The ‘broken’ family of Luke Abrahams campaigning for answers after their son died a week after complaining of a sore throat have been told an inquest will now be held.

Luke Abrahams, from East Hunsbury, died on Sunday, January 23, 2023, after first complaining about a sore throat a week before.

Since the tragic death of their son, the family has been actively challenging the NHS in their two-year battle for answers. They have been calling for accountability and an inquest into the circumstances surrounding Luke’s death.

Initially, an inquest into Luke’s death was not planned as it was considered a natural death. However, an independent report commissioned by the family stated that “poor medical care” had contributed to his death.

Julie Needham and Richard Abrahams are calling for accountability following the death of their son, Luke Abrahams.

placeholder image — Julie Needham and Richard Abrahams are calling for accountability following the death of their son, Luke Abrahams.

The independent report into Luke’s case explained that he suffered from Fusobacterium necrophorum, a rare condition affecting fewer than one in a million people. The report concluded that if Luke had been admitted to hospital earlier, on January 20, 2023, “he would have survived this illness to hospital discharge”. The report said that delays in treatment, such as those Luke experienced, increase the chances of death, and that earlier medical attention could have prevented his condition from worsening.

The Coroner’s Office has confirmed that an inquest is due to take place on a date to be announced, which the family is ‘grateful’ for and say is ‘the right thing to do’.

In a statement, Luke’s mother, Julie Needham, said: “I still can’t believe our beautiful Luke is no longer with us. It is almost two years since he died. In January 2023, he went from having a sore throat to being dead in a week. We cannot bring him back now but we now want an inquest so that a full review can be undertaken into how he died and the reasons why and so that lessons can be learned. We do not want any other family to go through the torture we are going through.”

Radd Seiger, newly-appointed adviser and spokesperson for the family, known for his work with the family of Harry Dunn, said: “This is yet another case of a tragically vulnerable family having been abandoned by the authorities in their darkest hour. I am so pleased that they approached me for support. The circumstances of Luke’s death require that an inquest be held and I call on the NHS authorities to meet with us to work together to minimise the appalling suffering the family are having to endure.”

Speaking to the Chronicle & Echo, mum Julie and dad Richard said: “The report broke us. It’s even more heart-wrenching to hear this now.

"We still expect him to come through the door. It’s hard. Getting up in the morning is hard. You can’t believe it. It’s horrible. You can’t describe it unless you’ve been in this position. He should be here. It’s very painful.

"This is all for Luke. Luke deserves to know why this happened.”

Speaking on behalf of the health system in the county, Chief Nursing Officer Maria Laffan from the NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board said: “As a health community we would like to once again offer our sincere condolences to Luke’s family on his tragic death.

"A multi-agency incident investigation to explore lessons learned was held into the circumstances of his death in 2023 and recognition and apology made for aspects of his care that fell below NHS standards. This has been shared with his family and has included the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers. If further clarification is needed on any matters which still concern the family, we would like them to contact the organisation concerned and we will support them appropriately.”