NHS pay award 2025 to 2026: a fair deal for NHS staff
Published 22 May 2025
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-pay-awards-2025-to-2026-agenda-for-change-staff/nhs-pay-award-2025-to-2026-a-fair-deal-for-nhs-staff
As your Health and Social Care Secretary, I know how challenging the last 14 years have been for NHS staff. Agenda for Change (AfC) staff are the backbone of our health service.
That is why I’m confirming an above-inflation pay rise of 3.6% for all AfC staff for 2025 to 2026, following last year’s 5.5% increase. These back-to-back above-inflation increases represent significant progress in making sure you’re properly recognised for your outstanding work.
This means that the band 2 starting salary has increased to £24,465, over £4,000 more than in 2022 to 2023. The band 5 starting salary will now be around £31,050, nearly £4,000 more than 3 years ago - putting real money in your pockets despite the difficult financial situation we inherited.
Getting your money faster
I’m determined you should receive this money quickly:
- you’ll see the increase in your pay packets from August - 2 months earlier than last year
- pay uplifts will be backdated to 1 April 2025
- we’re committing to getting pay rises to you even more quickly in future years. We will start next year’s pay round in July this year, with an ambition to implement next year’s pay rise as soon as possible in 2026 to 2027
AfC pay structure
Pay is only part of the picture. I’ve also accepted the Pay Review Body’s recommendation to fund changes to the AfC pay structure. Over the coming months, we will work with trade unions and employers to negotiate positive changes to the pay structure in 2026 to 2027 in partnership with the NHS Staff Council to benefit you and your colleagues.
Improving your working conditions
Our Plan for Change puts NHS staff at the centre of a health service rebuilt for the 21st century:
- new legislation making it a criminal offence for unqualified individuals to use the ‘nurse’ title
- a comprehensive package to tackle violence against staff
- reforms to improve workplace flexibility and wellbeing
- cutting duplication and waste in central budgets to invest in frontline services
- investment into the national job evaluation system to ensure you are paid correctly for the work you are asked to deliver
Working together for a better NHS
Together, we’ve already delivered 3.5 million more appointments and cut waiting lists by more than 200,000 since July 2024.
We cannot build an NHS fit for the future without dedicated staff at its heart. These thoroughly deserved pay rises demonstrate our commitment to resetting relations with NHS staff and working together in our shared ambition to fix our broken NHS.
Thank you for your extraordinary commitment to the NHS.
Wes Streeting
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care