A coroner has ruled that a 12-year-old boy, Joshua Lloyd, died due to an "acute exacerbation of asthma" after collapsing on a school field. Joshua, a pupil at Telford Langley School, had been taking part in a PE lesson in javelin-throwing when he collapsed on 16 June 2023.
Coroner Heath Westerman stated that school staff and emergency services "did all they could," describing Joshua's death as "unexpected and unpreventable." He extended his "sincere condolences" to Joshua's parents, Rebecca and David Lloyd, who attended the inquest.
During the proceedings, some medical witnesses testified that there had been insufficient family engagement with practitioners regarding Joshua's asthma prior to the incident. Rebecca Lloyd questioned health providers' communications over appointments, with one body stating it had since reviewed its processes and made changes.
The Shropshire Coroner's Court heard that Joshua had been diagnosed with asthma at three years old. Consultant respiratory paediatrician Dr Mark Rosenthal assessed that Joshua's asthma was "poorly-controlled" and noted a "lack of family engagement with primary care." Dr Divya Kathikeyan, a GP, told the coroner that Joshua had missed yearly asthma review appointments in the years before his death, and had not had an in-person assessment since 2017.
Rebecca Lloyd told the coroner that the family had never received letters inviting them to attend asthma reviews for Joshua or his older sister, who also has the condition. Dr Kathikeyan stated that the surgery had reviewed its practices and made changes since Joshua's death, including a safeguarding referral if asthma review appointments are missed.