Southend mum makes plea to parents after son's asthma death

Christine Hui said her son's asthma was not taken seriously in the months before his death

A mum has urged parents to "trust their instincts" after neglect by healthcare professionals was found to be a contributing factor in her son's death.

William Gray, 10, died at hospital in Southend in 2021 after suffering an asthma attack.

His death was a "consequence of failures by healthcare professionals", area coroner Sonia Hayes concluded.

Christine Hui, his mum, said the conclusion gave her "some closure".

Ms Hui told the BBC her son was a "loving boy" with a "heart of gold" who was fond of maths and had dreams of being a doctor when he grew up.

William was clever and funny and had earned the nickname "joker" at school thanks to his mischievous nature, she said.

Christine Hui said her son was a loving and cheeky boy

Ms Hui said having a son like William was a "gift".

He suffered from asthma and eczema from the age of two but his asthma was generally well-controlled, the inquest into his death heard.

William had not been admitted to hospital for any asthma attacks in the three years prior to October 2020.

But Ms Hui rang 999 after her son was struggling to breathe in the early hours of 27 October 2020.

William Gray was a loving and bright boy

She began CPR after being instructed by the call handler while paramedics were on their way.

He was then taken to hospital in a blue-light ambulance and Ms Hui said she was "shocked" when William was discharged four hours later.

"I thought it was quite serious because he has never had an episode like that before, all the other times we've been admitted, we've stayed three maybe five days in," she said.

However, nine days later, during a home visit, an asthma nurse changed William's inhaler and he was prescribed steroids.

In spring 2021, William's asthma began to get worse again and Ms Hui spoke to his GP, the asthma nurse and the GP practice nurse a few weeks before he died.

But on 29 May 2021, William told his mum he was not feeling very well so Ms Hui gave him 10 puffs of his inhaler.

William Gray's mother said he was a cheeky and clever boy, who dreamt of being a doctor

William started to feel worse and so she rang 999 and was told an ambulance would not be sent to their home in Southend.

Ms Hui put the phone down but her concerns quickly turned into desperation when William asked "how long will the ambulance be?"

Ms Hui said: "I didn't want to scare him, so I called them back up. But by that time I could see it was a little bit too late because he was really gasping for air - it seemed like it was forever."

He collapsed on the sofa shortly after the paramedics arrived and that question was William's last words.

William died at Southend University Hospital at about 02:00 BST on 29 May 2021.

What did the coroner conclude?

Following the inquest in Chelmsford, coroner Ms Hayes concluded: "William Gray died as a consequence of failures by healthcare professionals to recognise the severity and frequency of his asthma symptomatology and the consequential risk to his life that was obvious.

"William's death was contributed to by neglect. William's death was avoidable."

Ms Hui said families who have children with asthma need to know what signs to look for and they need to know they are getting the right medication.

She said parents need to "go with your gut instinct because you know them best".

Ms Hui said: "The coroner's conclusion gives us some closure. This is the final stage in saying goodbye to our son, brother, grandson, great grandson, nephew and friend.

"We believed that William's asthma was controlled, but now we know that wasn't the case. Parents know their children best and should trust their instincts. If you feel something isn't right, question it.

"There is nothing that can take away the grief our family feels, but it is our hope that another family will hear our story and it could prevent a further tragedy."

The inquest took place at at the Essex coroner's court in Chelmsford,