What is the Band 8d salary in England for 2026/27?

Band 8d in England pays from £94,356 at entry to £108,814 at the top of the scale for 2026/27. Staff progress through 5 years to reach top of band.

Does England pay Band 8d the same as the other UK nations?

No. Scotland pays Band 8d more at the top of band, with a top rate of £112,426 compared to £108,814 in England. The difference is £3,612 per year (3.3%).

What is the hourly rate for Band 8d in England?

Based on a standard 37.5-hour NHS week, Band 8d entry pay of £94,356 works out at £48.25 per hour, rising to £55.65 per hour at the top of band.

Band 8d pay in England, 2026/27

Deputy directors and large-service heads.

Minimum: £94,356
Maximum: £108,814
Hourly at top: £55.65
Years to top: 5

Calculate take-home pay for Band 8d in England

Step	Years from entry	Annual	Hourly (37.5h)
Entry	From day one	£94,356	£48.25
Intermediate	After 2 years	£100,140	£51.21
Top	After 5 years	£108,814	£55.65
Full range		£94,356 to £108,814	£48.25 to £55.65

England, 2026/27, effective 2026-04-01. Source: Pay scales for 2026/27 — NHS Employers.

Band 8d in England, what the role involves

Band 8d is the senior deputy band. Deputy directors of nursing, deputy chief allied health professionals, directors of a major clinical service line and very senior operational managers typically sit here. Band 8d roles are board-adjacent: the staff reporting directly to an executive director sit at this band.

Whole service line responsibility, multi-million pound budgets, and direct accountability to the executive team. Most Band 8d staff don't do clinical work at all. The role is strategic planning, performance management of large teams of Band 8c and 8b managers, and acting as the executive director's deputy across the service.

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 8d pay in England compares to other UK nations

At the top of Band 8d in England, staff earn £108,814 per year for 2026/27. Scotland pays Band 8d more at the top of band: £112,426, a difference of £3,612 per year (3.3% more than England).

Band 8d pay sits in the £90,000 to £110,000 range across all four nations. The Scottish pay structure caps slightly lower than England at the top step.

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.

Common questions about Band 8d pay in England

What is the Band 8d salary in England for 2026/27?: Band 8d in England pays from £94,356 at entry to £108,814 at the top of the scale for 2026/27. Staff progress through 5 years to reach top of band.
Does England pay Band 8d the same as the other UK nations?: No. Scotland pays Band 8d more at the top of band, with a top rate of £112,426 compared to £108,814 in England. The difference is £3,612 per year (3.3%).
What is the hourly rate for Band 8d in England?: Based on a standard 37.5-hour NHS week, Band 8d entry pay of £94,356 works out at £48.25 per hour, rising to £55.65 per hour at the top of band.
How is Band 8d pay set in England?: 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.