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Writing a great NHS job application: the insider’s guide (updated September 2025)
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How long does NHS shortlisting take?

Administrator - October 5, 2025October 5, 2025

Shortlisting refers to the process of scoring all applications that have been received for a job, and choosing which of the highest-scoring applications will be taken through to the interview stage of the recruitment.

With the rise of AI making it much faster to write supporting statements, application volumes for NHS jobs have rapidly increased in recent years. It is not uncommon for NHS jobs to receive well in excess of 100 applications, with some examples of single jobs receiving more than 300 applications.

The shortlisting process is completely manual, requiring each application to be carefully reviewed. Given the length of the application, even an experienced shortlister is likely to take at least 5 minutes per application for scoring. At a rate of 5 minutes per application, 100 applications would take more than a full day of work to score - without considering the "day job" that the hiring manager and other shortlisters will also be juggling.

With this in mind, it is unusual for shortlisting to take less than a week from the advert closing for applications - although some NHS organisations do allow shortlisting to take place while the advert is still live, which can speed up the process. On average, a wait of 1-2 weeks for shortlisting to be completed is normal. Entry-level jobs (which receive higher application volumes) may take even longer.

Who scores NHS job applications?

Shortlisting is almost always completed by a panel of two people. Usually, this will be the recruiting manager and one of their colleagues (e.g. someone else from the same team). Occasionally, it will be an HR representative, although our experience is that this is quite rare except for entry-level, non-specialist roles.

The shortlisting panel will review the applications separately, with each panel member scoring each application. Once both panel members have completed their scoring, the applicant tracking system will allow them to see their combined scores. The shortlisting panel will then use these scores to help decide how many people to take through to the interview process.

How does NHS shortlisting scoring work?

Shortlisting varies slightly between organisations. Normally, the shortlisting panel will be scoring applications against a selection of elements of the person specification. Scoring for each element tends to be between 0 (no evidence of meeting the criteria) and 3 (exceptional).

How many candidates are shortlisted for NHS interviews?

Administrator - September 29, 2025September 29, 2025

Did you know that many NHS jobs now receive more than 100 applications? With the odds of making it through to interview now arguably tougher than ever, it can be difficult to know how to set expectations in terms of what proportion of candidates should make it to interview, and how good your chances are if you are shortlisted.

How does NHS shortlisting work?

Shortlisting is almost always completed by a panel of two people. Usually this will be the recruiting manager and one of their colleagues (e.g. someone else from the same team). Occasionally, it will be an HR representative, although our experience is that this is quite rare except for entry-level, non-specialist roles.

Shortlisting varies slightly between organisations; as with many elements of recruitment such as advertising or probation periods, there is no set protocol within the NHS Agenda for Change contract and no national policy. Normally, the shortlisting panel will be scoring applications against a selection of elements of the person specification. Scoring for each element is often on a short scale, such as between 0 (no evidence of meeting the criteria) and 3 (exceptional).

How many candidates are taken to interview?

There are no NHS-wide rules on how many candidates should be interviewed as part of the hiring process. Usually, hiring managers will choose between 3-8 candidates they think have a realistic chance of being appointed based on their job application.

Sometimes, this number may be less. In rare cases, hiring managers may only take one candidate to interview, if they feel they are the only potentially appointable candidate.

Some organisations have policies that applicants with a disability who meet the “minimum criteria” for the role should always be invited to interview. The application of this policy is very inconsistent. However, if you do consider yourself to have a disability, it is worth indicating this in your application – you won’t be scored down because of any disability and you might have a slightly better chance of being shortlisted.

Can NHS jobs close early?

Administrator - August 31, 2025October 5, 2025

NHS jobs are usually advertised with a specific closing date. However, it is not uncommon for jobs to close or be removed before this date.

In the experience of the NHS Payscales team as hiring managers, the single biggest reason for this is sheer volume of applications. The use of AI in NHS job applications has meant that many vacancies now get more than 100 applications; in some cases application numbers can exceed 300.

