Flexible working can transform lives, improve care and could help nurses stay in the profession. Why would anyone say no to that?

Sarah’s story (see box) is fictional but it is full of truth. It is an amalgam of experiences we have heard through our NHS flexible working network, which have included someone who was so exhausted they crashed their car on the way home from work. Many of the people we hear from have left nursing – a decision they have found devastating but necessary to balance their personal and working lives.