THE move by Health Secretary Frank Dobson to boost emergency care for children will be welcomed by every parent in the country.

But the steps to prevent youngsters being shuttled from hospital to hospital in search of an intensive care bed have come too late for some, a fact highlighted by the case of Helen Jackson's 21-month-old son Lewis.

The new government seem to have made almost a policy announcement a day since they swept to power in May. It is to be hoped they continue in this vein and that public pledges are followed through. This way, perhaps painful flaws in our vital health service can be recognised and changed quickly.

Nothing can bring Lewis back. His death should never have been accompanied such heart-rending upset.

But if his, and other similar cases help to bring about a new urgency from politicians in dealing with the problems of the Health Service, they will not have died in vain.

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