Yusuf Nazir: New report examines death of boy who was sent home from hospital due to a ‘lack of beds’
The mother of a five-year-old boy who died after being sent home from hospital because of a “lack of beds” has told Sky News that the second report into his death “has not brought closure for the family”.
Yusuf Nazir died in November 2022. His mother Soniya had rushed her son to Rotherham Hospital’s A&E, only to be told “there were no beds available”.
Yusuf was eventually seen by a doctor but then sent home. Soniya says the doctor told her that “Yusuf had the worst case of tonsillitis he had ever seen”.
But the child’s health continued to deteriorate, and his desperately worried mother called an ambulance to rush him to the nearby specialist children’s hospital in Sheffield.
Yusuf Nazir died in November 2022
It was here, the report says, that a number of critical interventions were missed. Yusuf’s family say that, if doctors had acted sooner, he would still be alive.
Speaking in her first interview since Yusuf’s death, Soniya described the panic she felt as a mother watching her son “dying in front of her eyes”.
“I carried Yusuf to the nurse, floppy with his eyes rolled back, struggling to breathe, myself to the nurse,” Soniya said.
“She said: ‘We’re too busy, we can’t get a doctor, you’ll have to wait.'”
Soniya Nazir told Sky ‘we want change’
Other patients in the waiting room intervened when they saw Yusuf gasping for air and struggling to breathe, but they were told Yusuf’s mother should approach the nurses herself if she was concerned.
This second independent report was backed by Wes Streeting when he was shadow health secretary.
A previous internal NHS report found no wrongdoing on the part of Rotherham Hospital. The family have described that report as a “whitewash”.
Their claim will be supported by this second report, which says: “It’s clear that across all settings – primary care, pre-hospital, emergency and inpatient – the healthcare system failed to truly hear the family’s voice.”
It also says staff should have listened to the “mother’s instinct”.
“I knew he was very, very poorly, he was struggling to breath, he was lethargic, he was floppy,” Soniya told Sky News.
“I knew that something’s not right before they even escalated it to the ICU. I knew he was very poorly but no one else picked it up.”
The health secretary told Sky News: “There are no excuses for the tragic failings in the lead up to Yusuf’s death, and I know first-hand how hard it has been for his family to live without the answers they deserve.
“This independent report reveals their concerns were repeatedly not addressed across NHS services.
“It is now the responsibility of the NHS to implement the recommendations in this report so that the family can at least take small comfort in knowing that because of Yusuf – and thanks to Yusuf – children will be safer and better cared for in the future, but I know that really is of no consolation for a loving family living with the unimaginable pain of losing a lovely little boy in these awful circumstances.”
Part of the report’s key findings shows Yusuf had 23 separate healthcare contacts across four NHS organisations that were responsible for his care, but there was no coordinated record or oversight.
It found the clinical assessments that were made were inconsistent and led to difficulties in comparing his condition over time. Routine care prior to his crisis was marked by a wait-and-see approach that failed to pre-empt worsening conditions.
It also recorded clinical staff at Sheffield used an outdated cannula method that failed to give Yusuf potentially life-saving drugs.
Soniya says she pointed out the leaking cannula to Yusuf’s nurses, but her concerns were brushed aside.
“The cannula burst and the whole bed was full of his medication and blood on the morning he went to the ICU, the whole weekend he’d not had that medication,” she said.
“He’d have been in pain and he wouldn’t have been getting any better if he wasn’t having the medication. And I think that’s the reason Yusuf’s not here anymore.
“From the moment he was in Sheffield Children’s Hospital until the end I think he didn’t get any treatment, it was just like him being at home.”
Soniya says she welcomes the report’s findings that show Yusuf did not get the care he needed – but the investigation does not find a cause of death or apportion blame.
The investigation has made national recommendations, including consultant-led oversight on weekends and giving parents visibility of their child’s medical records.
Sky News has closely followed the family’s fight for answers since first reporting on Yusuf’s case, two days after he died.
