Is there an NHS Band 1?
No. Since the Agenda for Change pay deal of 2018, no new staff have been appointed at a Band 1 salary. The last appointments at Band 1 took place in November 2018.
Band 1 roles included housekeeping, general driving and assistant roles, including nursery assistants. The salary for any remaining staff in Band 1 in 2022 was £20,270, although it is likely that only a handful of staff are in this position.
Almost all staff who were on Band 1 have now been transitioned to Band 2, which also has a starting salary of £20,270, but with progression to £21,318 after two years of experience. Unusually, this process was generally not seen as a promotion.
Some staff may have preferred to stay on Band 1 instead of taking on training and development responsibilities associated with a more senior (Band 2) role.
Find out more about the transition process from Band 1 to Band 2 on NHS Employers.
Want the inside track on your next NHS job application?
Check out our guide to writing great NHS job applications, created by NHS hiring managers with more than 40 years of combined experience.
The guide includes tips and tactics including:
- How to avoid the supporting statement mistake that sends more than 75% of applications straight to the bin;
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The latest version of the guide (November 2025) includes also includes highly-requested advice and guidance for NHS staff at risk of redundancy.
Download the guide
I have stayed on band 1 because I was losing money by going to a band 2 I would like to say I have worked on icu for 20 years and I have the same training as band 2 and also all that is expected of by job roll