Family who heard staff laughing as son taken off life support given 'poor bereavement care'

Five-year-old Muhammad Ayaan Haroon, known as Ayaan, died at Sheffield Children's Hospital on 13 March 2023.

He had a history of respiratory problems and a rare genetic condition called Hace 1.

His father Haroon Rashid complained of a "catalogue of catastrophic errors" in his son's care which he believes "cost Ayaan his life".

A draft report into the boy's death by Niche Health and Social Care Consulting found some of Ayaan's care did not meet the expected standards.

It concluded some changes may have marginally increased his chances of survival but were ultimately unlikely to have changed the outcome.

Mr Rashid said his family "simply can't trust this report" and has called for a second investigation.

He said: "Although it's very critical of the care my son received, the main thing for us as a family is despite it saying his care was mismanaged, it still says the outcome would not have changed. We as a family can't accept that.

"The way I see it there was a catalogue of catastrophic errors that were made... that cost him his life.

"We want a second investigation, for the truth and for the report to reflect the true care that my son received. Our ultimate goal is for genuine lessons to be learned."

'Substantially inadequate' cultural sensitivity

The draft report said Ayaan's family were given "poor" bereavement care and the cultural sensitivity shown after his death was "substantially inadequate," which "undoubtedly added to the trauma of the family".

It said staff did not find out if there were any specific cultural wishes of the family when performing Ayaan's last rights and in the management of his body.

Investigators found aspects of Ayaan's care did not meet standards, including the fact he should have been started on high flow oxygen therapy sooner, as well as a four-hour delay in admitting him to the paediatric intensive care unit because of bed and staff capacity issues.

The family had complained they could hear staff laughing in a nearby room during Ayaan's final moments, and the report said the unit was so busy there was no side room available "to support a private dignified death which, while unavoidable, added to the family's distress".

'Sincere condolences'

An NHS South Yorkshire spokesperson said: "We would again like to offer our sincere condolences to Ayaan's family for the loss and distress they have experienced.

"We're continuing to work very closely and support Ayaan's family and have met with Ayaan's father to share with him the draft report into Ayaan's care.

"As this report is still in draft we're currently at the stage where everyone, most importantly Ayaan's family, have the opportunity to fully read and provide feedback and comment before the final report is released."

-SKY NEWS