Each application must be manually reviewed by the hiring manager and normally a second shortlister. Even if each application review only takes 5 minutes, reviewing 100 applications means dedicating an entire day to shortlisting for each of the managers involved in the shortlisting process. Given hiring managers also have their busy "day job" to take care of, spending vast amounts of time shortlisting applications is simply unsustainable and can lead to long waits for candidates.

Often, hiring managers will keep an eye on applications as they come in and work with HR colleagues to close the vacancy early if they feel they have enough strong candidates.

It is worth noting that like many other matters related to recruitment (such as probation periods), policies on closing vacancies early vary between NHS organisations - there is no single policy applied across the NHS. Some organisations have a policy to never close vacancies early because of concerns that this disadvantages people who may not be able to easily find the time to apply in a timely fashion (such as working parents).

Unfortunately, for applicants, there is no real way around the fact that the longer you leave it to apply for an NHS role, the higher the chances of the advert closing and you missing your chance.

Do short closing dates mean an internal candidate has already been earmarked for the role?

It is sometimes perceived that internal candidates are pre-selected for many NHS jobs, with the recruitment process being a mere formality.

While some jobs are only advertised internally, short closing dates don't necessarily correlate with having a preferred internal candidate. It is more likely that the hiring manager thinks they are likely to receive a large volume of high quality applicants - and that they want someone in post quickly!

Do NHS jobs have a probation period?

Administrator - August 30, 2025August 30, 2025

Probationary periods (periods after starting a new job where notice periods are shortened) are not standardised under the Agenda for Change contract used by most NHS organisations for most staff (except doctors).

During a probationary period, it is usual that staff will have their performance monitored closely. If there are serious concerns about performance, the staff member may be dismissed during their probationary period with a shorter notice period (usually one or two weeks).

Because there is no NHS-wide policy on probation periods, whether jobs within the NHS come with a probation period depends on the organisation. Broadly speaking, there are three possible approaches to probation periods within the NHS:

No probation period. An increasing number of NHS organisations no longer have any probation period for staff. This is because adding a probation period increases legal complexity and (in practice) dismissing a member of staff during their probationary period may not be any easier than if they were an established member of staff.
3 months. Some NHS organisations use a 3-month probation period - which is a typical probationary period in the private sector.
6 months. Other NHS organisations use a 6-month probationary period. This longer notice period tends to be more common for clinical staff.

The length of your probationary period (if you have one) will be explained to you during the process of being offered a job. If you are in the process of applying for a job within the NHS, you should be able to ask your recruitment HR contact about the details of any probation period.

Do NHS jobs have to be advertised?

Administrator - August 30, 2025September 1, 2025

A frustration among candidates for NHS jobs is the perception that some of the "best" jobs never make it to being advertised externally. It is often suggested that managers find ways of giving jobs to preferred internal candidates without going through a fair and competitive recruitment process.

In reality, as with many recruitment-related issues, whether NHS jobs have to be advertised varies significantly based on organisational policies. There is no specific policy within Agenda for Change or other nationally-recognised policy documents about how jobs should be advertised.

Although normal practice is advertise all roles externally for two weeks, it is not uncommon for roles to only be advertised internally, and sometimes only to specific groups of internal staff.

Some of the scenarios where NHS jobs would not be advertised externally include:

Organisations undergoing redundancy or restructuring programmes. Often large NHS organisations in the process of making significant numbers of staff redundant will insist that all vacancies are circulated to staff "at risk" before they are advertised any further. This gives staff who may otherwise be leaving the organisation the chance to apply for the vacancy.
Organisations under financial pressure. When NHS trusts or other organisations are experiencing challenging financial environments, they may alter their recruitment policies to reduce the time and expenses related to external recruitment. This is sometimes called a "recruitment freeze", where vacancies are often left unfilled if they are deemed non-essential. However, in circumstances where a vacancy must be filled, these organisations may choose advertise internally first.
Organisations with discretionary policies around internal recruitment. Because external recruitment takes a significant amount of time and effort to organise, some NHS organisations have policies (whether formal or informal) allowing managers to advertise vacancies internally if they feel there are likely to be good candidates within the organisation. In these cases, hiring managers will work with HR colleagues to decide if this is the best course of action. This is more likely to be possible for semi-junior positions where there are many internal staff looking to progress.

