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Occupational sustainability in healthcare services involves meeting the demands of a changing NHS without compromising the health and wellbeing of nurses. This article examines occupational sustainability in the nursing profession, focusing on issues of nursing workload, employee health and recruitment issues, and workforce diversity.

This article examines the findings of a survey of readers of the RCN Publishing Company specialist journals, which cover settings such as gerontology, mental health and emergency care. The survey provides a snapshot of the profession and highlights differences between nurses in each field: their ages, working practices, concerns and aspirations. The survey found that the older people specialty has disproportionately high numbers of older professionals, in the same way that the emergency care and mental health specialties have high numbers of younger nurses.

Every year the lesbian, gay and bisexual organisation Stonewall publishes a list of the top 100 employers in the UK. Only two NHS organisations appear on the 2009 list.

The professional work of nurses and doctors is subject to a rigorous statutory regime of scrutiny. A pilot scheme in Scotland will shortly test out a new register for healthcare support workers.

Aim: To investigate the options, decisions and outcomes for nurses aged over 50 in terms of remaining in, retiring from, or returning to, work in the NHS., Method: Interviews were conducted with 18 employers, advisers and policy makers linked to the nursing labour market. They were conducted by telephone (n = 14) or face to face (n = 4), recorded (with consent), transcribed and analysed thematically. Interviews were also held with 84 older nurses who were remaining in nursing, had retired or had returned to nursing. One focus group was held with older nurses who 'remained' in Scotland (n = 11) and the rest of the data were collected in face-to-face and telephone interviews (n = 73). Again, interviews were recorded (with consent), transcribed and analysed thematically., Results: There is a gap between the rhetoric of policy and the implementation of practice in the employment of older nurses., Conclusion: Older nurses could continue to make a valuable contribution to the NHS, especially in light of the shortage of nurses, but their value is not always recognised. If older nurses are to continue making a contribution then they need good advice about employment, retirement and pension options.