A MUM has revealed the heartbreaking final words of her young son before he died after suffering an asthma attack.
William Gray, 10, passed away at Southend University Hospital in 2021, following neglect by medical staff, an inquest heard.
His death was a "consequence of failures by healthcare professionals", area coroner Sonia Hayes concluded.
William's mother, Christine Hui, said the verdict gave the family "some closure".
"This is the final stage in saying goodbye to our son, brother, grandson, great-grandson, nephew and friend," she said.
The parent described her "loving boy" as having a "heart of gold" and said he dreamed of being a doctor.
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"He saw the care he was given, and he wanted to do that for others," she added.
William suffered from asthma from the age of two, but his condition was generally well-controlled, the court heard.
The inquest, which took place between October 23 and November 3 at Essex coroner’s court, was told that William was admitted to hospital in 2022 after suffering a near-fatal asthma attack.
He was subsequently discharged four hours later.
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Nine days later, during a home visit, an asthma nurse changed William's inhaler, and he was prescribed steroids, the court heard.
William’s asthma began to worsen in the spring of 2021, and although his mother spoke to his GP, he was not referred for further treatment, and his medication was not changed.
On May 29, 2021, William told his mum he was not feeling very well, so Christine gave him 10 puffs of his inhaler.
The youngster started to feel worse, so she rang 999 and was told an ambulance would not be sent to their home in Southend.
Christine said her son's last words to her were, "how long will the ambulance be?"
He collapsed on the sofa shortly after the paramedics arrived.
The boy died at Southend University Hospital at about 2am.
Coroner Sonia Hayes said William’s death was “tragic and avoidable".
She criticised the care William received when he was admitted to the hospital following the attack in October 2020 and said he shouldn't have been discharged after just four hours.
The coroner concluded that his death could been prevented, leading to her issuing a prevention of future deaths report.
She said: “William’s death was contributed to by neglect. It was avoidable.
"There were multiple failures to escalate and treat William’s very poorly controlled asthma by healthcare professionals that would and should have saved William’s life.”
Diane Sarkar, the chief nursing and quality officer for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The death of any child is especially tragic, and our heartfelt condolences go out to William’s family.
"We’d like to assure them that we are committed to learning from this terrible loss and that since he died in 2021, we have brought in numerous changes to improve patient care as a direct result of learning from William’s case.”
In a statement, Christine said: “William was a funny, caring little boy who liked to make jokes and had a heart of gold.
"We believed that William’s asthma was controlled, but now we know that wasn’t the case."
She added: “Parents know their children best and should trust their instincts. If you feel something isn’t right, question it.
"There is nothing that can take away the grief our family feels, but it is our hope that another family will hear our story and it could prevent a further tragedy.”
Signs of an asthma attack & what to do when one happens
Asthma can sometimes get worse for a short time – this is known as an asthma attack. It can happen suddenly, or gradually over a few days.
Signs of a severe asthma attack include:
- wheezing, coughing and chest tightness becoming severe and constant
- being too breathless to eat, speak or sleep
- breathing faster
- a fast heartbeat
- drowsiness, confusion, exhaustion or dizziness
- blue lips or fingers
- fainting
What to do if someone is having an asthma attack
- Make sure they're sat up straight – try to keep them calm
- Make sure they take one puff of the reliever inhaler (usually blue) every 30 to 60 seconds up to 10 puffs.
- If they do not feel better after 10 puffs, call 999 for an ambulance.
- If the ambulance has not arrived after 10 minutes and symptoms are not improving, repeat step 2.
- If symptoms are no better after repeating step 2, and the ambulance has still not arrived, contact 999 again immediately
Never be frightened of calling for help in an emergency.
Source: NHS
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