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From 2022: Family ‘want answers’ over 5-year-old’s death
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 will be reviewing the recommendations of the report and taking those forward through education, guidance, policy and training to deliver the best care for our children, young people and families.”
“We want change,” Soniya says. “We want this not to happen to any other child. Because if they don’t change, there’s going to be another child and another mother sat here telling you the same story.”
Dr Jo Beahan, medical director at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our deepest sympathies remain with Yusuf’s family following such a sad loss of a loved family member.
“Since November 2022, we have taken steps to address the concern relating to Yusuf’s care which includes listening to the concerns of parents and carers. Our thoughts continue to be with Yusuf’s family.”
Professor Aidan Fowler, national director of patient safety in England, said: “Our sympathies remain with Yusuf’s family, and we acknowledge the heavy toll this investigation has placed on them – while grieving an unimaginable loss.
“Following publication of the final report today, we will respond on the findings and how we will be taking forward the recommendations in the report to ensure there are continuing improvements in patient safety and care for children across NHS hospitals and services in the future.”
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The Nazir family’s fight is not over. This report cannot confirm Yusuf’s cause of death, or say if his life could have been saved with better care.
It is why Soniya is demanding a coroner’s inquest into her son’s death: so that she and her family can finally have closure.
Sky News’ royal commentator has explained why Prince Andrew has not given up being called a prince – while another expert has said “the decent thing” for him to do would be “go into exile” overseas.
Andrew announced on Friday that he would stop using his Duke of York title and relinquish all other honours, including his role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
However, he will continue to be known as a prince.
Royal commentator Alastair Bruce said that while Andrew’s other honours and titles were conferred to him later in life, he became a prince when he was born to Elizabeth II while she was queen.
He told presenter Kamali Melbourne: “I think […] that style was quite special to the late Queen,” he said. “And perhaps the King, for the moment, thinks that can be left alone.
“It’s a matter really for the King, for the royal household, perhaps with the guidance and advice of government, which I’m sure they are taking.”
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Who pushed Andrew to drop his titles?
Since Andrew’s announcement, there has been speculation over whether any further measures will be taken – and one author has now called for him to “go into exile”.
Andrew Lownie, author of The Rise And Fall Of The House Of York, said: “The only way the story will go away is if he leaves Royal Lodge, goes into exile abroad with his ex-wife, and is basically stripped of all his honours, including Prince Andrew.”
Royal Lodge is the Windsor mansion Andrew lives in with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who has also lost her Duchess of York title.
Andrew and his former wife continue to live on the Windsor estate. Pic: Reuters
Mr Lownie continued: “He makes out he’s an honourable man and he’s putting country and family first. Well, if he is, then the optics look terrible for the monarchy. A non-working royal in a 30-room Crown Estate property with a peppercorn rent.
“He should do the decent thing and go. And frankly, he should go into exile.”
Mr Lownie added if the Royal Family “genuinely want to cut links, they have to put pressure on him to voluntarily get out”.
Read more from Sky News:
How Prince Andrew allegations unfolded
William and Camilla’s influential roles
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Windsor’s take on Prince Andrew
Andrew’s decision to stop using his titles was announced amid renewed scrutiny of his relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and fresh stories linked to the late Virginia Giuffre.
Ms Giuffre, who was trafficked by Epstein, alleged she was sexually assaulted by Andrew on three occasions – which he has always vigorously denied.
The former duke paid to settle a civil sexual assault case with Ms Giuffre in 2022, despite insisting he had never met her.
Just a cursory glance at the headlines, and it’s clear the disgrace and downfall of Prince Andrew is not over.
So what next for the man and the monarchy?
The King might have hoped his involvement showed direct action had been taken.
He certainly does not want any distraction from his upcoming state visit to the Vatican.
But that might be wishful thinking.
Now the Met Police has been dragged in too. Forced to look into reports in the Mail on Sunday that Andrew asked his protection officer to smear his accuser, Virginia Giuffre.
