'My son was left to die': Anguish at death of boy, 5, after 'mother’s instinct' ignored by medics
The family of a five-year-old child who died after he was sent home from A&E because there was no bed do not want him to have died in vain
They want Yusuf Mahmud Nazir's name to become a rallying call for accountability across the NHS.
The results of a second NHS independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Yusuf’ death found there were 13 missed opportunities to escalate Yusuf’s care.
Both Yusuf's uncle and mother battled through tears to call for action and ensure that there is never a repeat of the tragic events.
Yusuf tragically passed away on November 23, 2022 after attending a number of medical facilities.
He was initially seen by his GP on November 15 after feeling unwell, and later that day his mum called 111 and was advised to takea the young boy to A&E.
At Rotherham District General Hospital he was provided with a bed while he was being monitored and was administered oral antibiotics to treat what medics believed to be tonsilitis.
His family was told there were no beds available for him to be admitted so he was sent home.
Three days later on November 18, Yusuf’s condition was not improving so he was taken to his family GP again and later that day his mum called 999.
Yusuf was transferred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, where he died on November 23 - eight days after his family first sought help.
Soniya Ahmed, Yusuf’s mother, said: “Our healthy child, full of life, was diagnosed with tonsilitis. A harmless condition that spiralled out of control because it was left untreated.
“Despite begging for help [at] every step, we were faced with repeated rejection and delays from healthcare professionals.
“The failings we faced during this critical time led to the unimaginable and traumatic loss of our child.
“They say a mother’s instinct is a powerful thing, it can neither be ingored or explained, yet my concerns were ignored each and every time.
“My son was left to die right beside me, he was crying in pain, yet received no pain relief.
“The report concludes that [there were] 13 missed opportunities to escalate Yusuf’s care, all while I was trusting the NHS to protect him.”
“They failed him catastrophically,”
“Why was my son treated like a number on a list and not a living, breathing child, desperate for help?
“My son went into hospital with tonsilitis and he never returned home.
“Every night when I close my eyes, I hear Yusuf’s helpless voice in my ears saying ‘mummy, I can’t breathe. I really can’t’. And the image of him being handed over to me after his life ended, as though someone had torn my heart out and placed it in my hands.”
This latest investigation - which follows a similar one held in 2023 that found only a handful of failings- was described by the family's legal team as ‘unprecedented’.
It reported a number of failings at Sheffield Children’s Hospital including poor cannulation care leading to the compromise of Yusuf's I/V antibiotics, poor management and administration of medication and inadequate training of staff.
Zaheer Ahmed, Yusuf’s uncle, described the cannula failure in graphic detail, explaining how the tube ended up bursting, causing medication to ‘pour’ out, with ‘blood all over the bed’.
Zaheer told The Star: “He was very special, a very special child.
“He was loved by everybody. He was a very active child and had a long, long life ahead of him.
“He enjoyed his family time, he enjoyed his independent time, and he was full of energy, full of life.
“This second investigation has revealed a lot of information the first one hadn’t revealed, it’s identified a lot of serious failings, a lot of major failings.
“It’s very very sad to see the circumstances under which Yusuf was left with no medication, escalation wasn’t done - he was left in a condition just to die.
“For us it’s closer to the answers that we want, but it’s not close enough to be at peace and be at comfort - we will never forget Yusuf.”
The report has resulted in 16 recommendations being made for Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Sheffield Children’s Hospital and national services.
These include improving parental access to medical records, developing clear patient materials to help ambulance staff communicate with patients effectively and establishing visible consultant-led oversight for every child - the latter of which should be implemented at SCH by September this year.
Yusuf’s family are now preparing to meet with Health Secretary Wes Streeting to discuss the implementation of these, with local MP Sarah Champion joining them today to also offer further support from the government.
Soniya hopes that the tragedy of her child’s death may at least lead to real change.
She added: “Yusuf’s name must mean something - it must stand for accountability, for change, for [an] urgent need to listen, really listen.
“Listen to the parents when they say something’s wrong.”
However there are still lingering questions haunting Yusuf’s loved ones, as despite these two investigations a cause of death has still not been identified.
With the aid of legal teams at Bindmans, they are hopeful that an inquest can be held.
Partner Anna Thwaites at Bindmans, who has represented the family from the beginning with Counsel Adam Wagner KC from Doughty Street Chambers, added: "‘This has been a long and difficult journey for the family. They knew there were issues with Yusuf’s care and treatment from the beginning.
“The second investigation revealed new multiple and serious failings, but Yusuf’s family had to wait over 2.5 years for these be revealed; the wait has been agonising for them.
“Whilst the report answers some of the family’s questions, many more questions remained unanswered.
“Yusuf’s family also wish to ensure that the recommendations in the report are followed through and implemented in full and an inquest is opened. This was after serious systemic failures have been identified in the report.
“The family calls for action and change. The family do not want Yusuf’s death to be in vain.
“Another child cannot be failed.’
Dr Jeff Perring, Executive Medical Director at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We recognise the profound loss felt by Yusuf’s family and those who loved him.
“We welcome this report from Nurture Health and Care. Sheffield Children’s is fully committed to listening to and learning from children, young people and their families about their care experience with us both directly and through reports such as this.
“The report identifies important areas for learning and improvement, not only for us at Sheffield Children’s but also across the wider healthcare system. We are dedicated to delivering the improvements outlined in the report’s recommendations.”
The full 139-page report, which includes details of Yusuf’s treatment at each facility, can be found on the NHS North East and Yorkshire website.