abstract: Show of hands: a hi-tech scheme to monitor the working hours of staff members, which works by scanning their hands as they start and finish their shifts, has divided opinion among nurses. In the scheme, staff clock in and out by placing their hand next to a sensor that records the size and shape of their fingers and palms. Some nurses at St George's Healthcare NHS Trust in London and University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which are running trials of the system, claim it is a 'Big Brother' style attempt to clamp down on employees, but others accept that it will save money. A spokesman for St George's argues that the scheme will cut the trust's bill for temporary payroll staff by avoiding disputes over the number of hours they had worked. If rolled out, says the trust, the hand sensor system would cost £500,000 but could save £2 million. The trust's RCN office has backed the scheme.