ENOUGH is enough; it is time to respond to the letters about "sleeping" night staff at Fairfield.

I am a retired qualified nurse of 30-plus years, 14 of those years having been spent on night duty. The shift was 8.45pm to 8am, of which 10 hours were salaried, the remaining one hour 15 minutes taken as breaks. The breaks were usually taken during the "quiet" period between midnight and 6am, two staff at a time and ensuring that experienced cover was always maintained.

Night staff cannot sit on the grass, or wander around the shops in their lunch break. Going outside to the canteen at 3am is dangerous, and walking through miles of deserted corridors uses up valuable break time.

So, what do these dedicated night staff do? They remain "on call", taking unpaid meal breaks where they can be called upon in an emergency (as often happens).

It is a long shift and only those who have experienced it can appreciate what it entails.

Patient care is the most important consideration to any nurse worth their salt. So, on behalf of night staff and all my former colleagues at Fairfield and North Manchester, I say to the complainants: either try it or shut up!

SYLVIA M. MURRAY,

(RN 2nd level).