Mother reacts to new second opinion hospital rule

Kayley Hawkins said her daughter Brooke would not still be alive if she did not fight for her care in hospital

A woman has said she would not have had to fight for her daughter's life if new measures being rolled out in hospitals were in place nine years ago.

Kayley Hawkins, from Essex, was a student nurse in 2015 when her daughter Brooke, nine, showed symptoms of a brain tumour.

She claimed it was initially dismissed as a stomach bug in hospital, but said she persuaded a clinician to get her an MRI scan.

Martha's Rule, which aims to give patients and families access to a rapid review of their care, is being introduced at at least 100 NHS trusts in April.

"If it had come out in 2015 I would not have had the fight on my hands," said Ms Hawkins, speaking to BBC Essex.

"It is going to enable patients and families to get that second opinion from another clinician who can see things differently."

Kayley Hawkins said her daughter Brooke was "thriving"

Ms Hawkins said she took her daughter to various GP appointments and then to A&E at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, Essex.

She said Brooke was missing school because she was vomiting.

"The fight I had before Brooke got diagnosed was disgusting," she added.

"Had I not done that, Brooke would not be here today."

She said she Googled the symptoms, eventually persuading a clinician to order an MRI - which revealed she needed life-saving surgery for a grade four brain tumour.

Ms Hawkins said she spent about two weeks ensuring her daughter received the right care.

Brooke, now 17, was "thriving" and was studying performing arts at college, her mother said.

A spokesperson for Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford said "we remain committed to working closely with patients"

NHS England said the Martha's Rule escalation process would be available 24-7.

An urgent clinical review by a different team in the hospital would be triggered if a patient's condition was rapidly worsening or a family felt the patient was not receiving the necessary care.

The measures follow the death of 13-year-old Martha Mills in 2021 who developed sepsis.

The escalation process will be available at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich.

Regarding Brooke's care at Broomfield Hospital, David Walker, the chief medical officer at the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We remain committed to working closely with patients and to ensuring continuous improvement in care and experience."