Awaab Ishak: what happened to boy exposed to mould in flat, when did he die and what did coroner say?

The death of a toddler who suffered prolonged exposure to mould should be a “defining moment” for the housing sector, a coroner has said. Awaab Ishak, two, died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by mould in the one-bedroom housing association flat where he lived with parents Faisal Abdullah and Aisha Aminin in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Mr Abdullah had previously complained to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) about the mould, an inquest at Rochdale Coroner’s Court was told. Giving her findings on Tuesday, senior coroner Joanne Kearsley said: “I’m sure I’m not alone in having thought, ‘How does this happen? How, in the UK in 2020, does a two-year-old child die from exposure to mould in his home?’

“The tragic death of Awaab will and should be a defining moment for the housing sector in terms of increasing knowledge, increasing awareness and a deepening of understanding surrounding the issue of damp and mould.”

Addressing the toddler’s parents, Ms Kearsley said: “I hope you know that Awaab will, I am sure, make a difference for other people.” In a statement after the hearing, the youngster’s family said: “We cannot tell you how many health professionals we’ve cried in front and Rochdale Boroughwide Housing staff we have pleaded to, expressing concern for the conditions ourselves and Awaab have been living in.

“We shouted out as loudly as we could, but despite making all of those efforts, every night we would be coming back to the same problem.” They said they were left feeling “absolutely worthless” by RBH and alleged they were treated that way because they are not from the UK.

What were the findings of the inquest?

In her findings, the coroner described Awaab as “an engaging, lively, endearing two-year-old”. She said Mr Abdullah reported mould developing in the Tweedale Street flat to RBH in 2017 and was told to paint over it.

In June 2020, Mr Abdullah instructed solicitors and initiated a claim over the recurring issue but policy meant any repairs would not be done until an agreement had been reached, the inquest heard.

A health visitor also contacted RBH to raise the issue in July 2020 and an inspection that month found mould in the kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom cupboard needed treatment.

Ms Kearsley said the mould was due to “normal daily living activities” and a lack of effective ventilation. She said: “I find as a matter of fact that no action was taken and, from July 2020 until December 2020, Awaab continued to have chronic exposure to harmful mould.”

Awaab was taken to Rochdale Urgent Care Centre on 19 December with shortness of breath and transferred to Royal Oldham Hospital before being discharged, the court heard. The coroner said the family should have been told to call an ambulance or take him directly to Royal Oldham Hospital if he had further difficulties.

Awaab deteriorated the next day and his parents were advised by the Community Children’s Nursing Team to take him back to the Rochdale Urgent Care Centre. He went into respiratory arrest and then cardiac arrest while being transferred to Oldham, the inquest heard. He died after arriving at Oldham.

The coroner said: “Awaab Ishak died as a result of a severe respiratory condition caused due to prolonged exposure to mould in his home environment. “Action to treat and prevent the mould was not taken. His respiratory condition led to respiratory arrest.

“The medical advice given to his parents led to Awaab receiving suboptimal ventilation of his airway which was unable to prevent his cardiac arrest.” Ms Kearsley said the issue is “not simply a Rochdale problem”.

She said she will be writing a report for the prevention of future deaths and will write to the minister for Housing, and Health Secretary Steve Barclay, to raise issues.

What has RBH said?

Chief executive of RBH, Gareth Swarbrick, said Awaab’s death should be a “wake-up call for everyone in housing, social care and health”. He said: “We have and will continue to learn hard lessons from this.

“We didn’t recognise the level of risk to a little boy’s health from the mould in the family’s home. We allowed a legal disrepair process, widely used in the housing sector, to get in the way of promptly tackling the mould. We must make sure this can never happen again.”

RBH chief executive Gareth Swarbrick added: “We support the coroner and Housing Ombudsman’s call for the Government’s Decent Homes Standard to be strengthened to include damp and mould, and the coroner’s decision to write to the Ministers of Housing and Health on this. The coroner recognised the changes we have made to our procedures, IT, communications and training.

“We note the coroner’s words that she was impressed with the learning RBH has taken and desire to share with others. As a result, she will not be issuing us with a Prevention of Future of Deaths Report. We agree with the coroner that the tragic death of Awaab will be and should be a defining moment for the housing sector.”

What has been the reaction?

Raising a point of order in the Commons, Labour’s Sir Tony Lloyd (Rochdale), said the coroner’s conclusions “have implications that go way beyond this tragic case”.

He told MPs: “The coroner recorded this morning that the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak was caused by … respiratory failure, but caused by exposure to mould growth in the home in which he lived, which was both prolonged and clearly severe.

“In that context, this issue of mould growth in properties both private, social housing etc, is a real one across these islands of ours. Can I ask whether any minister has given any indication that they will be coming to make some kind of comment on the results of this inquest, either today or in the future?

“Or, if not, could we at least alert the Treasury bench to the coroner’s conclusions because these have implications that go way beyond this tragic case of the two-year-old boy in my constituency.”

Responding, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: “It is a tragic case and I totally agree … I’ve not heard of any statements, however ministers will have heard the points he’s raised.

“I hope they will consider those points and I know (he) will pursue this, and maybe an adjournment debate, if he was to put his name in, he may well be successful.”