The family of five-year-old Yusuf Mahmud Nazir are calling for national guidance to respect parents’ instincts after he was sent home from hospital and later died.
The family of a five-year-old who died after being sent home from hospital have said his legacy is already saving “hundreds and hundreds of children’s lives.”
Yusuf Mahmud Nazir passed away at Sheffield Children’s Hospital in November 2022, eight days after being discharged with antibiotics. His family met Health Secretary Wes Streeting in London to push for “Yusuf’s Law,” calling for national guidance that prioritises parents’ instincts when they feel “something is very wrong” with their child.
Speaking after the meeting, Yusuf’s uncle Zaheer Ahmed said: “Yusuf’s legend is already saving lives. Hospitals are using his name to ensure children get the care they need, and some trusts are including him in staff training. Maybe his life was shortened to save hundreds of other children.”
The family described the daily trauma of losing Yusuf. “There’s not a day that goes by when we don’t speak about him or look at his photos,” said Mr Ahmed. He added that Yusuf’s siblings and cousins struggle to understand why he was taken from them.
A July report into Yusuf’s care highlighted multiple failings, noting that his mother’s concerns were repeatedly ignored and that reliance on clinical metrics over parental insight caused distress and reduced trust in care, reports the Mirror.
Yusuf, who had asthma, was initially seen by a GP and later taken to Rotherham Hospital’s urgent care after a six-hour wait. Despite worsening symptoms, he was discharged with severe tonsillitis and a prescription for antibiotics.
Two days later, the family insisted paramedics take him to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, where he was admitted to intensive care but suffered multi-organ failure and several cardiac arrests, ultimately dying on November 21, 2022.
Mr Ahmed said the upcoming inquest, due to start on April 13 next year, will shed more light on what happened. Yusuf’s mother, Soniya Ahmed, described her son’s final moments and the “catastrophic” failures that led to his death, including 13 missed opportunities to escalate his care.
She added: “My son went into hospital with tonsillitis and never returned home. He was left to die right beside me, crying in pain, without proper treatment. Lessons must be learned so no other family suffers as we have.”
