NHS nurse retention: would a cut in hours but not in pay help?

Four-day working week with no drop in salary sounds too good to be true, and for the nurse workforce with its high vacancy rates, it probably is

A shorter working week with no corresponding reduction in pay sounds like a dream come true for over-worked, under-paid nurses.

Following a pilot trial by UK companies of a 32-hour, four-day working week, campaign group 4 Day Week is calling for NHS employers to give the idea a try. It argues it would improve job retention, reduce the reliance spending on agency staff and improve quality of care. But what would be the pros and cons for nursing of such a working pattern, given chronic staff shortages?

We asked our readers’ panel.