When it comes to healthcare, nurses are an essential part that is in constant shortage. With more than 40,000 nurse vacancies across the UK, nursing currently accounts for 1 in 9 job posts.
Nurses are highly skilled and have earned degrees in nursing, requiring a special standard of technical competence, compassion and decision-making skills. Not all nurses work for the NHS, with private opportunities available too.
So, we decided to create this article to bring you all you need to know about nursing salaries in 2022. In the UK, there are over 767,000 nurse jobs, but where are the best opportunities for nurses? What is the starting salary for a nurse in 2022? What is the average nursing salary?
If you’re asking these questions, this is the right place. Let’s take a look.
What Is The Starting Salary For A Nurse In 2022?
In 2022, nurses that are newly qualified in the NHS Band 5 will earn £25,655. Once qualified, a large per cent of nurses will work for the NHS, however, there is a chance that some may begin their career at a private institution.
For private institutions, you’ll likely earn a similar or even higher rate of pay, meanwhile pay is unregulated and the benefits package that NHS workers receive could be hard to match.
What Is The Average Salary For A Nurse?
Estimates from The Royal College of Nursing state that for an NHS nurse, the average annual salary is £33,384. However, according to different reports, this figure can range between £25,000 and £40,000. This will depend heavily on the average amount of experience of a UK nurse.
Where Are The Best Places In The UK For Nurses?
In the UK, from city to city the average Registered Nurse salary may vary. This too may differ when it comes to regions. So we took a look at the best regions to be a nurse, as well as the highest paying cities. Here is what we found.
The Best
The North East
Tied in the top spot, the North East ranks as the UK’s best region for nurses. The region has the 4th highest average salary at £27,997, in addition to the lowest cost of living, meaning that a nurse’s salary stretches further than in other places.
When looking at the Pay to Cost of Living metric, with a score of 1.18, the North East took the top spot. In addition, nurses shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a good job as the area has the second highest job density metric.
In comparison to the rest of the UK, the North East has 22% more jobs on a per-capita basis than the working population. The North East has one of the oldest populations in the UK and across County Durham, Tees Valley and Tyne and Wear, there are more than two dozen NHS hospitals.
Wales
Also tied for the top spot, next on our list is Wales. With the second lowest cost of living and an average yearly income of £28,498 for nurses, a nation is a great place for nurses to call home.
When it comes to the Pay to Cost of Living metric, Wales scored 1.17, making the country the UK’s second most affordable region to live on a nurse’s salary. In addition, for every 1,000 economically active people, there are 25.2 nurse jobs.
In Wales, the nursing job density is slightly less than in the North East at 25.2, however, this figure is still 12% more than the UK average, meaning finding a nursing job shouldn’t be a struggle.
The North West
In third place, the North West has good pay compared to the cost of living and a healthy concentration of nursing jobs. On average, nurses earn £27,963 per year and with plenty of jobs available for nurses, the region ranks higher than other places in the UK.
| Overall Rank | Region | Average Annual Nurse Pay | Number of Nurse Jobs | Jobs Density | Pay/Cost of Living Metric |
| 1 (tie) | North East | £27,997 | 35,000 | 27.5 | 1.18 |
| 1 (tie) | Wales | £28,498 | 39,000 | 25.2 | 1.17 |
| 3 | North West | £27,963 | 88,000 | 24.2 | 1.07 |
| 4 (tie) | Scotland | £26,195 | 116,000 | 41.7 | 1.02 |
| 4 (tie) | London | £32,354 | 99,000 | 20.4 | 0.95 |
| 5 | Yorkshire and The Humber | £27,163 | 59,000 | 21.8 | 1.00 |
| 6 | South East | £28,439 | 92,000 | 19.1 | 0.83 |
| 7 | South West | £26,339 | 62,000 | 21.3 | 0.88 |
| 8 | West Midlands | £25,750 | 56,000 | 19.1 | 1.02 |
| 9 | East | £26,867 | 54,000 | 16.7 | 0.91 |
| 10 | East Midlands | £26,210 | 40,000 | 16.1 | 0.94 |
What Are The Highest Paying Cities For Nurses In England?
