Nursing workforce: skirting the issue

A study of part-time nurses in three London trusts found that they were concentrated in lower grades and less likely to be involved in management than full-time nurses. While senior managers in the trusts were fully committed to flexible working, managers lower in the organisation felt that part-time working presented problems for continuity of care, and that part-time nurses were unwilling to work unsocial hours. A more strategic approach is needed to ensure that part-time nurses are employed most effectively at a time of acute nursing shortages.