‘Bionic’ peer calls for better care for amputees

Craig Mackinlay said the limbs he paid for privately made him feel “whole again”

Michael Keohan Craig Mackinlay sitting on a sofa at his home, with prosthetic limbs he has paid for and NHS replacement limbs in front of him. — Craig Mackinlay said the limbs he paid for privately made him feel “whole again”

Former MP Craig Mackinlay, who lost his hands and feet after a life-threatening episode of sepsis, has urged the government to end what he says is a “postcode lottery” for amputee care.

Speaking as the Paralympics gets under way in Paris, Lord Mackinlay said he wanted to use the focus on the games to push the government to do more for people who lose limbs.

The former MP for South Thanet warned that NHS prosthetics currently on offer could leave people “in a pit of despair” while the ones he paid for privately made him “feel whole again”.

The Department of Health & Social Care has been approached for a comment.

The newly-appointed peer, who will be sworn into the Lords in October, said: “We need to do better. It’s 2024.

“We put a man on the moon 55 years ago. I can’t believe we still can’t get people the right prosthetic if they want it.”

In a direct message for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Lord Mackinlay said: “if you are going to keep people alive at great expense, then please spend that final bit of money to make whatever life you have after worth living.”

The former MP for South Thanet lost all four of his limbs after he contracted Sepsis last September.

Craig Mackinlay and his daughter Olivia met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in the Commons

Craig Mackinlay Craig Mackinlay and his daughter Olivia meeting Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in the Commons — Craig Mackinlay and his daughter Olivia met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in the Commons

Lord Mackinlay spoke of the challenges he has faced in his rehabilitation, telling the BBC he had “struggled to get doors open, get my seatbelt on, or even get my train ticket from my pocket”.

He made an emotional return to the House of Commons in May, where he received a standing ovation in the chamber.

He said it made him feel like “Russell Crowe in Gladiator” calling it an “amazing moment” that he would not forget.

At the time, he called on the then prime minister, Rishi Sunak, to speed up and fund the care provided to those who had survived sepsis.

Speaking of his ambition for the Lords, he said he hoped he could “make a difference” and warned colleagues he would be “loud” as he continued to campaign for better after care.

He said: “I know it’s costly but I want people to be given digital replacements”.

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