However, it is extremely uncommon for a manager to be allowed to simply "give" a job to an internal candidate without some form of recruitment process taking place. Managers only have limited control of the recruitment process within NHS organisations, and HR colleagues tend to be highly aware of recruitment processes that could be deemed to be unfair, opening the organisation up to potential employment tribunals or other legal challenges.

Do NHS job applications check for AI? (updated September 2025)

Administrator - August 25, 2025September 8, 2025

As of September 2025, NHS job application platforms (such as Trac and NHS Jobs) do not automatically check whether tools such as ChatGPT or Gemini have been used by candidates to write their applications. From speaking to NHS HR professionals, we understand that this is because there is no proven method for automatically detecting AI-generated applications.

Some NHS organisations do ask candidates to declare whether they have used AI tools to help them craft their supporting statement or application. However, declaring that you have used AI tools does not directly impact your application score. Some of these declarations suggest that applications are "monitored" for the use of AI.

We are aware of one NHS organisation (Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust) who claim to screen for AI use in applications.

We have no evidence to suggest any NHS organisation has a reliable, automated method for checking for AI content in applications.

Should I use AI to write my NHS job application?

The NHS Payscales team are experienced NHS hiring managers - we review thousands of job applications each year.

We believe that the majority of NHS job applications are now written using AI. The logic for candidates using AI is understandable; NHS job applications are notoriously long and complex, and using AI can turn a task that might take hours into the work of a few minutes.

Unfortunately, we feel that the reality is that too many applications rely on using AI with very little actual human input, damaging the quality of the application. Supporting statements created solely using AI tend to be easy to spot as they follow similar structures, lack compelling arguments for why the candidate wants the role, and talk about the job in a very generic sense.

More than anything else, if the hiring manager thinks you have used AI to generate your application or personal statement, they will probably think you are lazy and the type of person who tries to cut corners. It's unlikely that is what they are looking for in their team!

By all means, use AI to proofread your application, or to research the role or organisation to inform your application - but our strong advice is not to rely on AI to do the actual writing.

How to write a good NHS job application

admin - June 10, 2025August 31, 2025

Getting the job you want in the NHS has arguably never been more difficult. Many NHS jobs (especially non-clinical roles) now receive more than 100 applications, making competition fierce for roles at every level.

At the same time, the NHS is in desperate need of skilled and enthusiastic staff. Many professions have significant vacancy rates; about 1 in 12 nursing roles are vacant at any one time.

Applying for NHS jobs is not necessarily a simple task. From complex applications using clunky platforms such as NHS Jobs or Trac, to demystifying jargon used in person specifications, it can be difficult to know how to approach NHS job applications.

We recently spoke to a group NHS hiring managers with experience hiring at a variety of levels to get the inside track on what makes an NHS job application good (and bad):

Writing a good NHS supporting statement

Supporting statements (sometimes also called personal statements or supporting information) can be make or break for NHS job applications. These are the main part of the job application where you can demonstrate your passion for the role and the reasons why you should stand out against the many other applicants who might have similar qualifications or experience.

Our managers gave us a clear list of "do's and don'ts" for supporting information:

