Complete guide to Nursing salaries in the UK.
Did you know that as of 30 September 2021, there were 39,813 vacancies within the Registered Nursing staff group?
Nurses make a huge difference in the lives of others, providing care to those who need it the most. Currently, there is a huge demand for nurses in both the NHS and in private healthcare. With the new £5000 a year training grant to help support nursing students, there has never been a better time to become a nurse.
There are many benefits to working in Nursing, but how much do they actually earn? What is the average salary for a UK nurse? What are the different pay bands for 2021?
In the article, we will answer those questions and more. Let’s get started.
What Is The Average Wage For A UK Nurse In 2021?
Whether you’re an aspiring nurse, qualified nurse or simply just curious, this is a question that comes up a lot. The average wage is difficult to find as pay will differ depending on what sector you work in: NHS or the private sector.
Also, experience and professional development will have an impact on how much you are paid. However, if you use the information from recruitment sites that track the salaries of jobs, between £33,000 to £35,000 a year is the average wage of a UK Nurse.
What Is The NHS Nursing Pay Scale And Bands For 2021 to 2022?
There are different bands that NHS nursing staff are placed in, with each band having various pay scales. The Agenda for Change reflects the 3% pay rise that was confirmed back in July 2021. Below is a table showing the NHS Pay Scales and Bands in England for 2021 to 2022.
| Band | Minimum years of experience | Pay |
| 1 | 0-1 | £18,546 |
| 0-1+ | £18,546 | |
| 2 | 0-1 | £18,546 |
| 1-2 | £18,546 | |
| 2-3 | £19,918 | |
| 3-4 | £19,918 | |
| 4-5 | £19,918 | |
| 5-6 | £19,918 | |
| 6 | £19,918 | |
| 3 | 0-1 | £20,330 |
| 1-2 | £20,330 | |
| 2-3 | £21,777 | |
| 3-4 | £21,777 | |
| 4-5 | £21,777 | |
| 5-6 | £21,777 | |
| 6 | £21,777 | |
| 4 | 0-1 | £22,549 |
| 1-2 | £22,549 | |
| 2-3 | £22,549 | |
| 3-4 | £24,882 | |
| 4-5 | £24,882 | |
| 5-6 | £24,882 | |
| 6 | £24,882 | |
| 5 | 0-1 | £25,655 |
| 1-2 | £25,655 | |
| 2-3 | £27,780 | |
| 3-4 | £27,780 | |
| 4-5 | £31,534 | |
| 5-6 | £31,534 | |
| 6-7 | £31,534 | |
| 7 | £31,534 | |
| 6 | 0-1 | £32,306 |
| 1-2 | £32,306 | |
| 2-3 | £34,172 | |
| 3-4 | £34,172 | |
| 4-5 | £34,172 | |
| 5-6 | £39,027 | |
| 6-7 | £39,027 | |
| 7-8 | £39,027 | |
| 8 | £39,027 | |
| Band | Minimum years of experience | Pay |
| 7 | 0-1 | £40,057 |
| 1-2 | £40,057 | |
| 2-3 | £42,121 | |
| 3-4 | £42,121 | |
| 4-5 | £42,121 | |
| 5-6 | £45,839 | |
| 6-7 | £45,839 | |
| 7-8 | £45,839 | |
| 8 | £45,839 | |
| 8a | 0-1 | £47,126 |
| 1-2 | £47,126 | |
| 2-3 | £47,126 | |
| 3-4 | £47,126 | |
| 4-5 | £47,126 | |
| 5 | £53,219 | |
| 8b | 0-1 | £54,764 |
| 1-2 | £54,764 | |
| 2-3 | £54,764 | |
| 3-4 | £54,764 | |
| 4-5 | £54,764 | |
| 5 | £63,862 | |
| 8c | 0-1 | £65,664 |
| 1-2 | £65,664 | |
| 2-3 | £65,664 | |
| 3-4 | £65,664 | |
| 4-5 | £65,664 | |
| 5 | £75,874 | |
| 8d | 0-1 | £78,192 |
| 1-2 | £78,192 | |
| 2-3 | £78,192 | |
| 3-4 | £78,192 | |
| 4-5 | £78,192 | |
| 5 | £90,387 | |
| 9 | 0-1 | £93,735 |
| 1-2 | £93,735 | |
| 2-3 | £93,735 | |
| 3-4 | £93,735 | |
| 4-5 | £93,735 | |
| 5 | £108,075 |
What Band Do Newly Qualified Nurses Start At?
Every qualified nurse will begin at Band 5. These different bandings all have various levels of pay that account for how much experience and qualifications a nurse has.
All newly qualified nurses will automatically start at the bottom of Band 5. This doesn’t matter if you qualify as an adult, children’s, Mental Health or Learning Disability Nurse, they will all start at the same level.
