Agenda for Change · 2025/26 · England
NHS pay bands 2025/26: the complete salary guide
Almost every NHS role in England is paid on the Agenda for Change (AfC) scale — nine bands from Band 2 to Band 9. Below is the full 2025/26 pay scale, who sits on each band, and where it leads next. Figures are national base pay; London and high-cost areas add a High Cost Area Supplement on top.
| Band | Salary (2025/26) | Typical roles | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | £24,169 | Healthcare assistant, Domestic / housekeeping support, Porter | Guide |
| Band 3 | £24,937 – £26,598 | Senior healthcare assistant, Emergency care assistant, Pharmacy assistant | Guide |
| Band 4 | £26,530 – £29,114 | Assistant practitioner, Theatre support worker, Medical secretary | Guide |
| Band 5 | £29,970 – £36,483 | Newly-qualified registered nurse, Midwife, Physiotherapist | Guide |
| Band 6 | £37,338 – £44,962 | Specialist nurse, Senior physiotherapist, Health visitor | Guide |
| Band 7 | £46,148 – £52,809 | Advanced nurse practitioner, Ward manager, Clinical team leader | Guide |
| Band 8a | £53,755 – £60,504 | Advanced / consultant practitioner, Matron, Principal clinical scientist | Guide |
| Band 8b | £62,215 – £72,293 | Consultant practitioner, Head of service, Senior operational manager | Guide |
| Band 8c | £74,290 – £85,601 | Head of department, Non-medical clinical director, Senior service manager | Guide |
| Band 8d | £88,168 – £101,677 | Deputy director, Chief practitioner, Associate director | Guide |
| Band 9 | £105,385 – £121,271 | Director of nursing (non-board), Director of operations, Chief scientific officer | Guide |
Source: NHS Employers Agenda for Change pay scales, 2025/26 (England). Pay points within a band are reached through annual increments. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland negotiate their own AfC rates.
High Cost Area Supplements
Inner London adds 20%, outer London 15% and the London fringe 5% on top of base pay, within set minimums and maximums.
Unsocial hours & on-call
Nights, weekends and bank holidays attract enhancements (Section 2 of the AfC handbook), and many clinical roles add on-call payments.
Increments
Within a band you move up pay points over time, so two people on the same band can sit at different salaries.
Frequently asked questions
How many NHS pay bands are there in 2025/26?
There are nine Agenda for Change bands, numbered 2 to 9 (Band 1 was closed to new entrants and phased out). Band 8 is split into four sub-bands — 8a, 8b, 8c and 8d — so there are eleven distinct pay points overall.
What is the highest Agenda for Change pay band?
Band 9 is the most senior Agenda for Change band, paying £105,385 – £121,271 a year in 2025/26. Posts above this sit on the separate Very Senior Manager framework.
Does the salary include London weighting?
No. The figures shown are the national England Agenda for Change scales. Staff in and around London also receive High Cost Area Supplements (HCAS), and many clinical roles earn extra for unsocial hours, on-call and overtime, so take-home pay is often higher than the base band.
Looking for an NHS role on one of these bands?
ResuMinder tracks live NHS vacancies and scores your CV against each one so you can see where you fit before you apply.