Stuart Ball

Stuart Ball is a UK-based author and patient-safety advocate. He is the author of Rachel’s Rule: Signs in Plain Sight, a deeply personal memoir and public call to strengthen how hereditary cancer risk is recognised and followed up within the NHS.

Following the death of his wife Rachel in 2025, Stuart began examining how patterns in medical history can remain unconnected across services. When Rachel was eventually diagnosed with PTEN Hamartoma Syndrome — specifically Cowden syndrome — much of the clinical damage had already been done, raising difficult questions about whether earlier recognition and coordinated follow-up might have altered the course of events.

What began as reflection became a campaign: Rachel’s Rule – Protecting Today, For Tomorrow, advocating for clearer ownership of hereditary risk and the introduction of Annual Hereditary Risk Reviews (AHRR) within the NHS, designed to ensure red flags in family and clinical history are not overlooked.

Signs in Plain Sight weaves together love, memory, missed warning signs, and a determination to improve patient safety across the UK health system. Stuart continues to engage with policymakers, patient-safety organisations and healthcare leaders to promote coordinated hereditary cancer surveillance and practical reform.

Stuart lives in England.