According to the job search website Indeed, the average base salary for nurses in the UK is £15.28 per hour. This figure is based on a 2022 report from more than 42,000 salaries on the site. So, let’s see which cities pay the highest for nurses.
London – £17.81
Ranking first is the capital, London. With a higher cost of living, wages are likely to be higher to compensate. In addition, plenty of hospitals and facilities mean there will be a good chance of securing a role.
Peterborough – £17.22
Barnet – £17.22
Liverpool – £16.40
As stated earlier, the northwest was listed as the 3rd best place for nurses to work in the UK. Liverpool and other northwest cities have a lower cost of living and a solid concentration of nursing jobs.
Leeds – £15.87
Southampton – £15.65
Bristol – £15.15
Manchester – £14.97
Similar to Liverpool, northwest-based Manchester still ranks as one of the highest paying cities for nurses. At £14.97, it isn’t one of the top locations, however, still considerably higher than other areas.
What Salary Do You Earn With Each NHS Banding In 2022?
Introduced in 2004, the NHS uses a banding system that uses different levels of seniority for certain positions, allocating higher pay to those in more senior roles, as well as lower pay for those in less senior jobs.
Starting as a nurse means you’ll be placed at Band 5, so all newly qualified nurses begin at the lowest level. However, with more experience and expertise, new positions will open up and there is a process for rising the bands. Below are the salary ranges for each band.
Band 5: £25,655 to £31,534
Band 6: £32,306 to £39,027
Band 7: £40,057 to £45,839
Band 8a: £47,126 to 53,219
Band 8b: £54,764 to £63,861
Band 8c: £65,664 to £75,874
Band 8d: £78,192 to £90,387
Band 9: £93,735 to £108,075
How Much Can Private Nurses Earn?
In comparison to the NHS, pay in private nursing is unregulated. This means that it is impossible to give an average earning figure for private nurses. However, many states quote that the NHS nursing salary is pretty similar to private nurses.
In some cases, it will be higher, however, with the NHS there are plenty of benefits, so those working privately will balance other aspects of the job too. For example, private facilities aren’t likely to be as stretched as NHS organisations, meaning work could be less stressful.
What Companies Are Best For Nurses To Work For?
Most of the time, newly qualified nurses will work for the NHS, however, there are some private institutions out there that could be your first place of work. According to GlassDoor, the top companies that are hiring for Registered Nurse jobs are as follows.
NHS
With more than 332,341 nursing staff in the NHS, this is one of the most popular nursing companies to work for in the UK. The NHS is globally seen as one of the best health services. There are plenty of benefits to working for the NHS and they are always recruiting more nurses.
Bupa
Bupa is seen as one of the leaders in the healthcare industry, running dental centres, health centres, hospitals and care homes all across the UK. There are 29 Bupa locations and the company was founded in 1947.
Nuffield Health
36 hospitals are dotted all over the UK for Nuffield Health, with a nationwide network of medical centres, gyms and hospitals. This unique company works together as a bigger community, putting a focus on fitness, prevention and cure.
Marie Curie
Marie Curie provides frontline nursing and hospice care to patients in the UK. Seen as the UK’s leading end-of-life charity, every year Marie Curie nurses care for over 40,000 terminally ill people across nine hospices.
Spire Healthcare
Based on revenue, Spire Healthcare is the largest independent hospital group in the UK. With eight clinics and 39 hospitals across England, Wales and Scotland, more than 870,000 inpatients and day case patients were treated in 2021.
Four Seasons Health Care
Across England and Scotland, Four Seasons Health Care has over 100 care homes and more than 9,000 team members. They are one of the UK’s largest independent health care providers and provide care for over 10000 people.
Thornbury Community Services
Locations in England and Wales and benefits such as hourly pay rates and travel and toll costs make Thornbury Community Services a popular choice. The company has more than 38 years’ experience and recruits only the very best professionals.