Sheffield Children’s Hospital: Dad whose son died on ward wants to move daughter's treatment over new concerns

Haroon Rashid’s five-year-old son, Ayaan, died last month in the hospital, with Mr Rashid filing an official complaint, claiming the hospital did not listen to his advice over his son’s needs.

Now he has made an official complaint about treatment given to his daughter, Aroob, aged 12, who has the same genetic condition as Ayaan, and asked for her to be treated by another hospital instead, regardless of distance.

Mr Rashid says he has been told a full external independent investigation into Ayaan’s death will be done by NHS England under the serious incident framework.

He added: “A new complaint has been registered about the care my daughter received. She needed emergency treatment on April 20 and it went wrong. Side effects not seen for 10 to 15 years have affected Aroob.

"It took a lot of courage to take her to the same hospital after what happened to Ayaan. She has been left unable to eat and at high risk of life threatening choking.

“I have now asked for her to be transferred to Leeds or Manchester as I no longer trust the hospital to care for her safely.”

Ayaan had a history of respiratory illness, and a rare genetic condition, Hace 1. While in hospital, his condition deteriorated. He was put on a ventilator, and tragically died on Monday, March 13. Mr Rashid feels doctors ignored his advice on how to look after a boy his family feel they knew better than medics. They also feel insensitively treated by clinical staff who broke devastating news to them while people were laughing near his bedside.

His latest concerns come after daughter Aroob received a botox injection in her saliva gland to stop excess saliva. He said she was given the injection while in hospital for emergency treatment on her bowel, under the same anaesthetic. She had previously been on a waiting list for the injection. But the family says it caused more saliva due to a rare reaction, which Mr Rashid says left her at risk of choking. She is now having to be fed by liquid through a tube.

After Ayaan died, Mr Rashid was keen to praise previous treatment his family received from Sheffield Children’s Hospital, as an outpatient there, which had been faultless, saying his consultants were there for them throughout.

Dr Jeff Perring, medical director at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our deepest condolences go out to Ayaan’s family for their loss. The death of a child while they are a patient at Sheffield Children’s is something we take very seriously, and I know that sadness and sympathy for those affected is felt very keenly by myself and by colleagues throughout the Trust.

“We have received Mr Rashid’s complaints and are in contact with him. An external independent investigation is being commissioned into Ayaan’s care and treatment.

“We will continue to work with the family throughout the complaints process, regarding both Ayaan and Aroob’s care. Our colleagues pride themselves on providing the best care for children and young people who need it. As part of this, we are always looking to understand and identify areas of learning and best practice.”