The NHS wouldn’t help my poor mum in her last days... so I turned to B&Q
Caring son crafted makeshift breathing device
A DESPERATE son was forced to build a makeshift device to help his mother breathe after she was ‘failed’ by the NHS.
Former Royal Marine Commando Tom Burke created an improvised pump to clear his mother Margaret’s airways using parts he bought from B&Q and Halfords.
He begged medics for an aspirator to ease the 77-year-old cancer patient’s suffering and prevent her from choking but was told none was available.
He also claims one GP said: ‘Do you really think it’s worth going to all that trouble? Your mum does not have that long to go.’
Mr Burke, who served in Iraq, has now demanded an investigation into his mother’s treatment, fearing health professionals were following an unwritten rule to hasten her death.
The grandmother of seven from Linwood, Renfrewshire, died on June 7, only weeks after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
She spent her last days at home with her family, but Mr Burke has criticised NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde for failing to ensure she was comfortable towards the end.
The 48-year-old said: ‘These were very precious moments, where we appreciated the value of every single breath a loved one takes.
‘I constantly asked for further help with my mum’s ongoing choking problem but none of the palliative care team seemed to share my concern or sense of urgency.
‘While she was in the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, we had to demand that she was given a drip to keep her hydrated. When she got home my sisters and I worked round the clock to stop her from choking.
‘I demanded to know the sense in sedating someone who was desperately trying to avoid choking and determined to cough up mucus. The team were trying to convince us the distress experienced by our mother choking was “terminal agitation”.
‘I could not sit back and watch my loving and considerate mum suffer like that. When I realised no one was going to help us, I took the matter into my own hands.
‘When I saw my mum fighting for her life, that’s when I realised where my Commando ethos came from. She still very much had the will to live, was determined to help herself and very clearly communicating with her family, desperate for help.
‘In the Marines, you are taught: “Never quit. It is not over until it is over”.’
Mr Burke and his three sisters operated a rota system, using swabs, mouthwash and iced water to keep their mother’s throat clear. But when she started to ‘choke to death’ he realised he had to act quickly.
He drove to his local B&Q and Halfords stores to buy a pump and tubing – which he connected to his own electric drill to create an aspirator.
Mr Burke said: ‘I did research online and identified what was needed was a hand-held aspirator, also known as a mucus pump. It’s the same idea used at the dentist to keep your mouth clear.
‘When I described what was needed to relieve my mum’s distress, the GP who came out replied: “Do you really think it’s worth going to all that trouble? Your mum does not have that long to go”.
‘By the next morning mum had got a lot weaker, so I phoned NHS 24 again and demanded someone be sent out with a hand-held aspirator. No one was able to assist so my sister drove to our local hospital to try to get one, also to no avail.
‘By 2.30pm, I felt the lot of them were useless and wasting valuable time so I drove to B&Q and Halfords, where I was able to buy simple items at a total cost of £17.98.
‘It took me 20 minutes to set up and fully test the device – first on myself, then on each of my sisters.
‘My mum was clearly consenting for me to do whatever I could to help her. She was choking to death.
‘But I encouraged her to make one last attempt at coughing and it was just enough to allow the thin latex pipe to suck all the mucus away.
‘It took two five-minute sessions with the hand-held aspirator to bring long overdue relief to our mum. She soon slept for the first time in 48 hours. When the doctor visited the
‘In the Marines, you are taught never to quit’
next day, she was visibly surprised at how calm and rested mum was.’
Mr Burke said he did not voice his anger at the time ‘out of respect’ for his mum, who ‘did not like a fuss’.
But he is now determined no one else suffers the same way. He said: ‘My overall feeling now towards the NHS is total horror and disbelief. It is haunting me, knowing it cannot have been a one-off thing.’
A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: ‘We have received a complaint regarding Mrs Burke’s care from her family.
‘We have written to them to assure them we are investigating their concerns and will respond in full.’