Do make sure your supporting statement clearly shows how you meet every part of the person specification. The person specification (usually part of the job description) is the key list of skills that the hiring manager will be using to score your application against. Work through each section of the "essential" and "desirable" elements of the person specification and check your personal statement demonstrates how you meet each criteria, including examples where possible.
Do talk about where you're applying for. One of the biggest mistakes our managers mentioned was focusing the supporting information purely on the candidate. Your personal statement gives you a chance to show that you have properly researched the job and organisation you are planning to join. Has the hospital you've applied for recently won an award? Is there a particular specialty at the hospital you're passionate about? Mentioning these kind of details is a great way to show that you are a self-starter and enthusiastic about this particular role.
Do properly check and proof-read your supporting statement. Not very surprising advice, but our managers were shocked at how many supporting statements had poor grammar, spelling, or included other blunders such as getting organisation names wrong. Get someone else to check your statement before you submit it!
Don't rely on AI to write your supporting statement. Easy access to tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini has made it tempting to hand over the hard work of writing personal statements to AI, but our managers told us they generally found AI-generated supporting statements easy to spot. In particular, they found AI-generated statements tended to be vague on detail, formulaic in structure and full of cliched expressions. Some managers estimated up to 80% of the applications they saw were obviously constructed using ChatGPT. By all means, use these tools to help research roles - but our advice is to stick to doing the writing yourself, even though NHS job platforms don't check for AI content.
Don't include external links. Some application systems remove external links or email addresses automatically. Most of the managers we spoke to said they simply didn't have time to visit external websites such as LinkedIn when reviewing applications, unless the application form specifically asked for them.

Understanding the NHS application process

Almost all NHS job applications are reviewed by managers who are working full-time in busy roles. Reviewing applications is a time-consuming process, especially when managers are being asked to review potentially hundreds of applications; one manager we spoke to said they regularly receive more than 300 applications for entry-level roles.

You can make your application more likely to succeed by understanding some key elements of the process and making your application as easy to score as possible:

Applications are usually anonymous. Most modern Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs) anonymise applications to avoid bias - so the hiring manager doesn't know whose application they are scoring. If you're an internal candidate, bear this in mind if you've got a relationship with the hiring manager already; they won't necessarily know who you are, and as such you need to imagine you are writing your application to someone you've never met before. If you're an external candidate, trying to build a relationship with a hiring manager through requesting phone calls is usually not a good use of time (unless you have genuine questions).
Applications are scored using a strict and inflexible scoring system. Applications are usually scored against some or all of the criteria in the person specification section of the job description. Usually the scoring is from 0 (no evidence) to 3 (exceptional) for each criteria. Missing any element of the person specification can cost you big marks against your competition.
Equality, diversity and inclusion and values are important. In today's NHS, understanding concepts such as equity and diversity are vital. Many of the biggest challenges facing NHS services are related to health inequalities, and managers want staff who are conscious of these types of issue. Many NHS organisations also have their own values, and it can be useful for scoring to mention these values by name.
Using technical and unfamiliar terms. Don't make any assumptions about what the person scoring your application will or won't know. Spell out acronyms and explain every element of your application. In particular, our managers mentioned that many applicants educated outside the UK include references to grading or educational attainment which are unfamiliar - and which they don't have time to look up themselves. Make sure that you explain these terms in ways that are more familiar to British reviewers, e.g. "equivalent to an A-level".

When will the NHS pay rise be paid for 2025?

admin - June 1, 2025August 13, 2025

In May 2025, a new NHS pay rise was announced, with all staff on the Agenda for Change pay scale being awarded a 3.6% pay rise.

As with previous years, this pay agreement was not announced in time for the new financial year, which begins on April 1st. Initially it was not clear when NHS staff would actually receive updated pay in their monthly pay packets.

However, in June 2025 the government announced that pay increases will be implemented in time for August's monthly pay.

Staff will receive their new pay and pay backdated to April on their normal monthly pay day.

Find the answers to some FAQs about backdated pay below:

Will the NHS pay rise be paid in August?

Yes, the NHS pay rise for 2025/26 will be paid (including backdated pay for April, May, June and July) in line with normal monthly pay arrangements in August 2025.

Because of the August bank holiday, this pay might arrive earlier in the month than usual. If your normal pay day is the 23rd, 24th or 25th of the month, you will receive all your pay on Friday 22nd August.

Will the NHS pay rise be taxed?

Yes, the NHS pay rise will be taxed normally. You won't pay any more tax compared to if the pay had been included in your monthly pay between April-July.

Will I pay pension contributions on my backdated pay?

