Increasing numbers of nurses returning after retiring

Analysis of NHS workforce data found that of 10,300 nursing staff who retired between July 2021 and June 2022, 4,600 (44%) had rejoined the health service within 12 months – four percentage points more than in the previous year.

Nursing Standard asked four nurses who have come out of retirement and returned to practice why they decided to do so.

Sharing my knowledge and helping others reach their potential

Barbara Craven (pictured above), aged 72, has no intention of retiring from her 30-hour-per-week role as a clinical navigator with Derbyshire Community Health Services.

She had been ‘climbing the walls’ after ten months of retirement and decided to apply for her current post 11 years ago. Ms Craven says she would have been equally happy to take a job in a ward or community setting – she has a zest for work and enjoys the companionship of the workplace.

‘Family and friends are very important to me, and colleagues are my extended family,’ she says. ‘I still feel I have a contribution to make, even though others say I am mad to be still around. I’m always happy to lend a helping hand within my competencies and I enjoyed having students, being able to share my knowledge and help others to maximise their potential.’

While the opportunity in clinical navigation was not a pre-planned career move it was a perfect fit for Ms Craven.

‘It’s like being a human sat nav is how I describe it to patients, helping them on the best discharge pathway. I can use all my past experiences, communication skills, listening and empathy too.’

I like the intensity of ICU and being part of a team

Another returnee who was bored during a brief retirement, which lasted just four months, is Jimmy Cooper, aged 80. He works part-time as an intensive care nurse at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, and the thought of stopping work holds no appeal.

‘When I retired at the age of 69, I was bored,’ he says. ‘The trust kept me on the bank, and I now work one or two days a week.

‘My colleagues call me “granddad”, which I don’t mind as they respect me. Occasionally someone will be protective and ask if I need help to turn an unconscious patient. I don’t need that help and do my share of the work. I am fortunate that I am fit and healthy.

‘I like the intensity of working in ICU, continuously monitoring the patient, and thinking ahead to anticipate problems,’ he says. ‘I find the work quite exciting and enjoy the team working and how we rely on each other.’

Mr Cooper was working at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton in 1984 when the IRA bombed the Grand Hotel. ‘I was a senior nurse then, a manager, and now I’m a staff nurse. I don’t mind that, as I prefer to work directly with patients.’

After 20 years working in the ICU in Belfast, he enjoys being part-time and having flexible shifts. ‘I don’t need to work full-time because I have my pension. The hospital is flexible if I request to have a shift changed. I work one or two days a week and look forward to going in.’

As older nurses, we appreciate flexible ways of working

Flexibility is a key issue for many older nurses who wish to continue working in the NHS.

‘Older nurses should have the choice and flexibility to work in all settings,’ says 71-year-old nurse Celia Manson (pictured). ‘Flexibility can be a struggle as nurses may be asked to comply with a traditional working model. I know it’s a challenge for the person planning the rotas, but we need more of a can-do attitude.’

She acknowledges the challenges facing managers and employers but advises older nurses to be clear if they want to work, say, 12 hours a week, and not take ‘no’ as an answer.

The International Council of Nurses echoes calls for job re-designs and occupational health and safety policies that support older workers’ well-being in its document Ageing Well? Policy to Support Older Nurses (tinyurl.com/older-nurses-policy).

New rules designed to make it easier for NHS nurses to work flexibly came into force in England and Wales in 2021. Staff have the right to ask for flexible working arrangements for their role from day one, and can make unlimited requests to change their working pattern. Managers do not necessarily have to grant these, but employers do have a responsibility to attempt to accommodate them, and must provide a reason if turning them down.

Some young staff think we don’t know anything, others appreciate us

Alison Nixon is a lead general practice nurse in Lincoln, where she works 34 hours a week. She planned to retire three years ago when her mortgage was paid off, but applied for a job in a GP surgery after a few weeks.

‘I had been a practice nurse for many years, and they offered me the job straight away because of my experience,’ she says. ‘The idea of being a lady of leisure was enticing, but I soon realised there is only so much shopping and cleaning you can do.’

After a house move forced her to leave her first post-retirement role, Ms Nixon, now aged 63, was a clinical supervisor in a COVID-19 vaccination centre for 18 months. ‘I met so many nurses who came back at that time and realised that they missed nursing and that our experience is valuable,’ she says. ‘None of us returned to clinical work because of the money.’

What are the negative and positive aspects to working in later life? ‘A few young staff think we don’t know anything and that we will get tired more quickly, while others appreciate our knowledge,’ she says. ‘On the plus side, many patients respect us more for our experience.

‘I love my job at the practice and the people I work with. I plan to stay at least until I receive my state pension when I am 66.’

I can’t leave nursing alone – it’s an obsession

Celia Manson, 71, believes she is ‘addicted’ to nursing. She revalidated last year after 50 unbroken years on the register.

The Kent-based independent nurse adviser in palliative care and pain became self-employed in 2008, when she was 57. She advises nurses and organisations via video calls from home as the need arises, working at least two hours a day.

It is not just her nurse adviser role that motivates Ms Manson to keep her hand in. She is also an elected member of the governing council of the British Pain Society and involved with the RCN at branch level and as a member of the college’s mental health forum, after many years lobbying and campaigning on health issues. ‘It satisfies my need to be involved and poke my nose in,’ she says.

Ms Manson, who was formerly employed by the RCN as an adviser in nursing practice, says that she is not driven by financial considerations. ‘Economically, I don’t need to work. I’m in the happy situation that when I was 60, I was able to draw my RCN pension, my NHS pension has been transferred to that, and later I started drawing my state pension.

‘It’s my choice to work because I am still interested in everything to do with nursing and the issues. For me, I can’t leave it alone. I’m addicted to nursing, it’s an obsession.

‘Revalidating keeps the door open for me to take part in many opportunities, and I also support other nurses to revalidate.’

Find out how to make practising beyond midlife work with your energy levels rcni.com/midlife-nurse