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Sky News
6 days ago
- Health
- Sky News
Heartbroken parents fear mouldy house contributed to death of 15-week-old son
Aiat Mohammed still clutches one of the last babygrows her son wore. Exhausted by grief, she holds the tiny blue and green outfit tight. Occasionally, when everything becomes too much, she lifts it to her face and breathes in deeply. "I didn't wash it," she tells me, "because it's got his scent". Her son, Akram, was just 15 weeks old when he died in hospital in London on 21 February. His parents took him to hospital a day after raising concerns about his breathing. Doctors attempted CPR in front of them - but the little boy couldn't be saved. Aiat remembers the moment she saw the monitor flatline, and the medical team stepped away from his tiny body: "They said to me, 'You can come and touch his head now'. I was saying, 'Please, can you try again? Please, do the CPR again?' And they said, 'Sorry, we can't. We can't do anything anymore. We need to stop'." An inquest to determine the circumstances of how and why Akram died will be held in the summer. The family lawyer, Mark McGhee, says a pathology report suggested he died of acute pneumonia due to a late-onset Group B Strep infection. But he fears the state of their crowded and mouldy housing association flat played a part. Home riddled with damp Photos make it clear their one-bedroom Camden home was riddled with damp, long before Akram - the couple's third child - was born at the end of last year. Black mould pushed the wallpaper from the walls, stains and damp kept coming back no matter how much they scrubbed and cleaned with harsh chemicals, and no matter how much they begged the housing association - Notting Hill Genesis - for help. An independent inspection before the baby's birth in December found the landlord "in breach of its duty to ensure the property is and will remain fit for human habitation". Mould was found on either the walls or ceiling in the single bedroom, living room, bathroom and kitchen. To make things even worse, the family say that after complaining about broken windows, a contractor arrived to seal them shut - making ventilation almost impossible. Akram's father Abdushafi Mohammed, a car mechanic from Sudan, told Sky News: "You felt it in the air, in your chest as soon as you walked into the flat." Aiat remembers the "very, very rotten smell, very strange smell. You don't want to be in there for more than a minute". Their baby began to rasp at night, and then they could hear a rattle in his chest during the day. But his worried parents were told he would "grow out of it". 'Drowning in fluids' Savvas Panas, the chief executive of the Pillion Trust Charity, who has supported the family for years, told Sky News: "The child was strong, he was big and very healthy, but he was drowning, you could hear it, he was drowning in fluids." He claims to have spent months escalating concerns through the housing association, and Camden Council. Abdushafi puts it simply: "No one helped us." The cause of death is unknown, an inquest has been set up, and a coroner is expected to rule on how and why he died later in the year. Patrick Franco, chief executive of Notting Hill Genesis, said: "We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Akram Mohammed and extend our sincere condolences to his family, their friends and neighbours. We will continue to support the family in any way we can during this difficult time. "We know that this is a complex situation and will continue working with the relevant authorities as they conduct their investigations. "No determination has been made by HM Coroner as to the cause of Akram's death, and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further or to speculate at this time." A Camden Council spokesperson said: "The council has been chasing Notting Hill Genesis on a regular basis to identify a new home for the family, and to ensure that they continue to get the right support. "Akram's death is a tragedy, and our thoughts are with his family at what is a very sad time. "As with any unexpected death, there will be an inquest to determine any contributory factors and learnings for local agencies." Richard Blakeway, housing ombudsman, said: "This is a tragic case and our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time. "Whilst the complaint was still within the landlord's complaints process when Akram passed away, and therefore we were unable to take it on as a formal investigation, we have offered support and advice to the family, including progressing their complaint with the landlord. We will continue to liaise with the family as this case progresses "Landlords should take a zero tolerant approach to damp and mould. The introduction of Awaab's Law is a positive step. However, landlords should not wait for its introduction to take further action, including proactively identifying damp and mould in homes rather than waiting for residents to report it." Complaints about conditions have risen sharply Akram's death comes as the housing ombudsman's office reveals complaints about substandard living conditions in social housing are more than five times higher than they were five years ago. The ombudsman deals with disputes between residents and social housing landlords in England, and found there were 6,380 complaints investigated in the year to March 2025, up from 1,111 in the year to March 2020. Reasons for complaints included asbestos, electrical and fire safety issues, pest control, leaks, damp and mould. 'I would have ripped that family out of there' Mr Panas said that despite their long-standing battles with the mould, he advised the family to stay in the sub-standard flat, knowing that if they left, they would lose social housing support by making themselves "intentionally homeless".