Yes, you will pay pension contributions on backdated pay. This is likely to significantly reduce the total amount of backdated pay you actually receive, given NHS pension contributions can be up to 12.5% of total pay. This year's bands for pension contributions have already been adjusted for inflation, but they will change again slightly to reflect this years above-inflation pay rise.

This could mean a very slightly higher (or lower) contribution "in arrears" to pension contributions for staff in the following groups:

Band 4 staff with less than 3 years of experience
Band 8a staff with at least 5 years of experience

These contribution changes will be confirmed before August 2025.

NHS Pay Scales 2025/26 (confirmed 3.6% pay rise and Band 2/3 pay update)

admin - December 9, 2024August 5, 2025

On May 22, 2025, the Government announced that a 3.6% pay deal had been agreed for NHS Agenda for Change staff. The pay tables below have now been updated, reflecting the change from the 3.5% pay deal we had originally predicted in January 2025. Please bear with us - this page will be fully updated as more information is released.

This article includes a full breakdown of how the pay rise will affect each pay band on NHS Agenda for Change.

How much will the NHS pay rise for 2025/26 be?

The Government has announced a pay rise of 3.6%, although not all the details of how this will be implemented have been released.

We believe this decision was based on three factors:

Government recommendations: In December 2024, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) recommended a 2.8% pay rise for NHS staff. This recommendation is not the final pay award; the DHSC recommendation will be considered along with evidence from trade unions and other bodies by the independent NHS Pay Review Body, whose report is generally used to decide the final pay award for those on Agenda for Change contracts. However, it does mean that the minimum award is likely to be at least 2.8%.

The NHS budget for 2025/26 (which was announced in October 2024) includes allowances for overall staffing costs to rise by 3-4%, although it is important to note that not all staff groups are part of the Agenda for Change framework and some groups of clinical staff could receive higher (or lower) pay awards compared to others.
Some of the difference in the budget compared to DHSC's recommendations could also be to account for changes in the National Minimum Wage; NHS staff on Band 2 are on the National Minimum Wage so if this rises by more than 2.8% next year, these staff would legally have to have a higher pay rise.
Inflation and the economy: Many measures of inflation rose slightly towards the end of 2024, with the Consumer Price Index at 2.6% for December 2024. A below-inflation pay rise would be unpopular for the Government and almost certainly trigger strike action by the unions. However, a more generous pay rise (above 5%) is also unlikely due to the lack of economic growth of the UK economy.
Trade unions and the threat of strikes. The final years of the Conservative government were plagued by strikes by NHS staff, causing disruption and delays to treatment. The Prime Minister has set a target for 92% of "routine" operations to be completed within 18 weeks by March 2029; further strikes would likely add to the already sizeable backlog of operations and make this target very difficult to achieve. While most unions and bodies such as the Royal College of Nursing have not gone public with specifics on the pay rise they would like for their members this year, their reaction to the DHSC-recommended 2.8% rise has been very negative - with some unions calling the suggestion "insulting". This indicates to us that they would be likely to lobby the NHS Pay Review Body for a significantly higher pay rise - and perhaps regard a pay rise of below about 3% as enough to ballot their members for new strike action.

When will the NHS pay rise be paid?

The NHS pay rise for 2025/26 will be paid in August 2025, with pay backdated to 1 April. You can find out more about backdated pay for this year here, including details on tax and pension contributions which will impact take-home pay for all staff.

What is happening with NHS Band 2 and Band 3 pay rises and the National Living Wage increases?

In January 2025, it was announced that NHS Band 2 and Band 3 salaries would rise to reflect changes in the National Living Wage (sometimes called the national minimum wage). These changes would guarantee that staff at Band 2 would continue to receive at least the National Living Wage when this increases on April 1 2025. They also guarantee that staff on Band 3 would receive a higher salary than those on Band 2.

These increases are separate to the main pay agreement, and came into force before the national pay agreement.

These temporary increases were:

A pay increase of 2.35% for all staff at Band 2, taking them to a salary of £24,169
A pay increase of 2.3% for staff with fewer than two years of experience at Band 3, taking them to a salary of £24,625

As outlined in the rest of this article, the final pay rise means these staff will receive a further uplift in their salaries. These staff will not receive as large a sum in their backdated pay as other staff.

