Health reporter
Mills/Laity family photograph/PA Wire
A medical tribunal has ruled that the negligence of the doctor in charge of Martha Mills, who succumbed to sepsis, was “gross” and “especially severe”.
This tragedy led to the implementation of Martha’s Rule in countless hospitals across England, allowing parents easier access to urgent second opinions.
The tribunal determined that consultant Prof Richard Thompson did not recognize the severity of Martha’s condition after a summer bike accident in 2021.
On the critical afternoon, he neither examined her personally nor sent her to intensive care.
The tribunal concluded that Prof Thompson’s ability to practice was compromised, yet chose not to impose further actions against him.
In 2021, Martha was moved to King’s College Hospital in London, one of the UK’s key specialist treatment centers, after suffering significant pancreatic injuries from a bicycle incident while on holiday.
During this family holiday, she lost control on sand and fell hard onto the handlebars.
Her parents, Merope Mills and Paul Laity, expressed their grief and frustration regarding their daughter’s treatment after her passing.
“While it was a challenging injury, it did not have to end fatally,” Merope shared.
Martha remained in the hospital for a month, during which she experienced complications from an infection and ultimately signs of sepsis, which were poorly managed.
An inquiry revealed that had she been promptly referred to the pediatric intensive care unit, she likely would have survived her injuries.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today program in 2023, Merope Mills noted their family’s concerns were repeatedly overlooked, leaving them “uninformed” about Martha’s worsening condition.
Recently, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service reviewed allegations from the General Medical Council (GMC) against Prof Thompson, indicating multiple failures in Martha’s care.
Prof Thompson was the on-call consultant in her ward on Sunday, August 29, 2021—two days before her death.
The tribunal observed that by around 5 PM that day, Martha showed “multiple high-risk indicators”, including abnormal heart rate and fever, signaling a significant decline in her condition.
It stated that Martha’s new rash warranted her transfer to intensive care, yet that option was ignored.
Later that evening, another doctor contacted Prof Thompson regarding Martha’s ongoing fever. Though he had seen her earlier that day, he chose not to revisit the hospital to assess her condition personally.
Prof Thompson expressed his “deep remorse” for Martha’s death, yet maintained he had made no mistakes in her care.
One reason he cited for keeping Martha on the ward was to avoid distressing her parents, but the tribunal deemed that insufficient justification for delaying her transfer to intensive care.
The tribunal concluded that Prof Thompson’s capability to practice had been impaired.
This decision is expected to reassure the public and remind doctors of the essential principles of quality care.
The GMC had recommended Prof Thompson’s suspension from clinical practice, but the tribunal decided against imposing any disciplinary measures.
Tribunal chairman Robin Ince stated that Prof Thompson had made “all possible efforts” to rectify his lapses, and noted the “stain on his reputation” would persist throughout his life.
“The tribunal felt the best way to mitigate any damage done by his errors was for him to continue sharing his specialist knowledge both domestically and internationally,” he remarked.
In 2022, Martha’s parents alerted the GMC regarding their daughter’s treatment concerns.
In response to the tribunal’s conclusions, Martha’s parents remarked: “We find it significant that the allegations we contested have been validated, and the severity of the errors leading to our daughter’s avoidable death is acknowledged.”
“The report from King’s College Hospital on Martha’s death clearly stated that the senior consultants on her ward had a strained relationship with pediatric intensive care, which may explain why she wasn’t referred there despite expert consensus that she should have been.”
“We will never grasp why reputable doctors would take such a substantial gamble with her life.”
The hospital that treated Martha has conceded that errors occurred and previously stated that it is “deeply sorry for failing Martha when she needed our help the most”.