Band 1 pay in England, 2026/27

Band 1 in England, what the role involves

Band 1 is the lowest pay band on the Agenda for Change scale and it has been closed to new entrants for over a decade. The roles that historically sat at Band 1 (mostly domestic, driver and housekeeping work) were re-evaluated and moved up to Band 2 in 2018 to keep them above the National Living Wage. A small number of staff remain on Band 1 today, because they were employed before the change took effect and never moved to a new contract.

Band 1 work was traditionally focused on keeping NHS sites running rather than direct patient care. Typical duties included cleaning wards and clinical areas, transporting laundry and supplies, basic housekeeping, and minibus driving for patient transport services. If you see a Band 1 role described in any Trust documentation today, treat it as a legacy reference rather than a live vacancy.

How NHS pay is set in England

England has the largest NHS workforce of the four UK nations and sets the reference pay scale for the Agenda for Change framework. Pay is negotiated by NHS Employers on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care, following the recommendation of the independent NHS Pay Review Body. Wales and Northern Ireland usually adopt the same recommendation; Scotland negotiates separately and consistently pays more.

Each year, NHS Employers and the trade unions submit detailed evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body. The Review Body hears the evidence, decides on a recommended uplift, and submits its report to the UK Government in the spring. The government then accepts, modifies or rejects the recommendation. The agreed uplift is published as a Pay Advisory Notice on the NHS Employers website and applied to the AfC scale with effect from 1 April, normally backdated by a month or two so staff see arrears alongside their first new monthly payslip.

How Band 1 pay in England compares to other UK nations

At the top of Band 1 in England, staff earn £25,272 per year for 2026/27. Scotland pays Band 1 more at the top of band: £26,557, a difference of £1,285 per year (5.1% more than England).

All four nations of the UK have closed Band 1 to new entrants. The few remaining Band 1 staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are paid the same rate as Band 2 entry. In Scotland the rate is also aligned with the lowest Living Wage spinal point.

Recent NHS pay history in England

Three recent settlements give the picture. 2024/25 saw a flat £1,400 uplift to every Band 2 to 8c pay point, plus a 5% rise for Band 8d and Band 9. 2025/26 applied a consolidated 3.6% uplift to every pay point, worth roughly £1,090 at Band 5 entry. The 2026/27 deal is a 3.3% consolidated uplift, recommended by the PRB and accepted by the government in early 2026.