Confirmed Agenda for Change pay increases 2024/25

The below figures are based on a confirmed pay rise of 3.6%, applied across all bands. Details of High Cost Area Supplements have not yet been announced, so the figures below are predicted values only.

Band 1

Band 1 is no longer used for new Agenda for Change contracts. Any remaining staff on Band 1 contracts are paid as if they are on Band 2. Find out more about the history of Band 1 and the remaining NHS staff on this band.

Band 2

Staff in Band 2 (such as healthcare assistants, administrative assistants and catering staff) currently start on a salary of £23,614. This would increase to £24,464 following the predicted pay rise.

Years of experience	National pay 2024/25	Confirmed National pay 2025/26	Predicted Inner London pay 2025/26	Predicted Outer London pay 2025/26	Predicted Fringe pay 2025/26
0+	£23,614	£24,464	£30,045	£29,152	£25,743

There is currently no pay progression within Band 2.

Band 3

Staff in Band 3 (such as healthcare assistants) currently start on a salary of £24,072. This would increase to £24,939 following the pay rise.

After two years of experience at this band, most staff will receive a pay increase to £25,674. This would increase to £26,599.

Years of experience	National pay 2024/25	Confirmed National pay 2025/26	Predicted Inner London pay 2025/26	Predicted Outer London pay 2025/26	Predicted Fringe pay 2025/26
0-2	£24,072	£24,939	£30,519	£29,626	£26,216
2+	£25,674	£26,599	£32,178	£31,284	£27,902

Band 4

Staff in Band 4 (such as office co-ordinators or communications assistants) currently start on a salary of £26,529. This would increase to £27,484 following the pay rise.

After three years of experience at this band, most staff will receive a pay increase to £29,114. This would increase to £30,162.

Please note that our Band 4 predictions have been updated following an error in our initial calculations.

Years of experience	National pay 2024/25	Confirmed National pay 2025/26	Predicted Inner London pay 2025/26	Predicted Outer London pay 2025/26	Predicted Fringe pay 2025/26
0-3	£26,529	£27,484	£33,062	£32,169	£28,830
3+	£29,114	£30,162	£36,159	£34,844	£31,639

Band 5

Staff in Band 5 (such as newly qualified nurses) start on a salary of £29,970. This would increase to £31,049 following the pay rise.

After two years of experience at this band, most staff will receive a pay increase to £32,324. This would increase to £33,488.

Staff will receive a further pay rise after two more years of experience, to £36,483. This would increase to £37,796. This pay point represents the average salary for an NHS nurse, and is (by our estimation) probably the most common pay point in the NHS.

Years of experience	National pay 2024/25	Confirmed National pay 2025/26	Predicted Inner London pay 2025/26	Predicted Outer London pay 2025/26	Predicted Fringe pay 2025/26
0-2	£29,970	£31,049	£37,223	£35,731	£32,570
2-4	£32,324	£33,488	£40,147	£38,474	£35,128
4+	£36,483	£37,796	£45,312	£43,424	£39,648

Band 6

Staff in Band 6 (such as occupational therapists or more senior or specialist nurses) start on a salary of £37,339. This would increase to £38,682 following the pay rise.

After two years of experience at this band, most staff will receive a pay increase to £39,404. Following the pay rise this would increase to £40,824.

Staff will receive a further pay rise after three more years of experience, to £44,961. This would increase to £46,580.

Years of experience	National pay 2024/25	Confirmed National pay 2025/26	Predicted Inner London pay 2025/26	Predicted Outer London pay 2025/26	Predicted Fringe pay 2025/26
0-2	£37,339	£38,682	£46,373	£44,441	£40,577
2-5	£39,404	£40,824	£48,941	£46,720	£42,824
5+	£44,961	£46,580	£54,992	£52,470	£48,730

Band 7

Staff in Band 7 (such as clinical pharmacists, communications managers, or service managers) start on a salary of £46,148. Following the pay rise, this would increase to £47,809.

