Family of Leeds man who called GP three times before death 'devastated' after inquest

The family of a man who was found dead at his Leeds home after contacting a GP multiple times have said they are “deeply disappointed and devastated” by the outcome of his inquest.

Joshua Haines was found dead at his home in Cookridge three days after calling a doctor three times on March 16, 2025. He had warned of his worsening health and suggested that he was suffering from a form of diabetes, despite having no history of the condition.

Though Mr Haines had described having issues with severe dehydration, vomiting and slurred speech, the GP he spoke to advised that he call the non-emergency NHS number 111.

It was later established that the 30-year-old had died from diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening condition linked to undiagnosed type-1 diabetes.

At the conclusion of his inquest at Wakefield Coroner’s Court today (Monday), assistant coroner Naomi McLoughlin found that there were numerous “missed opportunities” to get Mr Haines “urgent medical help”, but that it couldn’t be confirmed whether these led to his death.

Speaking after the inquest, Joshua’s sister, Jessica Parker, said: “We’re deeply disappointed and devastated.

“All we want from this is for no family to go through what we’ve had to go through.”

The inquest began on January 19 and was adjourned so that evidence from members of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) could be provided.

Today, evidence was provided by Claire Lindsey, head of service and quality delivery, who said that if Mr Haines’s symptoms had been reported by either himself or the GP, then he would most likely have been deemed a category two case, which would have resulted in an ambulance aiming to arrive within 40 minutes.

Daniel Lawton, a senior paramedic, said that if they had attended, they would likely have been able to diagnose Mr Haines with DKA and begun ensuring that he was hydrated before transporting him to hospital as an emergency.

The inquest had previously heard from an investigating doctor, who said that “red flags were missed” by an Extended Access service contacted by Mr Haines, which operates from the Park Road Surgery building in Guiseley.

The doctor who spoke to Mr Haines on the three occasions, Dr Saleh Majid, previously gave evidence and said that he initially thought it was a stomach bug, given the persistent vomiting symptom.

He said that diabetes had also been a consideration and agreed it was possible a person can contract the illness “out of the blue”.

But he said he could not assess how “how far down the line he was” and did not “envisage it being at a life-threatening stage”.

Asked if he made mistakes, Dr Majid said: “I could have done things differently on reflection. I have had time to learn and reflect on this tragic case.

“Things will be done differently.”

Mr Haines worked as a surveyor and was regarded as a “rising star” in the industry, his sister said, having been fast-tracked into management because of his “exceptional ability”.

His sister had previously provided evidence to the inquest and said his death was preventable, adding: “His death has torn a hole through my heart.

“We cannot understand how he could die so suddenly.”

Before the conclusion, Peter Skelton - who was representing Mr Haines’s family - urged the coroner to provide a narrative verdict that indicated that the “missed opportunities” contributed to Mr Haines’s death.

He asked for a prevention of future deaths order to be put forward and to provide the findings to the General Medical Council.

Mr Skelton added: “The family are very serious that there have been some very serious failures of care with the most extreme of consequences: the needless death of a young patient.

“They are concerned that Dr Majid didn’t understand the full consequences and they question his competency.”

In her concluding remarks, Ms McLoughlin said that she could identify missed opportunities but couldn't "say whether they led to his death". Among these were that Mr Haines was not invited for a face-to-face appointment and that a 999 call was not made by the GP.

She concluded that Mr Haines died between March 16 and 19 from diabetic ketoacidosis.