Wards are closing down - nurses are resigning - operating theatres lie unused - recruiting into the nursing profession has fallen dramatically. Symptomatic of the situation is a 20-bed gynaecological ward visited by the Man Alive team. In charge: one student nurse - 'There's only me there all night. I'm terrified; worried stiff in case something happens which I can't cope with.' Nursing is a vocation, but nurses today have to be technicians as well as angels of mercy. They may work for love, but they've had enough of platitudes. Now, they seek recognition in terms of hard cash.