Yusuf Nazir: Boy, 5, who died after being sent home from hospital was ‘inhumanely treated’ and ‘gasping for breath’, say witnesses
A five-year-old boy, who died a week after he was sent home from an emergency department, was treated “inhumanely” and was “left gasping for breath”, according to witnesses in the hospital waiting room.
The claims over his alleged mistreatment were made to Sky News by two separate and unrelated women who saw Yusuf Nazir cradled in his mother’s arms at Rotherham Hospital just eight days before he died.
On Tuesday, Yusuf’s family met Health Secretary Victoria Atkins and said she told them she will ask NHS chief Amanda Pritchard to look at the case.
Yusuf’s mother Soniya and uncle Zaheer Ahmed spent over an hour with Ms Atkins sharing their concerns about a 2023 report into his death.
After the meeting, Mr Ahmed said: “We’re very happy with the way the meeting went, we could see progression coming our way and this is all we wanted, we want to get another report issued and get the truth out.”
Zaheer Ahmed, the uncle of Yusuf Nazir
Yusuf died on 23 November 2022 – eight days after he was seen at Rotherham Hospital and sent home with antibiotics.
A report into Yusuf’s NHS case published last year found his care was appropriate and “an admission was not clinically required” but this has been rejected by his family.
Mr Ahmed insists they were told “there are no beds and not enough doctors” and complained that Yusuf should have been admitted and given intravenous antibiotics in Rotherham to save his life.
‘Is there anyone who can help?’
Two independent and unrelated witnesses have spoken to Sky News to express their concerns about Yusuf’s care.
Both were in the emergency department at the same time as Yusuf and his mother.
One described the situation as “scary” and the other said it was a “truly horrific night”.
Jade Cousins sat opposite Yusuf as he lay cradled in his mother’s arms.
She said he was “gasping for breath” and she was not listened to when she urged medical staff to intervene.
Ms Cousins said: “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?’ and she just basically said, ‘If his mom’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,” Ms Cousins added.
‘Inhumane treatment’ on ‘truly horrific night’
A second witness, who wants to stay anonymous, described Yusuf’s “inhumane treatment” on a “truly horrific” night.
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.”
She added: “Yusuf’s mum spoke to the receptionist to ask for help, to be told that, ‘I can hear he is making a snoring noise’.
“He was not snoring, he was gasping for his breath. Even my child who was nine at the time replied, ‘That isn’t snoring’.”
“The events of the night were truly horrific, my child and I spoke about it to family and friends as it had stuck in our mind so much.
“I couldn’t believe that a child and family could be treated in such an inhumane manner.”
‘Report missed evidence’
Mr Ahmed said the NHS report published in October last year missed out on a range of evidence.
“An honest, fair investigation by a completely independent body. That’s what we’re wanting,” he said.
The report set out how Yusuf, who had asthma, was taken to the GP with a sore throat on 15 November.
Later that evening, his parents took him to Rotherham Hospital Urgent and Emergency Care Centre (UECC) where he was seen after a six-hour wait.
Yusuf was discharged with a diagnosis of severe tonsillitis and an extended prescription of antibiotics, the report said.
Two days later, Yusuf was given further antibiotics by his GP for a possible chest infection, but his family became so concerned they called an ambulance and insisted the paramedics take him to Sheffield Children’s Hospital rather than Rotherham.
Yusuf was admitted to the intensive care unit on 21 November but developed multi-organ failure and suffered several cardiac arrests which he did not survive.
NHS trust: ‘Nothing could have been done differently’
Dr Jo Beahan, medical director at the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said: “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.”
Dr Beahan added: “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 for the urgent and emergency care centre at the trust. Yusuf was monitored during the period he waited to see a doctor.
“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 16 November 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.”
UK
‘Picture being painted of Jay Slater is just not true’, says employer of British teen missing in Tenerife
The construction company that employs missing British teenager Jay Slater has said the “picture being painted of him is just not true”.
