Leave Nursing ?

I’m also 47 been nursing about the same time, I did ward l/hospital and now in community. I assume if you’ve done heath visiting/school nursing it’s as a staff nurse or did you do the speciality courses? I work with children and want to do the health visiting course but not sure if I’m a bit old now. I def wouldn’t do pip. Friend of mine did the training and it was awful. What about research? Immunisations is interesting too, pension time seems so far away and I keep feeling but the time I get there it’ll be even longer

The SCPHN qualification means you can look at jobs in Occupational Health too

Also Local Authority Public Health teams (this may allow you to retain your NHS Pension too)

Higher Education - medical and nursing schools

CQC jobs come up occasionally, also the NMC sometimes

Ditto. I have strongly discouraged DSs from even thinking about it.

Lots of my wife’s colleagues take their pension at 55 and go part time. She’s definitely only still there because at her age she can’t realistically start again (and she’s a little closer to retiring than you are).

But, in her AOR and hospital at least, it’s hard work with very little reward. Even the teamwork element isn’t great these days because they’re all so stretched. She’s always been adamant that none of the kids take up a medical career.

Stay away from Pip you will hate it even more than what you are doing now! Can you move roles within the NHS? Or even look at private hospitals, my friend has just gone from a busy surgical ward job in NHS to outpatient clinic at a private hospital and is much happier! Don’t do anything in haste is my main advice.

You have tonnes of experience...have you looked at other roles like quality/research/governance? Immunisations?
I am in a very similar situation to you and currently looking for my next move. Its almost a trope now, but I found putting my skill set into chat gpt quite helpful for suggesting alternative moves within the NHS. I asked it to give me practical and realistic career advice. It's not my only source of advice, but it seems quite helpful

Don't do the PIP thing. Just don't.

It's absolutely horrific, ridiculous caseloads, audit an embarrassing shambles, no support. I started off with 13 newbies and 2 years later I was one of two left.

People constantly on sick leave, managed by non clinicians who don't know what they are talking about. Very punitive approach by managers, gaslighted etc.

People are eligible for promotion to qualify standards after only 12 months as they just cannot keep the staff.

Some health insurance companies employ nurses, have you considered this? Get on LinkedIn if you are not already.

Best of luck!

Have you had a calculation of what your pension is currently worth? You wouldn't be walking away from your pension as that is there for you and will just be 'frozen' at the point you leave the NHS until you can claim it.
If you get another job somewhere else you will be auto-enrolled on a different pension. Will probably be worse, but you will still be adding to your pension fund.

Hi, it would depend upon how much money you need to live on. Ultimately though, I wouldn’t stay for a pension, life is too short.