Personnel

Background Between 30-60% of older people experience functional decline after hospitalisation which can be accelerated by inactivity in hospital. Family or caregivers can positively affect activity levels of hospitalised older people.

With the Government promoting flexible and ‘family-friendly’ policies within the NHS, an increase in the number of part-time nurses is imminent, particularly in view of current pro-active recruitment drives in this area. Research, however, indicates that it is mainly female employees who continue to utilise such policies with few male nurses employed on a part-time or flexible basis.