Mr Slater, from Oswaldtwistle near Blackburn in Lancashire, has been missing in Tenerife since Monday morning.
Since he went missing, rumours and conspiracy theories about his disappearance have circulated online, with social media users speculating on platforms including TikTok and Facebook.
But on Sunday, PH Build, which employs Mr Slater as an apprentice bricklayer said the teenager has been misrepresented online.
The firm wrote on Facebook: “Our Jay is still missing!
“We have decided to remove our last post due to all the negative comments and conspiracy theories.
“Jay has been with us since he left school and is liked by all. He’s a valued member of our team and we stand by him.
“The picture being painted of him is just not true. The fact is he’s a 19-year-old lad missing in a foreign country. He needs to be back home where he belongs. Come on Jay we are all praying for you.”
Jay Slater and his mother Debbie Duncan. Pic: Lucy Law
The 19-year-old’s family have flown to the Spanish island to join police and a team of mountain rescuers in the search for him.
A GoFundMe appeal to raise money for the search has been set up by Mr Slater’s friend and has already passed £30,000.
At the weekend his mother Debbie Duncan thanked those who had donated, before adding: “We have not yet withdrawn any funds and are currently covering the expenses, such as the trip to Tenerife and accommodation, ourselves.”
Search area narrowed down
On Sunday officers searching for Mr Slater could be seen circling two structures at the bottom of a ravine in Rural de Teno Park – where his phone last pinged before it ran out of battery.
Efforts appeared to be solely focused on one area after days of searches in the northwestern mountain village of Masca and the surrounding landscape.
Those conducting the searches on the seventh day of the hunt for Mr Slater could be seen looking into blue barrels outside one of the small buildings.
Read more:
Last movements of British teen missing in Tenerife
Focus grows on ‘highly unusual details’
Friends describe Slater as ‘life of the party’
Mr Slater attended the NRG festival in the south of Tenerife on Sunday 16 June before going to Masca with two people he met at the event.
His friends he had been holidaying with have not seen him since last Sunday night, but on Monday morning he spoke to one of them on the phone and told her he was lost, in need of water, and only had 1% charge on his phone.
During the short phone call, he told his friend Lucy Law he had missed a bus trying to get back to his holiday accommodation so was attempting to walk instead – a journey that would take 11 hours.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
‘Nightmare’ for missing teen’s family
Mr Slater’s father told Sky News on Saturday he is “just hoping that somebody has helped him off this mountain”.
Warren Slater has flown out to Tenerife with the missing teenager’s brother Zak to help with the search.
The father said the last few days have been “a nightmare, just a nightmare”.
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‘I just want him back’
Meanwhile, Mr Slater’s mother also made a direct plea to her missing son to come home this weekend, saying: “We just need you home.”
Ms Duncan said she has “not slept” since he disappeared.
Asked how the family were coping with the situation, she said: “We’re not. I’m not coping very well at all. I’ve not slept, I’m exhausted. It’s been awful. I can’t give up on him, I just can’t.”
The last person to speak to Mr Slater was Masca local Ofelia Medina Hernandez, who told the teenager a bus was due at 10am after he asked what time it would come.
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Tenerife local was last person to see Jay Slater
She added that he then set off before she later drove past him “walking fast”.
Earlier this week, photographs emerged showing the Tenerife property where Mr Slater had reportedly been before he went missing.
Many more people than the leading Tories already identified are being investigated by the gambling regulator in relation to bets on the date of the general election, Sky News understands.
And in a major new development, the watchdog has widened its inquiries to investigate whether people with inside knowledge may have asked a third party to place a bet for them.
Sky News also understands that investigators have written to leading bookmakers asking for details of bets of £20 or more on the election date within days of Rishi Sunak announcing it on 22 May.
Follow live general election updates
The body carrying out the investigation, the Gambling Commission, already takes a close interest in political betting and carries out extra checks on bets by people connected with politics, Sky News has been told.