After two years of experience at this band, most staff will receive a pay increase to £48,526. This would increase to £50,273.

Staff will receive a further pay rise after three more years at this level, to £52,808. This would increase to £54,709.

Years of experience	National pay 2024/25	Predicted National pay 2025/26	Predicted Inner London pay 2025/26	Predicted Outer London pay 2025/26	Predicted Fringe pay 2025/26
0-2	£46,148	£47,809	£56,220	£53,699	£49,958
2-5	£48,526	£50,273	£58,681	£56,160	£52,419
5+	£52,808	£54,709	£63,113	£60,592	£56,852

Band 8a

Staff in Band 8a (such as HR business partners, advanced nurse practitioners, or senior physician associates) start on a salary of £53,754. This would increase to £55,690 after the pay rise.

Last year's pay deal added a new intermediate step after 2 years. Pay for those with two years of experience will increase from £56,454 to £58,486.

After five total years of experience at this level, most staff will receive a pay increase to £60,504. This would increase to £62,682.

Years of experience	National pay 2024/25	Predicted National pay 2025/26	Predicted Inner London pay 2025/26	Predicted Outer London pay 2025/26	Predicted Fringe pay 2025/26
0-2	£53,754	£55,690	£64,093	£61,571	£57,831
2-5	£56,454	£58,486	£66,887	£64,366	£60,625
5+	£60,504	£62,682	£71,079	£68,558	£64,817

There is no automatic advancement from band 8a to 8b. Find out more about pay progression here.

It is expected that at some point within the next few years that changes to the Band 8a contract will be made to make it a more attractive proposition for promotion from Band 7 (particularly unsocial hours payments). However, it currently seems unlikely these changes will take place in time for the 2025/26 pay award.

Band 8b

Staff in Band 8b (such as heads of department, consultant pharmacists, or senior general managers) start on a salary of £62,215. This would increase to £64,455 following the pay rise.

Last year's pay deal added a new intermediate step after 2 years. Pay for those with two years of experience will increase from £66,247 to £68,632.

After five total years, most staff will receive a pay increase to £72,299. This would increase to £74,902.

Years of experience	National pay 2024/25	Predicted National pay 2025/26	Predicted Inner London pay 2025/26	Predicted Outer London pay 2025/26	Predicted Fringe pay 2025/26
0-2	£62,215	£64,455	£72,850	£70,328	£66,588
2-5	£66,247	£68,632	£77,023	£74,501	£70,761
5+	£72,299	£74,902	£83,286	£80,765	£77,025

There is no automatic advancement from band 8b to 8c. Find out more about pay progression here.

Band 8c

Staff in Band 8c (such as associate directors, consultant clinical scientists or nurse consultants) start on a salary of £74,290. This would increase to £76,964 following the pay rise.

Last year's pay deal added a new intermediate step after 2 years. Pay for those with two years of experience will increase from £78,814 to £81,651.

After five total years at this band, most staff will receive a pay increase to £85,601. This would increase to £88,682 after the pay rise.

Years of experience	National pay 2024/25	Predicted National pay 2025/26	Predicted Inner London pay 2025/26	Predicted Outer London pay 2025/26	Predicted Fringe pay 2025/26
0-2	£74,290	£76,964	£85,347	£82,826	£79,085
2-5	£78,814	£81,651	£90,029	£87,508	£83,768
5+	£85,601	£88,682	£97,054	£94,532	£90,792

There is no automatic advancement from band 8c to 8d. Find out more about pay progression here.

Band 8d

Staff in Band 8d (such as service directors, programme leads, or deputy directors) start on a salary of £88,167. This would increase to £91,341 following the pay rise.

Last year's pay deal added a new intermediate step after 2 years. Pay for those with two years of experience will increase from £93,571 to £96,940.

After five years, most staff will receive a pay increase to £101,677. This would increase to £105,377 after the pay rise.

