Family claim Rotherham Hospital delays led to death of boy

A five-year-old lad who died aft being sent location from a infirmary could person been saved if helium was treated earlier, his household has claimed.

Yusuf Mahmud Nazir's uncle said helium had "begged" unit astatine Rotherham Hospital to dainty his nephew's terrible pharynx corruption with intravenous antibiotics.

He said helium was told the children's ward had "not got the doctors" and "not got the beds". Yusuf died connected Monday.

The infirmary spot has begun an probe into what happened.

Zaheer Ahmed said Yusuf fell sick with a sore pharynx connected 13 November. The pursuing time helium went to his GP and was prescribed antibiotics.

When the boy's information worsened helium was taken to Rotherham Hospital successful South Yorkshire.

After waiting for hours Yusuf was seen by a doc who, according to Mr Ahmed, told him that the kid had "the worse lawsuit of tonsillitis helium had ever seen".

Despite the diagnosis helium was not admitted to hospital.

When Yusuf's information deteriorated further, Mr Ahmed said helium called the children's ward astatine the hospital.

"We were begging them for their help," helium said.

"I said 'Please tin you assistance maine I've got cipher other to spell to. He needs IV antibiotics, he's struggling breathing'.

"They didn't privation to know. They conscionable said 'We've not got the doctors, we've not got the beds. I can't conscionable propulsion a furniture retired of the air'.

"'We've got queues of kids waiting it's not conscionable your child' and I said 'Yeah, but helium needs this treatment'.

"'So bash different children' - that's precisely the effect I got."

Two days later, Yusuf was incapable to speak, devour oregon portion truthful was taken by ambulance to Sheffield Children's Hospital.

After being fixed intravenous antibiotics, Mr Ahmed said his nephew seemed to amended and started drinking and eating again. However, his information deteriorated and helium died.

"The corruption - what should person been treated successful Rotherham - conscionable dispersed to his chest, dispersed to to his lungs... organ failures and conscionable taken his beingness from there," said the boy's uncle.

"If helium had got IV antibiotics, helium would person been here. He would person beryllium playing with america now, if helium got that erstwhile I begged them."

Mr Ahmed said the household wanted answers from the infirmary and the authorities to forestall aboriginal deaths.

"I don't cognize if it would person been a antithetic concern if they did person the beds oregon weren't overwhelmed," helium said.

Dr Richard Jenkins, main enforcement of The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, offered his "sincere condolences to Yusuf's family".

"We person commenced a thorough probe into Yusuf's care, which volition see liaison with Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust," helium said.

"I privation to guarantee families that we person an appropriately staffed aesculapian paediatric work who supply enactment to our aesculapian colleagues moving wrong our Urgent Emergency Care Centre erstwhile required.

"We, similar different territory wide hospitals successful the South Yorkshire region, bash not supply paediatric intensive attraction beds.

"The Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust is simply a specializer spot who bash supply paediatric intensive attraction beds."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "All children merit the highest levels of attraction and we are taking urgent enactment to guarantee nary families person to acquisition these kinds of tragedies.

"Last week we announced up to £8bn for wellness and societal attraction successful 2024-25 and we're giving an other £500m to velocity up infirmary discharge and escaped up beds, ensuring radical are lone successful infirmary for arsenic agelong arsenic they request to be."