A former Royal Marine commando was forced to build a DIY breathing device to save his elderly mum from choking to death – because the NHS failed to help him.

Brave Scotsman Tom Burke, who hunted pirates during his heroic service as an elite fighting machine, created a pump to clear his 77-year-old mother Margaret’s airways using parts he bought from B&Q and Halfords.

In his valiant bid to save his cancer patient mum’s life, the fearless Iraq war veteran begged NHS staff to give her a mucus aspirator to prevent her from choking – but was told none were 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.”

Hero Tom now has 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, just weeks after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.

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She spent her final days at home with her family but Tom has hit out at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde for failing to ensure she was comfortable.

He also revealed he had to lend his own torch to hapless nurses who needed to verify his mother had died.

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 hospital we had to demand that she was given a drip to keep her hydrated and 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 the mucus. The team were trying to convince us that the distress experienced by our mother choking was actually 'terminal agitation'.

“I could not sit back and watch my loving and considerate mum suffer like that and 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 by coughing up mucus and very clearly communicating with her family, desperate for help with this.

“In the Marines you are taught, “Never quit. It is not over until it is over”.

Tom and his three sisters operated a constant rota system, using swabs, diluted mouthwash and iced water to try and 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 store to buy a pump attachment, hosepipe and latex tubing – powered by his own electric drill – which he used to make an aspirator.

Recalling the traumatic ordeal that led to his mercy mission, he said: "I did some 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 dentists to keep your mouth clear.

"When I described what was urgently needed to relieve my mum's intense 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 and get one – also to no avail.

"By 2.30pm that day I felt the whole lot of them were useless and simply wasting valuable time so I drove to B&Q and Halfords, where I was able to buy simple items at a total cost of £18.

"It took me approximately 20 minutes to set up and fully test the device – first on myself then on each of my sisters.

“Using eye and hand gestures, 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 of the mucus away.

"All in all, 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 house the next day, she was visibly surprised at how calm and rested mum was.”

The former commando said he did not voice his anger at the time “out of respect” for his mum – who “did not like a fuss” .

He added: "A courier for the NHS arrived three hours before my mum died with a hand-held aspirator, which by then was useless," Mr Burke said.

"The district nurses came to verify my mum's death but they didn't have a torch with them to check the pupils of her eyes, so I had to lend them mine."

Tom, a personal trainer who has worked on international anti-piracy missions and close protection operations, is now seeking answers and is determined no-one else suffers the same way. He said: "My overall feeling now towards the NHS is total horror and disbelief.

“I cannot believe this has happened to my mother and 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 that we are thoroughly investigating their concerns, and will respond in full.”

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