Call 4 Concern© - Martha’s Rule

Patient safety is a high priority at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Call 4 Concern© (C4C) is a patient safety service run by our Acute Care Team at Warrington Hospital site. 

C4C enables adult inpatients and their families to call for help and advice if they feel that the healthcare team has not recognised their own, or their loved one’s changing condition (deterioration).

It has been adopted from the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust which developed the initiative and has been introduced at the Trust following the creation of Martha’s Rule. Read more about Martha’s Rule on the NHS England website.

When to use Call 4 Concern©

If you are concerned about your condition or the condition of a patient, you should speak to the ward team or doctors looking after the patient. 

You can contact Call 4 Concern© directly if:

• you see noticeable change in the patient, and you feel that the health care team is not recognising your concern
• you have ongoing concerns after you have spoken to the ward nurse or doctor
• you feel there is confusion over what needs to be done for the patient and you need clear information about what is happening

Using Call 4 Concern© will not negatively affect the patient’s care in any way. We recognise that sometimes the patient or a close loved one can see that something is wrong before the healthcare team does. No one knows your healthcare needs, or those of your loved one, better than you and your family.  

For children and neonatal inpatients, support and second opinion is available from the ward’s medical team. During daytime hours, patients or their families should ask to speak to the lead nurse or the consultant of the week. Out of hours they should ask for the registrar on call. 

The Call 4 Concern service complements other patient safety initiatives already in place and is only for inpatients staying at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals. 

When not to use Call 4 Concern©

C4C is a patient safety service. To report problems regarding your hospital bed, room, food, parking or any other general issues, please speak to your nurse or the ward manager.

You can also contact the matron to discuss any issues further.

How to contact Call 4 Concern©

The Acute Care Team are available 24 hours a day to help support health care teams who are caring for acutely ill patients.

You can contact the team directly on: 07876 248369

When the team receive your call, they will need to know: 

• the patient’s name
• the ward they are on
• a brief description of the problem

What happens next? 

The team will then be able to assess how best to help you, this may include visiting you on the ward to discuss your concerns or assessing the situation to instigate treatment or further review if necessary.

The team will work with the patient’s medical team and other healthcare professionals as needed, to discuss further treatment options.

Sometimes depending on the demand for the service, the team may be unable to answer your call immediately. Please leave a message providing the same information as described earlier on this page, and a contact number. Someone from the team will get back to you as soon as possible and we thank you for your patience.

Alternative ways to raise or give feedback 

Patient Advice and Liaison Service

Our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) can provide patients, relatives and carers using with support and information about our services and any concerns.

PALS is open Monday to Friday between 9am to 4pm.

•    Telephone 01925 275512
•    Email whh.pals@nhs.net  
•    Or ask a member of staff to contact them to visit you on the ward

Visit the Patient Advice and Liaison Service page for more information.

Giving feedback 

Every patient visiting our hospital wards, emergency departments, maternity services, outpatients, and day case departments is able to give feedback on the quality of the care they have received.

The feedback also provides us with a better understanding of the needs of our patients and visitors and enables us to continually improve the care we give.

Find out how you can share your feedback with us.

The Call 4 Concern copyright is owned by Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust and used with their kind permission.