The harrowing story of a former Kent MP’s near-fatal battle with sepsis has become a driving force behind a renewed parliamentary push to tackle the deadly condition.

Craig Mackinlay, the former Conservative MP for South Thanet, contracted sepsis in late September 2023.

What began as a seemingly minor illness quickly escalated into septic shock - a life-threatening condition that left him with just a 5% chance of survival.

After being placed in an induced coma and enduring multiple organ failures, the infection caused catastrophic tissue damage, and in December 2023, Mackinlay underwent life-changing surgery to amputate both his lower legs and arms.

Despite his ordeal, Mr Mackinlay, from Rochester, returned to public life just months later, earning the nickname “the Bionic Peer” after being fitted with advanced prosthetics.

In October 2024, he became the first quadruple amputee to sit in the House of Lords, having been granted a peerage in Rishi Sunak’s Dissolution Honours List.

Now serving as co-chairman of the newly relaunched All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Sepsis, Lord Mackinlay is using his personal experience to raise awareness of the condition and advocate for urgent improvements in how it is diagnosed and treated across the NHS.

“Every 3.5 seconds someone in the world dies from sepsis and for those of us who are lucky to survive this dreadful illness, life is rarely quite the same,” Lord Mackinlay said.

“That’s why, when I was appointed to the House of Lords, I said that, as well as campaigning for appropriate prosthetics for amputees at the appropriate time, my other main aim was to raise awareness around our country of the early signs of sepsis.

“The work of this APPG will be pivotal in doing that. This is a milestone moment, but our work has only just begun.”

The APPG on Sepsis, which held its inaugural meeting on April 1, is now one of the most widely supported cross-party groups in Westminster, with backing from more than 120 MPs and peers.

The group is working closely with The UK Sepsis Trust to improve understanding of the condition, which claims 48,000 lives a year.

It also wants to ensure consistent NHS protocols, and give survivors and their families a voice in shaping care and policy.

Chairing the group is Mike Wood MP, who survived sepsis himself in 2017 after spending 11 days in an induced coma. Fellow officers include Andrew Pakes MP, whose brother Richard died from sepsis following an accident in 2016, and Lee Anderson MP, who has advocated for survivors like his constituent Abbi Hickson, who is also a quadruple amputee.

Dr Ron Daniels BEM, the founder and chief medical officer of The UK Sepsis Trust, hailed the relaunch as a “landmark moment”.

“For too long, sepsis has lingered in the shadows,” he said.

“It’s more common than heart attacks and more deadly than stroke, yet it’s still often misdiagnosed or overlooked. The time has come for a consistent, nationwide approach.”