THE head of Hampshire's child care services has insisted there will be no knee-jerk reaction to criticism from a coroner over the death of a disabled child.

As reported in the Daily Echo, Lydia Wyatt, 11, lay dead in bed undetected for several hours, despite night staff repeatedly checking in on her.

An inquest into her death in January heard staff are not required to ensure youngsters at Merrydale Respite Care were alive, but simply to see if they are awake or in distress.

In his conclusions, Southampton coroner Keith Wiseman said he hoped the tragic case would signal a change in the way staff monitored youngsters.

Giving evidence to the inquest, centre manager Christopher Dean said checking to see if children were breathing would involve physical checks that could disturb youngsters. He said being awoken suddenly by an unfamiliar member of staff could turn the stay into a negative experience.

But Mr Wiseman told the court he believed checking for signs of breathing would not be unduly obtrusive to youngsters, and could save more parents the anguished suffered by Lydia's parents.

John Coughlan, Hampshire County Council's Director of Children's Services, said policies would be reviewed.

He expressed his sympathy for Lydia's family, saying staff at the home had been very upset by her death, but there would be no rush to make drastic changes to the way residents are monitored.

He said: "Our procedures are kept under constant review.

"However, we now need time to consider the coroner's comments on the physical nature of the nightly checks to ensure that the children continue to receive the very best level of care according to their individual needs."