Nurses' Working Hours

For many years the workers fought
To gain the eight hour day they thought
Was all that they should have to toil;
Most modern leaders would recoil
From ideas for a lengthened day,
And would be very quick to say
That after eight hours, people flag,
And concentration starts to drag;
The extra hours begin to irk
And minds are focussed less on work
Than waiting for the clock to chime
That at last it's leaving time.

So why did Britain's nurses choose
That precious eight hour day to lose
In favour of far longer shifts,
So long their concentration drifts
And by the end they're very tired,
No longer with devotion fired
To care for patients, see that they
Get the best of care each day.
For anyone who works long hours
Finds eventually that it sours;
Often they can't give their best
Because their bodies need to rest.
Much better for the patients' care,
That nurses spend just eight hours there,
Spread across a five day week,
So they're always at their peak.