What would do you do if your child had a damaging condition, but the NHS didn't provide the surgery needed? This family, like many others, decided to raise money for an operation abroad, and this week they will take their son to Australia.

In the last three weeks, there have been nights when there were no intensive-care beds available in parts of Britain. So why are there so few? It all comes down to money, says Bibi van der Zee, who spent New Year's Eve on the front line between life and death

West London, the atrium of a tall, white building: two dancers rehearse a piece of modern choreography on a stage overlooked by four floors. Above them, giant papier-maché sardines swing on threads secured to a glass ceiling. Below, 30ft bamboo plants frame a sculpture of chrome and trickling water. This isn't a lottery funded arts centre or the head office of a global enterprise. It is the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, the most spectacular in the NHS and where Cherie Booth is expected to give birth.