STERN-faced, lips pursed, voice choked, Health Secretary Alan Milburn had a grim tale to tell. The National Health Service, his National Health Service, had let a patient down - not just any patient, but his friend - and he knew in the most painful way possible because he'd had to go to his funeral.

"Ian lived in Darlington. He was a friend of mine. He was a friend of the Labour Party's. Ian worked for the local newspaper. His kids went to local schools. Just like all of us he was elated when Labour won that election.

"Ian died last year. He was only 38. He died waiting for a heart operation on the NHS. There was no one quite like Ian Weir. But there are far too many people waiting just like Ian Weir."

And then his voice cleared, replaced by grim determination as he spelt out policies to prevent such a tragedy happening again.

The Darlington MP told the Labour Party Conference about a two-pronged attack on Britain's biggest killers, heart disease and cancer.

He told the 2,000 delegates and millions of viewers: "Sometimes the health service lets down the very people who need it most. In Government you listen and you learn. We will end long waiting in cardiac services, in cancer services, across the health service."

And he gritted his teeth as he announced a huge expansion in the programme to establish "rapid access" clinics for patients with suspected heart patients.

Every year, more than 1.4m people in the UK suffer from angina, 300,000 people have heart attacks, 110,000 die of heart problems.

To combat this he told the conference of a total of 139 clinics, including 15 in the Northern and Yorkshire region, would be set up by April 2001, almost trebling the original target of 50.

Patients sent to these clinics by their GPs should be seen and assessed by specialists within two weeks of referral.

Ian hadn't had this benefit. The deputy chief photographer with The Northern Echo died in June 1999 on a waiting list for a heart bypass operation.

Before he died he wrote to Prime Minister Tony Blair in protest asking "how long have I got to live". As a committed socialist he refused to have the £10,000 operation done privately. He died of a heart attack the day before he was due to see a surgeon to be told when he could have the operation.

Mr Milburn, a Treasury minister at that time, attended his funeral where a blistering attack on the NHS was made from the pulpit.

The Northern Echo responded by launching A Chance To Live Campaign, calling for a dramatic reduction in waiting times for heart operations.

A special investigation found that while the average Briton faces waits of nearly one year for a heart bypass, most Western European countries would operate within three months.

It was also discovered that an estimated 500 heart patients a year were dying on Britain's heart bypass waiting lists because of a lack of capacity and funding.

Ian's case became headline news and national newspapers carried his shocking story. The then Health Secretary Frank Dobson was quizzed about the case on the influential Today programme on Radio 4.

But Ian's death had a profound effect on Mr Milburn. When he drew up a new blueprint to improve Britain's woeful services for heart patients he told The Northern Echo: "This is for Ian."

And it was to Ian that the Health Secretary returned again at Brighton yesterday, using his case to illustrate the theme of this week's conference, that the Government listens to problems and takes action.

Back home in Darlington, Maggie Weir, Ian's wife, broke down as Mr Milburn spoke of her husband.

Afterwards she said: "I thought the speech was incredibly honest. It floored me. It is a wise Government that learns from its mistakes and has the courage to press for change."

She said Ian would have been amazed at being mentioned at a Labour Party Conference. "Ian would never have imagined that he as an individual was so important but individuals do count."

While welcoming the Health Secretary's announcement of a big increase in the number of rapid access clinics for patients with suspected heart problems, she said it was "a tragedy" that someone had to die before the powers-that-be would take action to improve the situation.

Ian was waiting for surgery at South Cleveland Hospital in Middlesbrough, one of a network of specialist heart units around the country. After his death specialists at South Cleveland admitted a mistake might have been made in the assessment of his condition. Because of the large numbers of patients waiting for heart bypasses and the surgical teams' limited capacity, those deemed to be less urgent had to wait longer.

Even today, around 50 patients have waited for more than a year for surgery.

Since the Government announced its drive on improving heart care earlier this year South Cleveland has been negotiating to expand the number of heart operations from 1,200 bypasses to 1,800 and from 600 angioplasties (unblocking arteries with balloons) to 1,050.

Dr Jim Hall, chief of cardiothoracic services at South Cleveland is confident that the £14m expansion plans will be approved.

A smaller scale expansion is planned at The Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, which serves the northern half of the region.

The Teesside heart specialist said Mr Milburn's latest announcement on rapid access clinics was "excellent news". Dr Hall said there had been a "sea-change" in the Government's attitude in the last year and there was no doubt The Northern Echo's A Chance To Live campaign had played a part.

Explaining how the rapid access clinics would work, Mr Milburn said: "Patients with chest pain that may be angina can sometimes wait weeks for a hospital appointment after seeing their GP. We need to make sure these people are seen quickly and these clinics will mean that these patients can be seen within two weeks or even sooner.

"Those with heart problems will be given specialist advice and diagnosis quickly. And for the majority, whose pain is not caused by heart problems, reassurance can be given promptly."

Patients attending the clinics will have a so-called "one stop" assessment by a team of specialist staff so that instead of waiting weeks or longer for different tests, many can be carried out at the same time.

Those suffering acute chest pain who may be having a heart attack will continue to be admitted as an emergency through hospital casualty departments or coronary care units.

New clinics will be established at North Tees General Hospital in Stockton, Hartlepool General Hospital, North Tyneside General Hospital in North Shields, Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead and Scarborough General Hospital.

Elsewhere existing clinics at Darlington Memorial Hospital and Sunderland Royal Hospitals will be extended.

The initiative on heart disease was backed by the announcement of the first ever comprehensive NHS Cancer Plan. Highlights of the wide-ranging initiative include an extra 1,000 cancer specialists in place within six years, 250 more cancer scanners and maximum one month wait from diagnosis to treatment for suspected breast cancer cases.

This one month maximum wait from diagnosis to treatment is to be extended to all cancers by 2005.

Mr Milburn's policy also extends to children's hospices - a sector which previous governments have not funded. He told the delighted delegates: "In this, Children's Hospice Week, I am pleased to be able to tell conference that the cancer plan includes, over the next four years, a £50m boost from the NHS to fund hospices and palliative care in communities across the country."

With new cash from the National Lottery, "we will for the first time match the money raised by charities for adult and children's hospices".

And with that Mr Milburn sat down, the face still set, the audience and the public stunned by the scale of the reforms - and by the fact the speech had to be made at all.

Read more about A Chance to Live campaign.