A FIVE-year-old boy who died after being sent home from A&E with suspected tonsillitis was treated “inhumanely” and left “gasping for breath”, witnesses in the hospital waiting room say.
Yusuf Mahmud Nazir passed away on November 23, 2022, after a severe infection spread to his lungs – eight days after he was seen at Rotherham Hospital and given antibiotics.
PAYusuf Mahmud Nazir died eight days after being sent home from hospital with antibiotics for ‘tonsillitis’[/caption]
PAA severe infection spread to the five-year-old’s lungs[/caption]
A report last year, by independent consultants and published by NHS South Yorkshire, found that the youngster’s care was appropriate and “an admission was not clinically required”.
But this was rejected by his family, who said it was “not independent at all” and “missing a lot of things”.
Yusuf’s uncle, Zaheer Ahmed, has insisted they were told “there were no beds and not enough doctors” and complained that his nephew should have been admitted and given intravenous drugs.
“He wouldn’t have died,” he added.
Mr Ahmed and Yusuf’s mum Soniya met with shadow health secretary Wes Streeting last week, and yesterday spoke to Victoria Atkins.
He said the Health Secretary promised to ask NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard to look at the case.
“It went absolutely brilliantly. She gave us a lot of time,” Mr Ahmed said.
“She wanted to listen to everything we’d got to say and the outcome we’ve got is very good.
“She’s going to address all the concerns with Amanda, and ask her to have a look at the concerns, answer any questions and possibly look at another report.”
He claims the original report, published in October, was missing 13 pages, so they deserve “an honest, fair investigation by a completely independent body”.
Yusuf, who had asthma, was taken to see his GP on November 13 after complaining of a sore throat.
He was prescribed antibiotics by an advanced nurse practitioner but his condition worsened and he was having difficulty breathing.
His family took him to Rotherham Hospital Urgent & Emergency Care Centre (UECC), where he was seen in the early hours of the morning after a six-hour wait.
Yusuf was discharged with a diagnosis of severe tonsillitis and an extended prescription of antibiotics, the report said.
On November 18, he deteriorated so much he was taken to Sheffield Children’s Hospital by ambulance.
He was admitted to the intensive care unit but developed multi-organ failure and several cardiac arrests, which he did not survive.
After waiting a few hours it was very clear that his condition was getting worse, and he was gasping for his breath
Witness
The report said there was only one doctor in the paediatric UECC on November 15 and, after midnight, that medic was responsible for covering adults and children.
But it added that the doctor who saw Yusuf is an experienced UECC worker who would not have needed to refer to a paediatrician to admit him.
Two independent and unrelated witnesses, who were in the emergency department at the time, expressed concerns about Yusuf’s care.
One described the situation as “scary” and the other said it was a “truly horrific night”.
Jade Cousins, who was sitting opposite Yusuf as his mum cradled him in her arms, told Sky News: “I said to the nurse, ‘There’s a lady and there’s a little boy who’s really struggling to breathe. He’s gasping. Is there anyone that can come and help?’
“She just basically said, ‘If his mum’s concerned, then she needs to bring him to us herself’.
“She was only a small lady herself. So picking up a boy who was practically just floppy would have been too much.”
The second witness, who wishes to remain anonymous, described the way staff treated Yusuf as “inhumane”.
‘Truly horrific’
She said: “I was in the waiting room before Yusuf arrived and it was clear as soon as he entered that he was very unwell.
“After waiting a few hours it was very clear that his condition was getting worse, and he was gasping for his breath.
“The events of the night were truly horrific. I couldn’t believe that a child and family could be treated in such an inhumane manner.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said on Tuesday: “Our heartfelt sympathies go out to Yusuf’s family.
“The Secretary of State held a private meeting with Yusuf’s family today to hear their concerns.”
Dr Jo Beahan, medical director at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, added: “We were all deeply saddened by the tragic circumstances surrounding Yusuf’s death.
“It is something no parent wants to go through, and our sympathies remain with Yusuf’s family.
“Given the concerns raised by Yusuf’s family at the time, an independent investigation was commissioned by the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.
“The trust fully cooperated with the investigation and accepted the recommendations made within the report, which was published in October 2023.
“The independent investigation found that, sadly, there was nothing that could have been done differently that would have saved Yusuf’s life.
“The Trust’s Urgent and Emergency Care Centre, as with emergency departments across the country, is a very busy environment, especially during the winter months. November 2022 was a particularly busy period.
“Yusuf was monitored during the period he waited to see a doctor and the CCTV footage of the period in the waiting room was considered by the investigators in the independent report.
“Yusuf was then seen by a very experienced doctor on the morning of November 16 and was given an increased dose of antibiotics.
“If an admission had been considered necessary at that point, Yusuf would have been admitted to the children’s ward.”
One witness described the situation in A&E as ‘truly horrific’PA
Yusuf’s uncle Zaheer Ahmed, who met with the health secretary this weekPA