rule is vital to its success, partners from across the NHS and voluntary sector came together with Dudley Young Health Champions to explore how the message could be communicated in a way that was easy to understand, particularly for children, young people and families.
Rather than relying on traditional methods, the Young Health Champions chose to create an animation. They immersed themselves in learning about Martha's Rule, explored the emotional impact of patient deterioration on families, and helped shape every aspect of the production from the storyline, character development, narration and messaging to ensure the finished film was compassionate, relatable and accessible.
The result is a warm and engaging animated story which helps explain what Martha's Rule is, when it can be used and how families can seek help if they are concerned about a loved one's condition. By telling the story through the eyes of young people, the animation brings a authentic perspective to an important patient safety initiative and helps audiences understand that speaking up about concerns can make a difference.
Dr Adrian Jennings, Consultant Anaesthetist, Clinical Director for Patient Safety and Trust lead for Martha's Rule at The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, said:
"Martha's Rule is about listening to patients and families and ensuring they have a clear and accessible route to raise concerns when they believe something is wrong. This animation explains those important messages in a way that is engaging, easy to understand and relatable.
"The creativity, insight and commitment shown by the Dudley Young Health Champions has been exceptional. They have created a resource that will help patients and families nationwide better understand Martha's Rule and the important role they play in patient safety."
Helen Codd, Head of Involvement and Partnerships at The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, said:
"This project demonstrates the power of co-production. The Young Health Champions immersed themselves in a complex patient safety topic and transformed it into something accessible, meaningful and impactful.
"We are incredibly proud of what they have achieved and grateful to all of the partners who worked together to bring this project to life."
The animation has already attracted wider interest across the NHS and is being considered as a resource to support awareness and implementation of Martha's Rule beyond Dudley.