ITV News
7 days ago
- Health
- ITV News
Family say mould contributed to baby's death as housing complaints soar in England
The family of a 15-week-old baby who died after living in a damp, mould-ridden housing association flat say they believe the conditions contributed to his death. Akram Mohammed was less than four months old when he died in February 2025, after spending his short life in a north London flat owned by Notting Hill Genesis. The walls and ceiling were covered in black mould and the property smelled of damp, and Akram's parents told ITV News they believe their landlord did not sufficiently deal with their multiple complaints about the conditions in their home. "We complained, and complained, but nothing happened," Akram's father Abdushafi told ITV News. Abdushafi and Akram's mother Aita Mohammed say they also complained to the Housing Ombudsman in the months before Akram's death, as a new report finds complaints about social housing providers across England have soared in the last five years. "We were crying out for help, but nobody hears" said Aita. When he was born, Akram was a "blessing," his mother said. "He was playful. He was a happy, happy, happy boy," Aita told ITV News. But Aita says her son was just a month old when he began showing signs of having difficulty breathing. "We started to hear him breathe loudly, especially at night... He was struggling to breathe," she said. She sought medical help, including the day before Akram died, but she does not believe his condition was taken seriously. After finding Akram in his cot struggling to breathe and frothing at the mouth, his parents rushed him to hospital but he died at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead on February 21. The family's solicitor told ITV News that a pathology report indicated the little boy died of acute pneumonia due to late-onset Group B Strep infection. Akram, as well as Abdushafi, Aita and their other two young children were living in a severely overcrowded one-bedroom apartment. Abdushafi moved into the flat in 2013, and was later joined by his wife, and subsequently their three children. In a statement, Patrick Franco, chief executive of Notting Hill Genesis, said: 'We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Akram Mohammed and extend our sincere condolences to his family, their friends and neighbours. We will continue to support the family in any way we can during this difficult time. "We know that this is a complex situation and will continue working with the relevant authorities as they conduct their investigations. "No determination has been made by HM Coroner as to the cause of Akram's death, and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further or to speculate at this time.' In relation to reports of damp and mould in April 2024, Notting Hill Genesis said it investigated matters and subsequently conducted a thorough mould wash. In October 2024, the month prior to Akram's birth, Mr and Mrs Mohammed reported further issues of damp and mould, which Notting Hill Genesis was working to resolve. An inquest will take place in August to determine the circumstances surrounding Akram's death. In 2022 a coroner ruled that two-year-old Awaab Ishak died as a result of breathing problems caused by mould in his family's housing association flat in Rochdale. The government is yet to fully implement 'Awaab's Law', created in his name, which would force social housing landlords to fix problems like mould, damp, and other hazards within a strict time limit. In a new report, the Housing Ombudsman has warned "simmering anger" at poor housing conditions could lead to "social disquiet". Complaints to the ombudsman about substandard housing are now almost five times higher than they were five years ago. The ombudsman, which deals with disputes between residents and social housing landlords in England, said there were 6,380 complaints investigated in the year to March 2025, up from 1,111 in the year to March 2020. Reasons for complaints included asbestos, electrical and fire safety issues, pest control and leaks, damp and mould. The ombudsman Richard Blakeway said the rise in complaints was in part down to an ITV News long-running investigation into social housing conditions, which he says has raised awareness of the issue nationally. 'We have seen how reports such as those run on ITV News have increased the number of residents who know their rights on complaints', he said. 'It has also given them confidence that their concerns will be acted upon, and this is reflected in some of our casework where repairs that were previously stalled have now been investigated by us and resolved. 'Without change we effectively risk the managed decline of one of the largest provisions of social housing in Europe, especially in areas of lowest affordability.'
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Parents warn others after baby died from Strep B
The parents of a baby boy who died from a treatable bacterial infection say they are working to help others avoid a similar tragedy. Tim and Hannah Taylor-Smith lost Zachary in November 2022 from a condition called Group B Strep (GBS) just 14 hours after his birth at the Royal Derby Hospital. An inquest last year heard neglect had contributed to his death, and the trust which runs the hospital said it was "deeply sorry". Now Mr and Mrs Taylor-Smith, from Lichfield in Staffordshire, are working with the hospital trust to improve how it works with families as well as fundraising for a related charity. GBS is a bacterial infection found in the vagina, rectum and bowel in 20 to 40% of women. GBS only presents a risk when passed to a baby around the time of labour, but as carriers have no symptoms, it can be difficult to spot. Chesterfield Coroner's Court was told Zachary was born at 36 weeks after his mother was induced because of recurrent asthma attacks. The inquest had heard he was initially healthy, but deteriorated. Midwives previously told the inquest "incorrect" actions were taken and that it was an error that Zachary was not reviewed by the neo-natal team. University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB), which runs the hospital, admitted that had antibiotics been given to his mum before his birth, or if Zachary had been treated for infection after birth, his death from Group B Strep could have been prevented. Hospital trust 'deeply sorry' over baby deaths 'Total failures' in care of baby who lived 14 hours Midwives apologise at baby boy's inquest 'Strep B infection nearly killed me and my daughter' Mr Taylor-Smith told the Local Democracy Reporting Service more needed to be done within the healthcare sector to increase knowledge of the infection. He said: "There is quite a lot [of information] out there, but for me personally, the issue surrounding it is those in the hospital profession seem not to think it is a viable thing to bring to the attention of those who are pregnant. "We were not told about the risk of Group B Strep, and knowing about it could have been a different story. "There are so many things in the pipeline which will help raise more awareness. From raising our story, we've had so many people reach out to thank us because it has helped them." Mr Taylor-Smith took part in the London Landmarks Half Marathon earlier this month with the Group B Strep Support charity, raising about £16,000. Sarah Noble, director of midwifery at UHDB, said: "As part of our commitment to improving maternity services, we want to ensure we continue to involve families and our communities in the changes we are making. "We remain deeply sorry for what happened to Zachary, and we truly appreciate Hannah and Tim's openness, bravery and support in choosing to work closely alongside our teams – including sharing ideas for potential staff training and how we can best use the experience of families – as part of our improvement programme." Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Group B Strep Support University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust Local Democracy Reporting Service