Years of experience	National pay 2024/25	Predicted National pay 2025/26	Predicted Inner London pay 2025/26	Predicted Outer London pay 2025/26	Predicted Outer London pay 2025/26
0-2	£88,167	£91,341	£99,710	£97,189	£93,448
2-5	£93,571	£96,940	£105,303	£102,782	£99,041
5+	£101,677	£105,337	£113,692	£111,171	£107,431

Band 9

Staff in Band 9 (such as clinical directors or programme directors) start on a salary of £105,480. This would increase to £109,277 following the pay rise.

Last year's pay deal added a new intermediate step after 2 years. Pay for those with two years of experience will increase from £111,739 to £115,762.

After five total years, most staff will receive a pay increase to £121,270. This would increase to £125,636.

Years of experience	National pay 2024/25	Predicted National pay 2025/26	Predicted Inner London pay 2025/26	Predicted Outer London pay 2025/26	Predicted Outer London pay 2025/26
0-2	£105,480	£109,277	£117,629	£115,107	£111,367
2-5	£111,739	£115,762	£124,107	£121,586	£117,845
5+	£121,270	£125,636	£133,972	£131,450	£127,710

Some senior staff are on the Very Senior Manager payscale (effectively above Band 9). The pay deal for these managers is negotiated separately from the main Agenda for Change deal, and is usually the same or lower than other staff receive. We would expect a rise of 3% might be realistic for NHS VSMs for 2025/26.

Will HCAS change for 2025/26?

Changes to the High Cost Area Supplement (HCAS) or "London Weighting" have been called for by trade unions for some time. In particular, it has been suggested that areas outside of London with high costs of living should also benefit from pay uplifts.

Our understanding is that the application of HCAS is unlikely to change dramatically this year, although more significant changes may follow in the next few years. Instead, we expect HCAS to continue to apply only to London, and receive the same predicted 3.6% uplift as general salary levels. These are shown below:

HCAS area	Rate of HCAS supplement	Minimum Payment 2024/25	Predicted Minimum Payment 2025/26	Maximum Payment 2024/25	Predicted Maximum Payment 2025/26
Inner London	20%	£5,415	£5,610	£8,171	£8,465
Outer London	15%	£4,552	£4,716	£5,735	£5,941
Fringes	5%	£1,258	£1,303	£2,121	£2,197

What is the salary of a nurse in the UK?

admin - June 24, 2024September 1, 2025

Nurses are the single largest staff group within the NHS, with about 400,000 nursing and midwifery staff working across the many organisations which make up the NHS.

Unsurprisingly, this means that pay levels for nurses vary quite significantly depending on role, seniority and (to some extent) location. However, most general nursing roles in England will be on one of two bands on the NHS Agenda for Change payscale. This payscale is changed on a yearly basis - you can see the predicted changes for 2024/25 here.

The two main bands for nursing jobs are:

Band 5 (entry-level roles) - £28,408 to £34,581 annual salary
Band 6 (more senior nurses or specialist nurses) - £35,391 to £42,617 annual salary

These figures are based on a standard working pattern of 37.5 hours a week. Your working pattern and your local contract will affect how much you get paid. If you work more unsocial hours you may receive more money.

If you work in London, you will also receive an additional payment called the High Cost Area Supplement. This will increase your pay by between £1,192 and £7,745, depending on your basic salary and which part of London you are in.

What is the average salary of an NHS nurse in 2024?

As outlined above, there are a number of variables which determine exactly how much money nurses make. Indeed, unpredictable work patterns and overtime mean that nurses may make quite different amounts each month.

However, we know that the most common pay band for nurses is Band 5, accounting for about 40% of all nurses. Most nurses stay in the profession for at least 5 years, giving them time to progress to the top of the Band 5 pay scales in regular increments. This makes £34,581 the most common salary for a nurse working a standard week in the NHS in England. Including variables such as overtime or unsocial hours payments, we estimate the average annual salary for an NHS nurse in 2024 is between £34,000-£38,000.

Writing a great NHS job application: the insider’s guide (updated September 2025)