'Bionic lord' holds key limb loss campaign meeting

"Bionic lord" Craig Mackinlay, who lost his hands and feet after suffering sepsis, has met the health secretary to campaign for better limb loss support from the NHS.

Lord Mackinlay of Richborough attended the meeting along with Paralympic gold medallist Richard Whitehead and 10-year-old Tony Hudgell, who lost his legs after suffering abuse from his biological parents.

The meeting on Tuesday was organised after the former Kent MP was inspired by stories from the Paralympic Games and on hearing about Tony's experience.

Lord Mackinlay said the health secretary, Wes Streeting, had "listened intently", and he hoped he would now "look very carefully at what NHS England should be providing".

"Not just for kit, but also helping people get back to work, with their mental health and to feel like whole human beings again," he said after the meeting, which was held at the House of Lords.

He added it was "fundamentally important" that those living with limb loss bring their stories to Mr Streeting. "It's all very well reading reports; it's nothing like seeing people," he said.

Lord Mackinlay had to learn to walk again using prosthetic limbs after his hands and feet turned "black" and were amputated after he contracted sepsis last September.

Paula Hudgell, mum of Tony from West Malling, said: "We're just glad to be on board.

"Hopefully we can really make some change within the prosthetic industry for NHS England and give everybody who needs a prosthetic limb of some sort the best they can have."

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We thank Lord Mackinlay for his work raising awareness of the dangers of sepsis and the transformational potential of high-quality prosthetics.

"We want to provide the best possible care for people living with limb loss."

They added that through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the department was funding research to improve outcomes for sepsis survivors.

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