Band 9 pay in England, 2026/27
Trust-level directors of profession. Senior medical staff and very senior managers are paid separately.
- Minimum
- £112,782
- Maximum
- £129,783
- Hourly at top
- £66.37
- Years to top
- 5
| Step | Years from entry | Annual | Hourly (37.5h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | From day one | £112,782 | £57.68 |
| Intermediate | After 2 years | £119,583 | £61.16 |
| Top | After 5 years | £129,783 | £66.37 |
| Full range | £112,782 to £129,783 | £57.68 to £66.37 | |
England, 2026/27, effective 2026-04-01. Source: Pay scales for 2026/27 — NHS Employers.
Band 9 in England, what the role involves
Band 9 is the top of the Agenda for Change pay scale. It covers Trust-level directors of profession: directors of nursing, chief allied health professionals, and directors of pharmacy. Doctors, dentists and Very Senior Managers (chief executives and other executive directors) sit on separate pay arrangements outside the Agenda for Change framework entirely.
Board-level executive work. A director of nursing leads the entire nursing workforce of a Trust, sits on the Trust Board with full voting rights, holds professional accountability for nursing standards across the whole organisation, and contributes to executive-level decisions on strategy, performance and finance. There is no clinical caseload at Band 9.
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 9 pay in England compares to other UK nations
At the top of Band 9 in England, staff earn £129,783 per year for 2026/27. Scotland pays Band 9 more at the top of band: £133,044, a difference of £3,261 per year (2.5% more than England).
Band 9 pay across all four nations is broadly aligned in the £105,000 to £133,000 range on the 2026/27 scales. Scottish Band 9 is structured with two pay points rather than three.
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 9 pay in England
- What is the Band 9 salary in England for 2026/27?
- Band 9 in England pays from £112,782 at entry to £129,783 at the top of the scale for 2026/27. Staff progress through 5 years to reach top of band.
- Does England pay Band 9 the same as the other UK nations?
- No. Scotland pays Band 9 more at the top of band, with a top rate of £133,044 compared to £129,783 in England. The difference is £3,261 per year (2.5%).
- What is the hourly rate for Band 9 in England?
- Based on a standard 37.5-hour NHS week, Band 9 entry pay of £112,782 works out at £57.68 per hour, rising to £66.37 per hour at the top of band.
- How is Band 9 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.