Call 4 Concern - Martha's Rule

Are you worried that your or your loved one’s condition is getting worse? 

Have you discussed your concerns with the team caring for you/your loved one and feel your concerns are not being heard?

Call 4 Concern© is a patient safety service enabling patients and families to call for immediate help and advice when they feel concerned that the health care team has not recognised their own, or their loved one’s deterioration (condition changing for the worse). 

For patients in hospital, they, their family members, friends or carers can identify the early small signs of deterioration often before hospital staff, due to knowing someone’s normal health and behaviours.

Call 4 Concern lets patients and their relatives call for help or advice from the Acute Response Team (ART) when they are concerned about a patient’s condition, and they feel that their concern is not being heard by the ward team. 

It gives patients and relatives the opportunity to ask for a second opinion and raise awareness of any deterioration.

The Acute Response Team is a team of advanced practitioners and specialist nurses who are experienced in the management of very unwell and deteriorating patients.

The Acute Response Team will need to know:

• your name (if you are the patient) or the name of the patient you are concerned about and date of birth
• the ward
• a short description of the problem

After visiting you / the patient, the team will contact you and update you on any action taken. The Acute Response Team will work with the medical team and other healthcare professionals as needed.

You can call the Acute Response Team at any time on 01709 428420 to raise your concern. If they do not answer right away, please try again.

After receiving your call, the Acute Response Team will visit the patient on the ward to discuss the concern and assess them if needed. The team look at how urgently they need to see the patient and will visit the most urgent patients first.

The team will work with you, your family and ward staff to plan and put in place the best management and treatment to help with the health concerns you have. The Acute Response Team will let you know if any discussions have taken place about your or your loved ones care.

Call the Acute Response Team if:

• you still have concerns after discussing these with the responsible doctors and nurses on the ward
• there is a noticeable change in your own, or the patient's, condition and the ward team is not recognising your concern.

You can make the Call 4 Concern:

• if you or your loved one have been admitted to Rotherham Hospital
• as a patient worried about your clinical condition
• as a relative, friend or carer worried about a patient’s clinical condition.

Some changes that a relative, friend or carer may notice before anyone else:

• the patient seems different to usual (not themselves)
• that they are breathing differently
• that they are sweating or have an unusual skin colour
• they are urinating (peeing) less or not passing urine
• more sleepy than usual or confused
• their hands feel cold or very hot
• they are in pain and look uncomfortable
• being worried about their condition.

When not to make a Call 4 Concern?

Call 4 Concern is not able to help with the following issues:

• patients at home
• parking
• visiting times
• hospital food
• hospital cleanliness
• complaints
• any other general issues.

The following teams may be able to help:

• ward nurses and doctors
• ward managers 
• ward matron 
• Patient Experience Team and Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) 
• Chaplaincy team.

If you have concerns for yourself or loved one and are in the Urgent and Emergency Care Centre (UECC) or outpatient areas, please ask to speak to the Ward Manager or Matron.