Rotherham Hospital death: Independent investigation launched into death of Yusuf Mahmud Nazir

Yusuf Mahmud Nazir died of pneumonia on November 28 after he was turned away by doctors who reportedly said the hospital was full and they couldn’t just “find a bed out of thin air”. This was despite a consultant saying the little boy had “the worst case of tonsillitis he had ever seen”.

Now, the NHS Trust which runs the hospital has reportedly committed to an independent investigation into Yusuf’s death on the insistence of his family and Labour MP for Rotherham, Sarah Champion.

Ms Champion said: “The Nazir family have been very clear they want no other family to suffer the death of a child in such appalling circumstances. We need to quickly find out what went so horribly wrong. I have worked with them to secure a rapid and independent inquiry. We need to make sure the inquiry covers the primary and secondary care organisations involved in Yusuf's diagnosis, care and treatment.

“The circumstances of Yusuf’s death are deeply troubling. It is vital that the investigation considers the role of each organisation involved in his care and, crucially, communication and co-ordination between them. We need ensure that changes are made to prevent this from ever happening again.”

It comes after Yusuf’s uncle appeared on both Sky News and Good Morning Britain this week and tearfully spoke about the traumatic hours leading up to his death. He told GMB host Susanna Reid: “I begged them, I begged them. I've never begged for anything in my life and I begged and I begged.

“I said he needs help, he needs treatment, can you please help him? They said 'what do you want us to do? What do you want us to, find beds out of thin air? We haven't got the space, we haven't got the doctors, what do you want us to do?’”

Yusuf reportedly complained of a sore throat on November 13, and took him to the hospital the next day when antibiotics failed to help. However, doctors at Rotherham General reportedly told the family they did not have room and sent them away.

However, at home, his condition worsened to the point he reportedly struggled to breath, until his family called an ambulance and insisted he be taken to Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

The ambulance crew reportedly said they would take Yusuf to Rotherham Hospital, but when Mr Ahmed told them he had already been sent away from there, he claims he was told: “You do realise you've called an ambulance, we're not a taxi.”

Despite immediate treatment at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, the infection had spread and caused fatal multiple organ failure.

Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust promptly launched an investigation into Yusuf’s care, with the chief executive, Dr Richard Jenkins, adding: “I want to assure families that we have an appropriately staffed medical paediatric service who provide support to our medical colleagues working within our Urgent Emergency Care Centre when required. We, like other district general hospitals in the South Yorkshire region, do not provide paediatric intensive care beds.”