From the tables above, you can see that there are incremental pay increases with each band. After reaching the top of your banding, there will only be annual government increases, so to progress, you will need to seek a promotion or new job.
UK Nursing Pay Statistics
With an increase in demand for nurses due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the vaccination mandate, we are seeing more and more in the news about Nursing pay.
There has only been a 2% increase in the average NHS Nursing salary between 2010 and 2015. After this, a small fixed 1% pay rise was issued between 2015 and 2017 known as the ‘pay cap’.
Since then, there has been the New Pay Deal where there was a boost in salaries across the board between 2018 and 2021. In 2020, the NHS saw a rise in pay, roughly 2% for nurses above inflation.
This year in July, the UK government announced a 3% pay rise for NHS Nurses. Compared to the private sector, NHS nurses still stand way behind. There is a fantastic table from Nuffield Trust that highlights the difference.
Can Nurses Earn Extra Money?
Depending on experience and skills, there are opportunities to maximise income from being a nurse. There are numerous methods of earning a little bit of extra money, with lots of techniques that can boost your wages throughout your nursing career. Some of these include:
- Apply for extra shifts by registering with your trust’s in-house bank.
- Be mindful and check your timesheets and payslips thoroughly. Sometimes, there are mistaken overpayments where refunds are demanded. However, if you have evidence of the shifts you have done, you’ll receive the correct pay.
- Whenever you get the chance, take evening, weekend and bank holiday shifts due to those being enhanced rate days.
- Consider the risk of working in different disciplines. This will allow you to gain valuable experience, build contacts and leave you in a better position for future job opportunities.
- Take any training courses that are thrown your way. Whenever they are provided by a trust or agency, grab these chances. They will look great on your CV, allowing you to negotiate a salary increase as well as increase the chances of moving up your banding.
- Be open-minded. Think about other ways that you could earn some extra income as a nurse. You could offer tutoring courses for Nursing students or create content online for those looking for advice and guidance.
- For those looking to work as an agency Nurse, we recommend signing up to more than one bank and agency to better the chances of a role, plus gaining more shifts.
What Are The Average Salaries For Different Nursing Roles In The UK?
With there being so many types of Nurses, it can be difficult to give an average for them all. Each type will have it’s own average salary. So, according to Indeed, let’s look at what the different roles within nursing earn.
| A&E Nurse | £32.86 per hour |
| Cardiac Nurse | £37,819 per year |
| Charge Nurse | £34,877 per year |
| Chief Nursing Officer | £69,000 per year |
| Clinical Lead Nurse | £56,231 per year |
| Clinical Nurse Specialist | £36,376 per year |
| Learning Disability Nurse | £51,966 per year |
| Midwife | £26,199 per year |
| Nurse | £26,068 per year |
| Nurse Advisor | £35,000 per year |
| Nurse Assessor | £32,065 per year |
| Nurse Coordinator | £23,599 per year |
| Nursing Practitioner | £26,795 per year |
| Nursing Assistant | £14,543 per year |
| Nursing Auxiliary | £16,749 per year |
What Is The Starting Salary For A UK Nurse In 2022?
Band 5 will still be the level that newly qualified nurses start at, earning £25,655. Once qualified, most nurses will begin their careers for the NHS, with a small minority entering the private sector.
It is possible to start in the private sector, however, be mindful that as an NHS worker, you’ll receive benefits that are hard to match.
How Do You Increase Your Salary As A Nurse?
For NHS nurses, the way to increase your salary will be through earning more experience through time spent in your role, rising through the different bands. These small increases will however end once you have reached the top of the banding.
The next step to increase your pay would be to move into a higher banding. You can do this by applying for a new role, usually done when you have the required further qualifications.
There may be opportunities to complete these courses while working in your existing job, but on the other hand, specialist studies may need to be completed or even a Master’s Degree. Sometimes, trusts will be open to funding these studies.
What Are The Duties For Each Nursing Band?
Each band has their own responsibilities and duties. The higher the banding, the more level of responsibility. All newly qualified nurses will begin at Band 5. Let’s take a look at each band.
- Band 5 – Newly Qualified Nurse – Often starting in a hospital setting, with aims of progressing within your ward.
- Band 6 – Nursing specialist or Senior Nurse – Similar to band 5, however duties are more specialised.
- Band 7 – Advanced Nurse / Nurse Practitioner – Usually requiring a Master’s level degree or equivalent, responsibilities are taken up a notch.
- Band 8 – Modern Matron or Chief Nurse – As the head of Nursing teams, you’ll look after a large team of staff, still carrying out many Nursing duties.
- Band 9 – Consultant – For experts in a chosen field, duties require shaping high-level decision-making.
How Is Nurses Pay Set?
For pay in the public sector, it falls under eight public sector pay bodies. When it comes to nursing, this will be the non-departmental public body named the NHS Pay Review Body. It is independent of government and independent experts make up the organisation.