The following year, Awaab was born and in June 2020 Mr Abudullah instructed a lawyer to take action on the recurring mold problem. In December, Awaab was rushed to the Royal Oldham Hospital with shortness of breath. He was treated and discharged, but his condition worsened and he died two days later. Delivering a narrative verdict, Joanne Kearsley, the senior coroner for Manchester North, said the ventilation in the property was not effective and was a contributing factor to the growth of mould. In a statement issued through their lawyer, Awaab’s family said they had been left feeling “absolutely useless” at the hands of RBH. They said: “We can’t tell you how many healthcare professionals we’ve cried in front of and RBH staff we’ve pleaded with.” In a statement, Mr Swarbrick said: “We know that nothing we can say will bring Awaab back or comfort his family. We have and will continue to learn hard lessons from this.” He added: “We need to make sure this can never happen again. Awaab’s death should be a wake-up call to everyone involved in housing, social care and health.”
