Yusuf Mahmud Nazir died after being sent home from A&E. His family are calling for national guidance to take into account parents’ intuition that “something feels very wrong” about their child.(Image: PA)

The family of five-year-old Yusuf Mahmud Nazir, who died after being sent home from A&E, say the little boy has already helped “save hundreds of children’s lives” as they continue their campaign for sweeping national changes in paediatric care.

Yusuf passed away at Sheffield Children’s Hospital in November 2022—eight days after first being assessed at Rotherham Hospital, where he was discharged with antibiotics despite his family’s growing panic that something was seriously wrong. Today, his relatives met with Health Secretary Wes Streeting in London to push for the creation of ‘Yusuf’s Law’, a new standard that would formally recognise and respond to parents’ instinct when their child’s condition feels alarming.

The family also discussed the official report into Yusuf’s care, published in July, and were reassured by Mr Streeting that its recommendations would “not gather dust.”

Speaking after the meeting, Yusuf’s uncle Zaheer Ahmed, 42, told The Mirror that his nephew’s legacy was already making a tangible difference across the country.
“Yusuf’s legend is already saving lives,” he said. “We’re relieved the government is taking this very, very seriously. Hospitals are now using Yusuf’s name to ensure children get the right care. Some NHS trusts even mention him in their training. Wes Streeting himself said Yusuf has ‘already saved many, many lives.’”

But behind that legacy lies unbearable grief.
Zaheer described the family’s daily agony, still replaying the ‘what ifs’ and the moments they begged for help.

“It has absolutely shattered us,” he said. “We think constantly about what could have been prevented so easily. If our concerns had been taken seriously, Yusuf would still be here.”

Yusuf’s uncle Zaheer Ahmed told The Mirror how they are ‘proud’ the five year old had already saved lives(Image: PA)

The family have long said they pleaded repeatedly for help—requesting stronger antibiotics, begging for admission, even being told by staff that an ambulance was ‘not a taxi’. They recall chaotic scenes of sick children lining corridors and a chronic lack of beds.

Not a day passes without the family talking about Yusuf, sharing photos, and struggling to explain the loss to his young relatives.
His two brothers, aged thirteen and eighteen, are still unable to understand why their little sibling never came home.
“Why Yusuf? Why him? Why did he die?” they ask.
“It has left us with grief that will last a lifetime,” Zaheer said.

Soniya Ahmed and Zaheer Ahmed, mother and uncle of five-year-old Yusuf Mahmud Nazir, leave the meeting feeling reassured proposed changes won’t ‘gather dust'(Image: PA)

The family’s lawyer has previously told the coroner that Yusuf’s case involved “multiple significant system failures” across both Rotherham and Sheffield services. Yusuf’s parents say they were told there were “no beds and not enough doctors,” even though he should have been admitted immediately and treated with intravenous antibiotics.

The independent report into his care found one central, devastating conclusion:
medical staff repeatedly failed to listen to his parents’ concerns.
Their intuition—especially his mother’s fear that something was gravely wrong—was overlooked in favour of clinical data.
This lack of partnership, the report said, caused distress, eroded trust, and led to flawed decision-making.

Yusuf, who had asthma, became unwell on November 15, 2022. After being prescribed antibiotics by a nurse practitioner, his parents rushed him to Rotherham’s urgent care centre where they waited six hours to be seen. He was discharged with a diagnosis of severe tonsillitis. Days later, still worsening, he received yet another antibiotic prescription—this time for a suspected chest infection.

When his family could no longer bear their fear, they called an ambulance and insisted he be taken to Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Yusuf was admitted to intensive care on November 21, but the infection had spiraled. He developed multiple organ failure and suffered several cardiac arrests. He did not survive.

A full inquest into his death will begin on April 13 next year, and the family hopes it will bring long-overdue clarity.
“We need the truth,” Zaheer said. “And we need parents’ voices to finally matter.”

Yusuf’s mother, Soniya Ahmed, who has spoken bravely at earlier press conferences, continues to be haunted by her son’s final cries: “Mummy, I can’t breathe.”
She described her “happy little boy” as having been failed “catastrophically” by the system meant to protect him.

The mother of the five-year-old boy who died after he was sent home from A&E has said she hears her son every night saying “Mummy, I can’t breathe”(Image: PA)

“My son walked into hospital with tonsillitis and never returned home,” she said. “He was left to die beside me, crying in pain, without even pain relief.
There were thirteen missed opportunities to escalate his care.
We trusted the NHS to protect him, and they failed him.”

A report found how Soniya Ahmed, mother of Yusuf Mahmud Nazir, saw her instincts “repeatedly not addressed across services”. (Image: PA)