The NHS is losing experience

The study, by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, found that NHS hospitals focus on nurturing young recruits at the expense of their more experienced colleagues.

As a result, many nurses in their 50s see little point in remaining in the NHS - leaving the service with a mounting recruitment problem.

It is the younger ones who are obviously important for the future, and that is, therefore, where our attentions are more focused. NHS Trust manager

Although the NHS employs more than 145,000 nurses aged over 50, almost 10,000 nurses retire each year and the numbers taking early retirement are increasing.

Only one nurse in ten is aged under 30, compared to one in four in the early 1990s. One in three nurses will turn 50 during the current decade.

The report says there is much more that could be done to retain the services of older nurses - and to tempt back those who have already left the NHS.

It says that older nurses frequently lack clear advice or guidance about their employment or retirement options.

Little attention has been given to the possibilities of more flexible work and pension arrangements that would encourage nurses over 50 to stay in practice, possibly in less demanding jobs.

And few hospitals appear to have adopted measures to combat older nurses' stress.

Some older nurses also found that professional development and 'return to practice' courses had taken little account of the particular issues they faced.

Admission of bias

Researchers at the University of Hull conducted interviews and focus groups with NHS employers, advisers and staff across the UK, including interviews with 84 nurses aged over 50.

Some employers admitted they preferred to employ younger nurses and that policies, including return to practice initiatives, were not designed for those in their 50s.

Others voiced positive views of older nurses, valuing their courtesy, commitment and understanding of patients' needs.

Professor Roger Watson, co-author of the report, said: "The NHS has not been devoting enough specific attention to nurturing older nurses as a valuable resource.

"The result is that nurses feel they are not being helped by their employers to address difficulties associated with growing older in a rapidly changing service.

"This undoubtedly contributes to an earlier exit from nursing than might otherwise be the case.

"Yet, as our study demonstrates, there is strong potential for reducing these difficulties and making nursing more attractive, by focusing on the particular needs of nurses over 50, including those returning to the profession."

A Royal College of Nursing spokesman warned 150,000 were eligible to retire in the next five years.

He said it made sense to ensure the NHS made the most of valuable experience while enabling older nurses to "extend their earning lives by helping them move into part-time work and retain pension benefits or allowing them to retire, receive a pension but still do some part-time work".