Nurses are being forced to take temporary work due to a lack of flexibility in permanent jobs, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) claims.
Almost half (48 per cent) of the nurses questioned for the Temporary Working survey that were doing temporary or bank work said that temping was not their preferred choice.
Around one in ten respondents said they had taken up temping because they had no other option, while one third said that they would prefer to be in a permanent position.
A lack of family-friendly hours available was a concern for some nurses, with 65 per cent of respondents saying that they took on temporary work in order to get more flexible working hours, while 68 per cent did it to supplement their basic pay.
Executive director of the RCN, Janet Davies, said: "The effect of job post freezes and redundancies are clear – for many nurses temporary work is their only option.
"It's a real concern that many nurses are not afforded flexibility in their permanent roles and are forced to move into temporary roles."
Black and ethnic minority respondents were also found to be more likely to work night and weekend shifts than white nurses.
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