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Police ‘looking into’ Andrew claims
The prince allegedly wanted his officer “to dig up dirt” and told an aide at the palace what he had done.
Let’s be clear: back then, Andrew’s security was funded by the taxpayer.
So are we reaching the endgame, and what does that look like?
Andrew might have given up the use of his title, Duke of York, and other honours too.
Read more:
Call for Prince Andrew to ‘live in exile’
How Prince Andrew allegations unfolded
Everything we know about titles decision
But what about his style ‘prince’? Some want that ditched too.
It’s a complicated but not impossible process. Andrew could, of course, just stop using it voluntarily.
Some want him to give up his home, too. For a non-working royal, the stately Royal Lodge, with its plum position on the Windsor Estate, is an uncomfortable optic.
Andrew’s wider family is worried. The Sunday Times has reported that the Prince of Wales wants him cut off completely.
With the reputation of the monarchy at risk, William does not want to appear weak. He’s putting loyalty to “the firm” firmly above his familial relationships.
Prince Andrew has always strongly denied the allegations, and restated on Friday: “I vigorously deny the accusations against me”. Sky News has approached him for comment on the fresh allegations set out in the Mail on Sunday.
But with Virginia Giuffre’s tragic death and posthumous memoir due out on Tuesday, Buckingham Palace will be braced for more scandal.
When Andrew gave up his titles, there was certainly a sense of relief.
There is now a sense of dread over what else could emerge.
Bereaved families whose loved ones took their own lives after buying the same poison online have written to the prime minister demanding urgent action.
Warning: This article contains references to suicide
The group claims there have been “multiple missed opportunities” to shut down online forums that promote suicide and dangerous substances.
They warn that over 100 people have died after purchasing a particular poison in the last 10 years.
Among those who have written to Downing Street is Pete Aitken, whose daughter Hannah was 22 when she took her own life after buying the poison from a website.
Hannah was autistic and had ADHD. She was treated in six different mental health hospitals over a four-year period.
Mr Aitken recently spoke to Sky News around the second anniversary of Hannah’s death.
He said: “Autistic people seem to be most vulnerable to this kind of sort of poison and, you know, wanting to take their lives.”
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Pete Aitken speaking to Sky News
Sky News is not naming the poison, but Hannah was able to buy a kilogram of it online. Just one gram is potentially fatal.
“There’s this disparity between the concentration required for its legitimate use and that required for ending your life. And it seems quite clear you could make a distinction,” Mr Aitken said.
Analysis from the Molly Rose Foundation and the group Families and Survivors to Prevent Online Suicide Harms says at least 133 people have died because of the poison. It also says coroners have written warnings about the substance on 65 separate occasions.
The report accuses the Home Office of failing to strengthen the regulation of the poison and says not enough is being done to close dangerous suicide forums online.
Lawyers representing the group want a public inquiry into the deaths.
In a joint letter to the prime minister, the families said: “We write as families whose loved ones were let down by a state that was too slow to respond to the threat.
“This series of failings requires a statutory response, not just to understand why our loved ones died but also to prevent more lives being lost in a similar way.”
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The group’s lawyer, Merry Varney, from Leigh Day, said: “The government is rightly committed to preventing deaths through suicide, yet despite repeated warnings of the risks posed by an easily accessible substance, fatal in small quantities and essentially advertised on online forums, no meaningful steps have been taken.”
Hannah’s dad is one of the family members to have signed the letter
A government spokesperson said: “Suicide devastates families and we are unequivocal about the responsibilities online services have to keep people safe on their platforms.
“Under the Online Safety Act, services must take action to prevent users from accessing illegal suicide and self-harm content and ensure children are protected from harmful content that promotes it.
“If they fail to do so, they can expect to face robust enforcement, including substantial fines.”
They added that the position is “closely monitored and reportable under the Poisons Act, meaning retailers must alert authorities if they suspect it is being bought to cause harm”.
“We will continue to keep dangerous substances under review to ensure the right safeguards are in place,” they said.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
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