A service which offers patients, their families and carers 24-hour access to a rapid review if they have concerns about a person’s deteriorating condition is launching in Lincolnshire.
Call For Concern will give anyone worried about a loved one direct contact to a dedicated team who will give urgent help and advice.
The service is run by the Critical Care Outreach Team, which specialises in the care of people who are very unwell and whose condition may be worsening.
The team are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to support the ward teams by assessing and reviewing patients, as well as offering advice to nurses and doctors on how to manage the patient’s condition.
The service will have a phased roll-out, with Call for Concern initially launching at Lincoln County Hospital for our adult inpatients from Monday 2 December 2024, and at Pilgrim Hospital Boston from February 2025.
Call for Concern will include paediatrics inpatients at both the Lincoln and Boston sites from February 2025.
The service will have a phased roll-out, with Call for Concern initially launching at Lincoln County Hospital for adult inpatients from Monday 2nd December 2024, and at Pilgrim Hospital Boston from February 2025.
Call for Concern will include paediatrics inpatients at both the Lincoln and Boston sites from February 2025.
You should contact the Call For Concern team if:
You can contact the team by calling the following numbers:
Lincoln County Hospital: 07393 009049
Pilgrim Hospital Boston: 07761 053863
Please make sure you have the following information before making your call:
Please do not use Call for Concern for general questions and advice about hospital services, such as general patient care, appointments, food and parking.
The service has been developed as part of the implementation of ‘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.
Dr Colin Farquharson, Chief Medical Officer for Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group, said: “The Call For Concern service builds on the existing safeguards already in place in our hospitals to offer a clear and direct way for patients, families, carers and other advocates to further escalate their concerns and access a rapid review of their care.”
Nerea Odongo, Group Chief Nurse for Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group, also said: “I’m very proud of what the teams have accomplished in setting up this service. In Lincolnshire, the Critical Care Outreach Team will be responsible for these reviews. They have extensive experience in caring for patients whose conditions may be worsening. This team, made up of specialist doctors and nurses, collaborates closely with other healthcare professionals to ensure that appropriate care plans are in place. A special thank you to everyone involved for their dedication and hard work in making this possible.”
