Radio Exclusive: Woman who saw Yusuf Nazir at Rotherham Hospital speaks out
The 5-year-old had a severe bout of tonsilitis 8 days before his death
A woman - who saw how Yusuf Nazir was treated at Rotherham hospital - says she 'tried alerting staff' to how ill he was.
The 5-year-old died 8 days after he was sent home from Rotherham hospital with antibiotics due to a 'lack of beds'.
A new report published yesterday found the NHS made 16 failings overall in how they dealt with his care in 2022.
Jade Cousins - from Rotherham - has been speaking to us in a radio exclusive:
"So I was in the waiting room at Rotherham Hospital with my cousin and her little boy.
"Yusuf and his mum were sat just opposite us, and I noticed he was getting a little bit breathless and choking a little bit.
"He was getting more and more restless. Yusuf's mum looked a bit scared.
"Staff didn't even come and look at Yusuf, not while I was there anyway.
"The waiting area was busy, but the nurses were just sat behind their desks.
"I don't know what they were doing behind there, but they didn't look that busy to me."
Professor Aidan Fowler, National Director of Patient Safety for NHS England, said:
“Our thoughts and sincere condolences remain with the family of Yusuf Nazir who have suffered an unbearable loss.
“We accept the report’s recommendations and acknowledge the issues this independent investigation has uncovered, particularly the failure to listen to and act on the concerns of Yusuf’s family by multiple NHS services, which is unacceptable.
“We are working to ensure families are actively involved in care decisions with most acute hospital sites across the country now starting to use Martha’s rule enabling loved ones to ask quickly for a different clinical opinion if they have concerns, while we are committed to creating a single patient record so that all staff across the NHS can access the same clinical information regarding a patient.
“We will also work with the local trusts to ensure they implement the recommendations from the report.”
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 welcome this report from Nurture Health and Care. Sheffield Children’s is fully committed to listening to and learning from children, young people and their families about their care experience with us both directly and through reports such as this.
“The report identifies important areas for learning and improvement, not only for us at Sheffield Children’s but also across the wider healthcare system. We are dedicated to delivering the improvements outlined in the report’s recommendations.”
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. We fully cooperated with this investigation into Yusuf’s care.
“We have taken steps to address the recommendation and also the concerns raised by Yusuf’s family. Our thoughts continue to be with Yusuf’s family.”
Peter Reading, Chief Executive of Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said:
“First and foremost, our thoughts remain with the family of Yusuf Nazir following his tragic death in November 2022.
“The Trust has contributed to the independent investigation which has identified three recommendations for Yorkshire Ambulance Service. These recommendations provide further opportunity to learn and improve, and our focus will be to build on the progress already made in these areas, developing our training and ensuring all of our staff are following the policies, procedures and guidance already in place.
“Our thoughts remain with Yusuf’s family.”
Dr David Crichton, Chief Medical Officer at NHS South Yorkshire said:
“Our thoughts and condolences are with Yusuf’s family. The independent report, commissioned by NHS England, aims to respond to the families concerns raised in relation to the treatment and care of Yusuf, a young boy who tragically lost his life.
“We acknowledge the findings from the investigators and accept their recommendations in full. It is vitally important that we continue to learn and look to further improve patient care within our health services.”
Lynn Hazeltine, Practice Manager at York Road Surgery, said:
“Our thoughts and sympathies are with Yusuf’s family. We welcome the independent investigation report from Nurture Health and Care into the treatment and care received.
“We acknowledge the findings in the report and remain committed to ensuring lessons learnt help us to continue providing high quality care for all our patients.”