PATIENTS LIVES MATTER Because Patients Lives DO Matter
PATIENTS LIVES MATTER
Because Patients Lives DO Matter
DEATHS LIKE THIS HAVE TO STOP.
FOR BALRAM. FOR EVERY PATIENT. FOR EVERY FAMILY.
My name is Jay Patel.
On 9 August 2023, my wife and I lost our beloved son, Balram Jayesh Patel, on his 30th birthday.
Balram had profound learning disabilities and complex, life-threatening medical conditions. He was our baby, our world, and happiness personified. He loved life, loved everyone, and everyone loved him.
We believe serious failures in his healthcare contributed to his suffering and premature death. For three years, I have fought to establish what happened, why it happened and who should be held accountable.
I am a litigant in person. No legal team. No medical expert team. Just a father determined to honour two promises made as his son died.
Our campaign has attracted nearly 45,000 supportersand involved thousands of hours examining evidence, challenging decisions and pursuing accountability.
TEN JUDICIAL REVIEWS — ONE FATHER'S PURSUIT OF JUSTICE
My pursuit of answers has involved ten judicial review proceedings, alongside regulatory complaints, safeguarding concerns and other accountability processes.
These proceedings have had different outcomes, and our challenges continue through the appropriate legal routes.
But why should one bereaved father have to navigate so many separate organisations and legal processes simply to seek answers and Justice for his his son's death?
The system should not be so complicated that families must become legal and medical experts to be heard.
9 AUGUST 2026 — 10 DOWNING STREET
On the third anniversary of Balram's death, 9 August 2026, I attended 10 Downing Street and personally delivered a 4,300-page National Public Accountability Dossier to the Prime Minister's Office.
The dossier brought together three years of evidence, medical records, legal proceedings and concerns about healthcare accountability.
4,300 pages. Three years of work. One father's determination to seek answers and prevent further suffering.
But my mission has grown beyond seeking justice for Balram.
It is now about helping protect other patients and families.
INTRODUCING BALRAM'S RULE
ONE FRONT DOOR FOR ALL SERIOUS HEALTHCARE FAILURES
One independent place to turn. One named person responsible. No serious concern lost between organisations.
Before and after serious harm or death.
THE PROBLEM
When something seriously goes wrong in healthcare, patients and families can find themselves passed between hospitals, GPs, NHS organisations, regulators, safeguarding authorities and the Ombudsman.
Each organisation has different responsibilities, procedures and timescales.
But who takes responsibility for ensuring that the patient's serious concern is actually addressed?
Too often, that responsibility falls on the patient or family, sometimes while a loved one is deteriorating or after they have died.
THE SOLUTION — ONE FRONT DOOR
Balram's Rule proposes one independent national gateway for ALL qualifying serious healthcare concerns.
Instead of navigating numerous organisations, a patient, family member or advocate could explain their concern once, to one independent place.
A named case lead would then help identify which organisations need to act, coordinate appropriate urgent escalation and follow the concern through.
Crucially, the case lead would check whether referrals were received, responsibility accepted, necessary actions taken and important questions answered.
The patient or family would no longer be left to coordinate the system themselves.
HOW WOULD IT HELP?
- Before serious harm: Recognise serious concerns early, escalate urgent risks and track whether appropriate professionals respond.
- When organisations pass responsibility: Ensure referrals and handovers are followed through rather than simply recorded.
- For vulnerable patients: Provide accessible communication and appropriate support for disabled people, carers and advocates.
- After serious harm or death: Help families navigate investigations, preserve important evidence and pursue unanswered questions.
- For future patients: Identify recurring failures that could inform improvements across the healthcare system.
REFERRAL IS NOT RESOLUTION.
A referral sent is not necessarily a referral received.
A referral received is not necessarily responsibility accepted.
Responsibility accepted is not necessarily action taken.
And action taken does not necessarily mean the serious concern has been resolved.
Balram's Rule seeks to ensure that somebody independently follows that chain through, rather than leaving patients and families to discover where it has broken.
It would complement existing clinical, safeguarding, regulatory and complaints processes—not replace them.
One Front Door does not mean another organisation to complain to. It means one independent place that takes responsibility for coordinating the appropriate organisations and following through on whether they have acted.
Balram's Rule is undergoing national consultation before being proposed for formal consideration by Government and Parliament. It is not yet an existing service or enacted law.
THE TWO PROMISES I MADE AS BALRAM DIED
Three years ago, when my wife and I watched our 30-year-old son Balram die, I made two promises.
THE FIRST PROMISE WAS TO BALRAM.
I promised my son that his daddy would not let the horror of his suffering and death go unheard. I promised him that I would honour the angel he was by doing everything I could to prevent anyone, and any family, from enduring what he endured and what we endured.
This is what Balram would have wanted. He loved everyone, and I don't know anyone who didn't love him.
THE SECOND PROMISE WAS TO HIS MOTHER, MY WIFE.
I saw the expression on her face. It said to me:
"How on God's earth could this have happened to our baby?"
With tears streaming down my face, and with my heart broken, I said:
"I don't know, darling. But I am going to get to the bottom of this."
Those two promises are why Patients Lives Matter exists.
They are why I have pursued ten judicial reviews, delivered the 4,300-page dossier to Downing Street and developed Balram's Rule.
I cannot bring Balram back. But I will do everything I can to ensure that his life, his suffering and the lessons from his death help protect others.
PLEASE HELP US MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Sign and share our petition:
https://chng.it/J5mVXZNhTq
Share your story or contribute to Balram's Rule:
jay@patientslivesmatter.co.uk
Support our campaign:
https://gofund.me/f874da7a
Every signature, shared experience and contribution helps.
FOR BALRAM. FOR EVERY PATIENT. FOR EVERY FAMILY.
BECAUSE PATIENTS LIVES DO MATTER.
Jayesh Patel (Jay)
Father of Balram Jayesh Patel
Founder — Patients Lives Matter
Patients Lives Matter is an independent campaign. Balram's Rule is a proposal under consultation. Concerns about Balram's care remain disputed and are being pursued through appropriate processes.
OUR STORY
We are Mummy and Daddy of Balram Jayesh Patel. Our son was 30 years old and passed on 9th August 2023 with 6 life threatening conditions and throughout his life about a dozen others. He was developmentally delayed and was at an age of a 8 to 10 year old from “an understanding” point of view and was our baby. He was happiness personified, loved life to the fullest and made everyone he came in contact with happy, as well as those that didn’t even meet him but just heard his voice or knew about him. He had a number of challenges in his life and he was probably hospitalized for over 1 ½ to 2 years of his life.
We are deeply saddened for the loss of our Balram but we are mortified that he passed in a huge amount of unnecessary pain, before his time and this was due to the lack of care, inappropriate medical treatment, and delay in appropriate treatment. A coroner's investigation has now been opened by the coroner and the coroner is investigating the delays in Balram's treatment and the treatment itself.
Please help us by signing and sharing our petition. It will not cost you anything to sign:
Our petition on Change.Org:
add your story
Please email us your story to jay@patientslivesmatter.co.uk and after verification we will be happy to upload your story.
Please Help Our Cause
The Patients Lives Matter Foundation desperately needs your support to help fund our campaigns and petitions to create an Independent Body to investigate complaints against NHS Staff and Bodies. If you can make a small donation through our GoFund page we would be so grateful. Together we will succeed!