NHS pay award 2025 to 2026: a fair deal for NHS staff
Published 22 May 2025
Applies to England
漏 Crown copyright 2025
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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鈥檓 confirming an above-inflation pay rise of 3.6% for all AfC staff for 2025 to 2026, following last year鈥檚 5.5% increase. These back-to-back above-inflation increases represent significant progress in making sure you鈥檙e properly recognised for your outstanding work.聽
This means that the band 2 starting salary has increased to 拢24,465, over 拢4,000 more than in 2022 to 2023. The band 5 starting salary will now be around 拢31,050, nearly 拢4,000 more than 3 years ago - putting real money in your pockets despite the difficult financial situation we inherited.聽
Getting your money faster聽
I鈥檓 determined you should receive this money quickly:聽
- you鈥檒l see the increase in your pay packets from August - 2 months earlier than last year
- pay uplifts will be backdated to 1 April 2025聽
- we鈥檙e committing to getting pay rises to you even more quickly in future years. We will start next year鈥檚 pay round in July this year, with an ambition to implement next year鈥檚 pay rise as soon as possible in 2026 to 2027
AfC pay structure聽
Pay is only part of the picture. I鈥檝e also accepted the Pay Review Body鈥檚 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. 聽
Improving your working conditions聽
Our Plan for Change puts NHS staff at the centre of a health service rebuilt for the 21st century:聽
- new legislation making it a criminal offence for unqualified individuals to use the 鈥榥urse鈥� title聽
- a comprehensive package to tackle violence against staff聽
- reforms to improve workplace flexibility and wellbeing聽
- cutting duplication and waste in central budgets to invest in frontline services聽
- investment into the national job evaluation system to ensure you are paid correctly for the work you are asked to deliver 聽
Working together for a better NHS聽
Together, we鈥檝e already delivered 3.5 million more appointments and cut waiting lists by more than 200,000 since July 2024.聽
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.聽
Thank you for your extraordinary commitment to the NHS.
Wes Streeting
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care