Man dies after calling GP three times failed to get him the ‘urgent help’ he needed

Joshua Haines, 30, was found dead at his home in Leeds three days after calling a GP three times to raise concerns he could be suffering from a form of diabetes

A man who repeatedly told a doctor he feared he had life-threatening diabetes died just days later from the condition after failing to get urgent medical treatment, an inquest heard.

Joshua Haines, 30, was found dead at his home in Leeds, West Yorks., three days after calling a GP three times on March 16, 2025. He had raised concerns about worsening symptoms and suggested he could be suffering from a form of diabetes, although he had no history of the illness.

But despite reporting severe dehydration, vomiting and slurred speech, the GP advised him to contact the non-emergency NHS number 111 rather than being seen in person. An inquest at Wakefield Coroner’s Court heard Mr Haines died from diabetic ketoacidosis – a life-threatening complication linked to undiagnosed type 1 diabetes.

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Assistant coroner Naomi McLoughlin said there had been “missed opportunities” to get him “urgent medical help”, though she could not confirm these led to his death.

Speaking after the hearing, his sister Jessica Parker said: “We’re deeply disappointed and devastated. All we want from this is for no family to go through what we’ve had to go through.”

The inquest heard evidence from the Claire Lindsey of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service. She said that had Mr Haines’ symptoms been reported by the GP or himself, he would likely have been classed as a category two emergency. This would have meant an ambulance should have aimed to reach him within 40 minutes.

Senior paramedic Daniel Lawton said crews attending would likely have identified the condition, begun rehydration and taken him to hospital as an emergency. In further evidence, an investigating doctor said “red flags were missed” by the Extended Access service Mr Haines contacted.

Dr Saleh Majid, who spoke to Mr Haines on three occasions, said he initially believed the symptoms pointed to a stomach bug due to persistent vomiting. He said diabetes had been considered and agreed it could develop “out of the blue”, but added he could not assess “how far down the line he was” and did not “envisage it being at a life-threatening stage”.

Asked if he made mistakes, Dr Majid said: “I could have done things differently on reflection. I have had time to learn and reflect on this tragic case. Things will be done differently.”

Mr Haines, a surveyor, had been fast-tracked into management and was seen as a “rising star” with “exceptional ability”, his sister said. She previously told the inquest his death was preventable, adding: “His death has torn a hole through my heart. We cannot understand how he could die so suddenly.”

Peter Skelton, representing the family, urged the coroner to record a narrative verdict linking the missed opportunities to Mr Haines’ death and to consider a prevention of future deaths report.

He said: “The family are very serious that there have been some very serious failures of care with the most extreme of consequences: the needless death of a young patient. They are concerned that Dr Majid didn’t understand the full consequences and they question his competency.”

In her conclusion, Ms McLoughlin said she could identify missed opportunities – including the lack of a face-to-face appointment and no 999 call being made – but could not say whether they directly caused his death. She recorded that Mr Haines died between March 16 and 19 from diabetic ketoacidosis.