Yusuf died because of systems failures, say family

Yusuf Nazir died eight days after he was sent home from hospital with antibiotics

The family of a five-year-old boy who died after he was sent home from A&E believe his death was a result of systems failures across two hospitals and other services, a coroner has been told.

Yusuf Mahmud Nazir died at Sheffield Children's Hospital on 23 November 2022, eight days after he was seen at Rotherham Hospital and sent home with antibiotics.

A pre-inquest review hearing on Monday was told the scope of the inquest should be expanded because the family believed there were "significant systems failures" which went beyond "individual nurses and doctors doing the wrong thing".

The hearing at Sheffield Medico-Legal Centre was told a full inquest into Yusuf's death would take place in April.

On 15 November 2022, Yusuf, who had asthma, was taken to a GP with a sore throat and feeling unwell, and was prescribed antibiotics by an advanced nurse practitioner.

Later that evening, his parents took him to Rotherham Hospital's urgent and emergency care centre, where he was seen in the early hours of the morning after a six-hour wait.

He was discharged with a diagnosis of severe tonsillitis and an extended prescription of antibiotics.

Two days later Yusuf was given further antibiotics by his GP for a possible chest infection, but his concerned family ended up calling an ambulance, insisting that paramedics take him to Sheffield Children's Hospital rather than Rotherham.

He 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.

Yusuf Nazir had suffered from asthma and recurring chest infections before his death

Yusuf's mother Soniya Ahmed attended Monday's hearing with a number of other family members, including Zaheer Ahmed, who has led the campaign to fully investigate his nephew's death.

Mr Ahmed said: "The inquest is going to give us the answers that we still do not have for Yusuf.

"We still don't know how he's died and, hopefully, this inquest will go into detail and give us answers."

Adam Wagner KC, representing the family, said Yusuf's parents would explain to the inquest that they repeatedly told doctors, nurses and paramedics that he was in a much worse medical situation than they realised.

'No evidence of systems failings'

"It's arguable there was a systems failure and it's arguable that a systems failure caused the death," Mr Wagner said.

Susan Trigg, for Rotherham Hospital, told the hearing there was "no evidence of systems failings".

Assistant coroner Rebecca Connell provisionally ruled that while the inquest would not be a so-called Article 2 hearing, it would be Article 2 compliant.

It would include Yusuf's care and treatment at the two hospitals, his GP surgery and by Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

Article 2 inquests are held when there are questions over whether the state failed in its duty to protect a person's life, and allows coroners to widen the scope of their investigation.

Additional reporting by PA Media.

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