NHS England is expanding Martha's rule, which allows patients, staff, and relatives to request a second opinion or urgent review of care, to all accident and emergency departments across England. The system aims to improve patient safety by enabling concerns about treatment to be escalated.
The UK House of Commons rejected legislation that would have allowed terminally ill adults in England and Wales to choose to end their lives, with 286 members voting against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. The defeat leaves Britain outside a growing list of European countries and 14 U.S. jurisdictions that permit some form of assisted suicide.
Seriously ill children across England are being denied the chance to die at home due to widespread gaps in NHS end-of-life care provision, with reports highlighting staffing shortages forcing treatment in corridors and temporary spaces. Critics say the NHS is flouting its legal duty to provide adequate palliative care in many areas.
