ONLY yesterday we warned the Government that it had to start delivering on its promises.

One of those promises, largely in response to The Northern Echo's A Chance To Live campaign, was one from Health Secretary Alan Milburn to launch a 'crusade' to reduce heart disease.

We are delighted that he is fulfilling his promise.

It is estimated that 500 heart patients die on the waiting lists each year. Not because the medical skills aren't available to help them but simply because the resources are not available to allow them to be treated. In this modern age such a state of affairs must not be tolerated.

At last this chronic failure within the National Health Service is being addressed.

Plans to increase the number of heart operations in our region will go some way to reducing waiting times for heart surgery from the current maximum of 18 months to a more acceptable six months.

But that will be only part of winning the battle. We will press ahead to ensure heart surgery in this country reaches the same standards as in many parts of Europe, where waiting times are only three months.

Indeed, we would eventually like to see waiting times reduced to a matter of weeks.

However, we cannot contemplate such an efficient state of affairs until inroads are made into the current backlog of cases.

We never expected overnight improvements. It took decades of neglect and insufficient resources to bring the NHS to its knees. It will take a long-term commitment to invest and provide additional resources before it is back on its feet.

But at least there are signs that the recovery is underway.

Star quality

IT was during the chaos of war that the dignity of the Queen Mother won the hearts of our nation.

That dignity was to the fore once again yesterday when terrorists threatened to bring chaos to the pageant to mark her forthcoming 100th birthday.

It was in keeping with her distinguished service to the country that the pageant and her appearance at it went ahead as planned, in spite of the bomb alerts.