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Parents warn others after baby died from Strep B
The parents of a baby boy who died from a treatable bacterial infection say they are working to help others avoid a similar tragedy. Tim and Hannah Taylor-Smith lost Zachary in November 2022 from a condition called Group B Strep (GBS) just 14 hours after his birth at the Royal Derby Hospital. An inquest last year heard neglect had contributed to his death, and the trust which runs the hospital said it was "deeply sorry". Now Mr and Mrs Taylor-Smith, from Lichfield in Staffordshire, are working with the hospital trust to improve how it works with families as well as fundraising for a related charity. GBS is a bacterial infection found in the vagina, rectum and bowel in 20 to 40% of women. GBS only presents a risk when passed to a baby around the time of labour, but as carriers have no symptoms, it can be difficult to spot. Chesterfield Coroner's Court was told Zachary was born at 36 weeks after his mother was induced because of recurrent asthma attacks. The inquest had heard he was initially healthy, but deteriorated. Midwives previously told the inquest "incorrect" actions were taken and that it was an error that Zachary was not reviewed by the neo-natal team. University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB), which runs the hospital, admitted that had antibiotics been given to his mum before his birth, or if Zachary had been treated for infection after birth, his death from Group B Strep could have been prevented. Hospital trust 'deeply sorry' over baby deaths 'Total failures' in care of baby who lived 14 hours Midwives apologise at baby boy's inquest 'Strep B infection nearly killed me and my daughter' Mr Taylor-Smith told the Local Democracy Reporting Service more needed to be done within the healthcare sector to increase knowledge of the infection. He said: "There is quite a lot [of information] out there, but for me personally, the issue surrounding it is those in the hospital profession seem not to think it is a viable thing to bring to the attention of those who are pregnant. "We were not told about the risk of Group B Strep, and knowing about it could have been a different story. "There are so many things in the pipeline which will help raise more awareness. From raising our story, we've had so many people reach out to thank us because it has helped them." Mr Taylor-Smith took part in the London Landmarks Half Marathon earlier this month with the Group B Strep Support charity, raising about £16,000. Sarah Noble, director of midwifery at UHDB, said: "As part of our commitment to improving maternity services, we want to ensure we continue to involve families and our communities in the changes we are making. "We remain deeply sorry for what happened to Zachary, and we truly appreciate Hannah and Tim's openness, bravery and support in choosing to work closely alongside our teams – including sharing ideas for potential staff training and how we can best use the experience of families – as part of our improvement programme." Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Group B Strep Support University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust Local Democracy Reporting Service
BBC News
17-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Parents warn others after baby died in Derby hospital from Strep B
The parents of a baby boy who died from a treatable bacterial infection say they are working to help others avoid a similar and Hannah Taylor-Smith lost Zachary in November 2022 from a condition called Group B Strep (GBS) just 14 hours after his birth at the Royal Derby inquest last year heard neglect had contributed to his death, and the trust which runs the hospital said it was "deeply sorry".Now Mr and Mrs Taylor-Smith, from Lichfield in Staffordshire, are working with the hospital trust to improve how it works with families as well as fundraising for a related charity. GBS is a bacterial infection found in the vagina, rectum and bowel in 20 to 40% of women. GBS only presents a risk when passed to a baby around the time of labour, but as carriers have no symptoms, it can be difficult to Coroner's Court was told Zachary was born at 36 weeks after his mother was induced because of recurrent asthma inquest had heard he was initially healthy, but previously told the inquest "incorrect" actions were taken and that it was an error that Zachary was not reviewed by the neo-natal Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB), which runs the hospital, admitted that had antibiotics been given to his mum before his birth, or if Zachary had been treated for infection after birth, his death from Group B Strep could have been prevented. Mr Taylor-Smith told the Local Democracy Reporting Service more needed to be done within the healthcare sector to increase knowledge of the said: "There is quite a lot [of information] out there, but for me personally, the issue surrounding it is those in the hospital profession seem not to think it is a viable thing to bring to the attention of those who are pregnant."We were not told about the risk of Group B Strep, and knowing about it could have been a different story. "There are so many things in the pipeline which will help raise more awareness. From raising our story, we've had so many people reach out to thank us because it has helped them."Mr Taylor-Smith took part in the London Landmarks Half Marathon earlier this month with the Group B Strep Support charity, raising about £16,000. Sarah Noble, director of midwifery at UHDB, said: "As part of our commitment to improving maternity services, we want to ensure we continue to involve families and our communities in the changes we are making."We remain deeply sorry for what happened to Zachary, and we truly appreciate Hannah and Tim's openness, bravery and support in choosing to work closely alongside our teams – including sharing ideas for potential staff training and how we can best use the experience of families – as part of our improvement programme."
