At a Glance
- Amanda Young says Townsville University Hospital sent her home twice in March 2023 despite crippling back pain
- She later needed surgery for bone spurs doctors initially missed; claims delay caused permanent nerve damage
- Hospital insists care was “appropriate” and independent review backed staff actions
- Why it matters: Case spotlights Queensland’s Ryan’s Rule, meant to let patients force care reviews
Amanda Young dialed for an ambulance in 2023 when back pain became unbearable. What followed, she says, were two emergency-department visits, accusations of drug-seeking, and a year-long wait for surgery that left her with nightly cramps and nerve damage she believes could have been avoided.
First Visit: Pain Meds and Discharge
Young arrived at Townsville University Hospital after the ambulance ride. Staff gave her pain medication and sent her home, local outlet 7 News reported. Within four hours she was back, screaming. She claims a doctor told her to “shut up” and that prior treatment-upping a nerve blocker already failing-was sufficient.
- Denied a bedpan, she says she soiled the bed
- Staff allegedly treated her as a “drug seeker”
- She was discharged again, this time by taxi, and crawled to her door
Second Visit: Invoking Ryan’s Rule
The next day Young returned and invoked Ryan’s Rule, a Queensland protocol letting patients demand urgent care reviews. A senior team-medical officer, nurse consultant, after-hours manager-assessed her. She received new medication and a promise of future surgery, though doctors postponed discussion because of her lingering pain.
Surgery Reveals Hidden Bone Spurs
An operation the next year removed “a number of large bone spurs” not visible on the earlier MRI. Young says the procedure ran four hours over schedule “due to the severity of the condition.” She blames the delay for permanent harm.
> “I feel like now, because I wasn’t essential, and they didn’t act quick enough, that I’ve been left with permanent nerve damage and constant cramps every single night,” she told 7 News.
Hospital Pushback
Townsville Hospital and Health Service chief executive Kieran Keyes told News Of Losangeles:
- Investigations found concerns “were not ignored” and care “was appropriate”
- The independent Office of the Health Ombudsman closed the complaint in January 2025, agreeing management was proper
- On each 2023 presentation, staff clinically assessed, relieved pain, and acted per symptoms and exam
- No further Ryan’s Rule escalation was activated after senior reviews
Keyes encouraged patients with concerns to contact the hospital’s feedback service.
Speaking Out for Others
Young says she is vocal because she can advocate for herself and fears for “more vulnerable people that don’t know their rights.”
> “I’ve got a voice,” she told 7 News. “It leaves me worried about the more vulnerable people that are too afraid to speak up.”
Key Takeaways
- A patient-hospital standoff in Queensland highlights gaps between perceived and documented care
- Ryan’s Rule exists, yet its activation does not guarantee outcome changes
- Independent oversight body sided with the hospital, but the patient’s physical decline fuels ongoing debate
