Six-month-old Weston was fast succumbing to infection in a hospital waiting room when his parents saw a poster that they have no doubt saved his life. For several days his mother, Brittany McDaniel, and father, Zack Tyndall, had been sent home or made to wait after being told the rash devouring his face was an allergic reaction or a bad case of eczema.
But as his eyes rolled back into his head, Weston's parents couldn't wait any longer. That was the moment last October when Tyndall saw a poster explaining "Ryan's rule". Once invoked, it would summon a senior clinician for a second opinion.
The panicked father dialled the number on the poster and a paediatric doctor arrived within minutes. McDaniel said the clinician took one look at her baby and instantly recognised that Weston was suffering from staphylococcus scalded skin syndrome. Finally, Weston was administered antibiotics to fight his infection.
Asked what she thinks would have happened had Ryan's rule not existed, McDaniel did not need to wait until the question was finished. "Weston would not be here," she said. "One hundred per cent, he would not be here. We are so grateful, beyond belief, for Ryan's rule. That saved his life."
Weston's ordeal, first reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, took place in Caboolture, about 40km from Brisbane. But the principle that patients and parents who believe their concerns are not being taken seriously are entitled to a second medical opinion could soon apply in England too.
Steve Barclay, the UK health secretary, last week cited Ryan's rule as a measure shown to have saved lives, as ministers consider introducing a similar approach in England, which would be known as "Martha's rule".
Thirteen-year-old Martha Mills died in 2021 after developing sepsis while under the care of King's College hospital NHS foundation trust in London.
Denne historien er fra September 15, 2023-utgaven av The Guardian Weekly.
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Denne historien er fra September 15, 2023-utgaven av The Guardian Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Starlink's conquest of the Amazon leaves Brazil in a dilemma
The helicopter swooped into one of the most inaccessible corners of the Amazon rainforest. Brazilian special forces commandos leaped from it into the caiman-inhabited waters below.
Dalai Lama's mountain town feels the strain of tourist boom
SUVs and saloon cars pass slowly along McLeod Ganj's narrow one-way Jogiwara Road, blaring horns at pedestrians and scooter riders and playing loud music.
'I am all the world' The brutal rule of a West Bank settler
Palestinians tell ofblacklisted Yakov's reign across the Jabal Salman valley and heisjust one of many violent bosses
Stormy waters New flashpoint emerges in South China Sea dispute
Hopes that tensions in the South China Sea might ease have been short lived.
'Justice delayed' Why trust in public inquiries to bring closure is fading
After the final report of the Grenfell fire inquiry was published, Hisam Choucair, who lost six family members in the blaze, said: \"We did not ask for this inquiry... It's delayed the justice my family deserves.\"
Celeriac soup with almond pangrattato
I'm not ashamed to say that as soon as September hits, my stick blender comes out. Just as I embrace salads when the clocks go forward in the UK, I wholeheartedly throw myself into soup season once the summer holidays end. Autumn is approaching in the northern hemisphere and I'm ready with my ladle. Celeriac is one of my favourite soup heroes, because it gives the creamiest, silkiest finish with little effort. You don't have to make the almond pangrattato, but it is a wonderful addition.
Are smoke signals telling me to make an oil change in the kitchen?
Should you that is, not can you) cook with extra-virgin olive oil? Antonio, Atlanta, Georgia, US
Going underground
A darkly humorous encounter between an American spy-cop and the members ofan eco-commune she is hired to infiltrate
All work and no play
Hard Graft, a powerfulnew London exhibition, focuses onworkers’ exploitation, from the ruined hands ofa washerwoman to mothers forced to sell their bodies
What the princess and the shaman tell us about hereditary privilege
It should have been an Instagram-perfect wedding image, but it turned out to be something more embarrassing.
