An inquest into the death of William Gray, aged ten, will begin at Chelmsford County Hall, Victoria Road, CM1 1QH, starting at 10am on, Monday, 23 October 2023.
William, of Southend, died on 29 May 2021 after a suspected asthma attack.
Prior to October 2020, William’s asthma was generally well controlled, and he hadn’t been admitted to hospital for any asthma attacks in the previous three years.
In the early hours of 27 October 2020, William was struggling to breathe. His mother, Christine Hui, called 999 and began CPR. The paramedics took over on arrival and William was taken to hospital. He was discharged four hours later.
After a home visit from an asthma nurse nine days later, William’s inhaler was changed and he was prescribed steroids.
In spring 2021, William’s asthma began to get worse. In the weeks before his death, Christine Hui spoke to his GP, the asthma nurse and the GP Practice Nurse. No medication changes were made and he was not referred for any further care.
On 29 May 2021 he suffered an asthma attack and following two 999 calls, William collapsed soon after paramedics arrived.
The inquest is scheduled to last two weeks. It will consider:
The acute hospital response in October 2020 and thereafter
The care and treatment of William’s asthma in the community from October 2020 onwards
The emergency response to his asthma attack on 28-29 May 2021
William’s family are represented by solicitor Julie Struthers, at law firm Leigh Day. The family do not wish to be approached by press before or during the inquest and will not be issuing a statement at this stage. Any media enquiries can be directed to [email protected]
