‘Bionic Lord’ calls for better aftercare for sepsis patients

“Bionic” Craig Mackinlay has called for better aftercare for sepsis survivors.

The former Conservative MP for South Thanet praised the NHS for its care when he was “very ill” but said that he is “not quite so complimentary” on the care received in the months after his acute illness.

The 57-year-old father of one said he was rushed into hospital in September last year and put into a 16-day induced coma, with his wife told he had only a 5% chance of survival.

He underwent a quadruple amputation in December and returned to the House of Commons in May.

Lord Mackinlay, who said he could be referred to as the “bionic Lord” after he was given a seat in the House of Lords in Rishi Sunak’s dissolution honours list, described his sepsis journey on the Sepsis Voices with Dr Ron podcast.

He said that the road to recovery has been “slow” and that life would “never be the same again”.

Speaking to Dr Ron Daniels, founder and chief medical officer of the UK Sepsis Trust, Lord Mackinlay was critical of the NHS’ provision of prosthetic limbs, describing the prosthetics he was offered as only being good for “breaking windows and pub fights”.

The prosthetics initially given to patients “do not do mental health any good,” he said.

Describing his illness, he said: “Mine came on remarkably quickly. It came on within literally 20 hours or so from being just fairly a little bit unwell to being put into an induced coma, organs failing and my wife being told there’s very little chance of my survival.

“The effects have been dramatic – I haven’t suffered the cognitive failures but I have certainly suffered the physical failures having both my hands and my feet amputated.

“The pathway to recovery has been slow, and you end up realising that life will never be quite the same. But you have to take some comfort that yesterday was tough, today is better, and tomorrow will be better still.”

Describing his prosthetic hands, which he has paid for privately, he said: “I’ve got these multifunctional hands, which are really a step forward, and where I’d really like everybody to get to, and rather more quickly than currently, the NHS are prepared to give.”

He went on: “What I think is really important, we’re in a world where mental health is very much recognised and frankly, to be given what the NHS have given me for my arms, not the ones that I’ve had to buy privately, but what they’ve given me are, effectively, rubber clubs with a slight hook shape.

“But to be given two of those where, frankly, you can’t do zips with them, you just can’t do anything much with them.

“I have laughingly said all they’re good for is breaking windows and pub fights. I can’t see they’re much good for anything much else.”

He said that he was told he would be given a multifunctional arm on the NHS “probably in year four” after amputation but people are “crying out” for these in “year one”.

Lord Mackinlay added: “So if we are in a world of mental health recognition, giving people what they’re currently giving out does not do mental health any good.

“I can guarantee that because your functionality is limited, your ability to get to work is limited, your physical appearance looks extremely disabled. So for heaven’s sake, let’s get the prosthetics people need at the earliest time.

“I know they’re expensive… but if we’re going to save people at enormous cost, which, I’m testament to that – I spent seven months in hospital, and that doesn’t come cheap – for heaven’s sake, put the last bit of skin on the custard and give us the prosthetics that can get us some life back to normal.”

He added: “The NHS is very, very good at keeping you alive when you’re very, very ill. That’s one thing it does very well.

“I’m not quite so complimentary at what you then get in the months afterwards

“We’re not in government anymore. I can now be quite openly critical of various aspects of the NHS, and I will do so.”

He said he would also like to see a public awareness campaign to help members of the public have better awareness of the signs and symptoms of sepsis.

The UK Sepsis Trust’s Step Up campaign calls on the government to improve outcomes for sepsis survivors.

Dr Daniels said: “We’re enormously grateful to Craig for being a guest on our latest podcast, and for lending his voice to our cause going forward.

“We have no doubt he will be a powerful advocate in the weeks and months to come, helping us campaign for better sepsis data, improved access to testing and even more public awareness about a condition that claims a shocking 48,000 lives in the UK each year.”

Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection that occurs when the immune system overreacts and starts to damage the body’s tissues and organs.

In the UK, 245,000 people are affected by sepsis every year – including around 2,000 children.

Mr Mackinlay started his political career in the early 1990s, briefly leading the United Kingdom Independence Party (Ukip) before leaving to join the Conservative Party in 2005.