Valuing nursing in the NHS in England聽
Government commitments we鈥檝e secured 鈥� and how they support you
The evidence is clear. Nursing is essential and safety-critical but we鈥檝e been undervalued for too long.聽聽
Recognising the true value of nursing means fair career progression, fair annual pay awards and support for NHS nursing staff throughout your career.
Nursing is worth more. You demonstrate this in your work every day. We鈥檝e delivered that message directly to ministers since you voted in record numbers last year in our pay consultation.
Your voice matters, and new commitments from the government prove this.
Update your details
It鈥檚 crucial that we know where you work and what band you鈥檙e on.
Pay reform: three commitments from the Westminster government
We’re not fighting for scraps anymore. You need system-wide structural change for the long term.
After months of discussions with ministers, the Westminster government has committed to:
Increase graduate pay
Talks with the NHS Staff Council on structural reform to address long-standing issues in the NHS pay structure are expected to begin soon. The government has asked the NHS Staff Council to prioritise graduate pay in the upcoming reform discussions. This will include nursing roles and all Agenda for Change graduates.
Review the work and salary of every nurse paid at band 5
Every nurse paid at band 5 will have their role reviewed by their employer to make sure your band and job description reflect the job you do. Too many of you are working at a higher level but not paid fairly for it. The government has informed us that additional funding has been made available to employers to support this programme of work and the salary uplifts that will come from it. This is separate to the funding for the 2026/27 cost-of-living pay award and structural reform negotiations.
Establish a single national nursing preceptorship
The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for England will publish their professional strategy for nursing this year and lead work with unions, employers and stakeholders to improve the quality and consistency of preceptorships across the country. This is important to ensure every nurse has the best possible start to their career.
A fairer path to career progression
Your terms and conditions include the right to an accurate job description and re-evaluation if you believe you鈥檙e working at the wrong grade. But in reality, this has been difficult for nursing staff to access. It鈥檚 often been a drawn out, adversarial process.
These commitments from the Westminster government apply to the nursing staff in England. They are not everything nursing needs but are a solid step forward.
We're already supporting 国内精品伊人久久久久妇 band 5 members in Scotland through a job review process, and we have called for career progression for members in Northern Ireland and Wales too.
These commitments invest in the infrastructure of NHS career progression for nursing staff. They are an investment to support you.
NHS employers in England will review all band 5 roles. As your union, we’ll be watching closely and supporting you.
We will share updates on when this work is expected to begin as soon as possible.
The process of this review may differ between employers. That’s why we’ll be asking you throughout this programme of work if your employer has contacted you about this, if reviews are taking place in your workplace and if they are being carried out fairly.
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We’ll monitor the process carefully at a workplace, employer and national level as part of the official oversight group.
For up-to-date developments on these reviews, return to this page.
Learn about the steps all job evaluations should go through.
Your pay should accurately reflect the work you do.
We’ll empower and support you – no matter your band – to have your skills, knowledge and experience recognised and ensure this is rewarded through fair pay. You can request your role is evaluated against the new NHS nursing profiles.
NHS pay award: 3.3% is an insult
In February, the Westminster government announced the 2026/27 NHS pay award will be 3.3%. If you鈥檙e employed on NHS Agenda for Change terms and conditions in England, this will apply from 1 April 2026.
Once again, this pay award ignores your worth. Once again, it proves the system is broken 鈥� and must change.
How was this award decided?
The government misled unions to expect direct negotiations on a multi-year pay deal. Instead, it鈥檚 returning to a flawed NHS Pay Review Body process that has failed nursing staff.
Ultimately, this figure is being forced on all NHS Agenda for Change workers without unions being given any say, despite being clear that we wanted more thorough negotiations.
A pay award below the current level of inflation is an insult to you and your colleagues, who are propping up a system in crisis.
What鈥檚 next?
Your elected members will now consider the detail. They鈥檒l look at whether this is fair treatment compared to other professions and sectors and understand what the government means when it asks for talks on reforming the structure of Agenda for Change.
But the evidence is clear 鈥� low pay and poor working conditions have brought morale down to a historic low and it won't be tolerated.
Shifting up the baseline is our starting point
Alongside the review of band 5 roles, we're launching a new initiative to ensure your band reflects the work you do. We'll be in touch with more on this work and how you can get involved to ensure the new nursing profiles are implemented fairly.
Get to know the new nursing role profiles and if you access helpful resources to understand more about job evaluation.