The gambling industry also regards politicians and those who work closely with them as PEPs – politically exposed persons – who are people “entrusted with a prominent public function”.
That’s because these people generally “present a higher risk for potential involvement in bribery and corruption by virtue of their position and influence”, according to the Law Society.
Nick Mason, the Conservative’s chief data officer, is being investigated by the Electoral Commission
Laura Saunders is the party’s candidate in Bristol North West.
Pic: Laura Saunders for Bristol North West
It emerged on Saturday evening Nick Mason, the Tory party’s chief data officer, was the fourth Conservative candidate or official being investigated. He has taken a leave of absence and denies any wrongdoing.
Mr Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary Craig Williams, the Tory candidate for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, admitted last week to placing a “flutter” on the date of the election.
Earlier this week, Tony Lee, the party’s director of campaigns, and his wife Laura Saunders, the Tory candidate for Bristol North West, were also placed under investigation.
Mr Sunak’s close protection officer has been arrested for allegedly betting on the timing of the election.
Craig Williams admitted to betting on the election date. Pic: PA
Home Secretary James Cleverly told Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips he had been told “very, very clearly” to not discuss the investigation.
He added: “I’m not in any way going to defend people who placed bets on that.”
Asked whether there was a wider betting circle, Mr Cleverly said: “That’s not my understanding. My understanding is it’s a small number of individuals.”
He also said he has “no reason to believe” any ministers are involved in betting on the timing of the election.
A Gambling Commission spokesman said: “The Gambling Commission regulates gambling in the interests of consumers and the wider public.
“Currently, the Commission is investigating the possibility of offences concerning the date of the election.
“This is an ongoing investigation, and the Commission cannot provide any further details at this time. We are not confirming or denying the identity of any individuals involved in this investigation.”
A Conservative spokesman told Sky News: “As instructed by the Gambling Commission, we are not permitted to discuss any matters related to any investigation with the subject or any other persons.”
The other candidates for Bristol North West are:
Caroline Gooch, Lib Dems
Darren Jones, Labour
Scarlett O’Connor, Reform UK
Mary Page, Green Party
Ben Smith, SDP
The other candidates for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr are:
Jeremy Brignell-Thorp, Green Party
Oliver Lewis, Reform Uk
Glyn Preston, Lib Dems
Elwyn Vaughan, Plaid Cymru
Steve Witherden, Labour
Ex-Liverpool captain and TV pundit Alan Hansen has been discharged from hospital and is to continue his recovery at home.
The Premier League club had announced in a statement on 9 June that the former Scotland centre-back was “seriously ill”.
Now in a post on X on Sunday, Liverpool FC said: “Alan has been discharged from hospital today to continue his recovery at home.
“Alan, Janet, Adam, Lucy and family would like to thank everybody for their wonderful messages of love and support. It has been overwhelming and has helped enormously.”
Alan Hansen during the 1987/88 season. Pic: Action Images via Reuters
His former Liverpool teammate, Graeme Souness, had indicated last week that Hansen was on the mend.
Hansen, 69, spent 14 years as a Liverpool player after signing from Partick Thistle in 1977, going on to win eight First Division titles, three European Cups and two FA Cups.
He spent four years as captain at Anfield and his 620 appearances place him in the top 10 among all Liverpool players for games played for the club.
The defender also won 26 caps for Scotland between 1979 and 1987, and played at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
Hansen retired from professional football in 1991 to start a successful career as a television pundit.
He spent more than 20 years with the BBC, including as a regular guest on Match Of The Day.
Read more from Sky News:
Kane responds to Lineker’s criticism of England
Andy Murray ‘ruled out of Wimbledon’
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Hansen became celebrated for his no nonsense analysis – describing mistakes or bad play during games as “shocking”, “poor” or “diabolical”.
He made his final appearance for the BBC during the World Cup final in Rio in July 2014 after 22 years on screen.
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