What is the Band 7 salary in Northern Ireland for 2025/26?

Band 7 in Northern Ireland pays from £47,810 at entry to £54,710 at the top of the scale for 2025/26. Staff progress through 5 years to reach top of band.

Does Northern Ireland pay Band 7 the same as the other UK nations?

No. Scotland pays Band 7 more at the top of band, with a top rate of £61,466 compared to £54,710 in Northern Ireland. The difference is £6,756 per year (12.3%).

What is the hourly rate for Band 7 in Northern Ireland?

Based on a standard 37.5-hour NHS week, Band 7 entry pay of £47,810 works out at £24.45 per hour, rising to £27.98 per hour at the top of band.

Band 7 pay in Northern Ireland, 2025/26

Advanced practitioners, ward managers and clinical team leads.

Minimum: £47,810
Maximum: £54,710
Hourly at top: £27.98
Years to top: 5

Calculate take-home pay for Band 7 in Northern Ireland

Step	Years from entry	Annual	Hourly (37.5h)
Entry	From day one	£47,810	£24.45
Intermediate	After 2 years	£50,273	£25.71
Top	After 5 years	£54,710	£27.98
Full range		£47,810 to £54,710	£24.45 to £27.98

Northern Ireland, 2025/26, effective 2025-04-01. Source: HSC (AfC) 06/2025 — Agenda for Change Pay Arrangements 2025/26.

Band 7 in Northern Ireland, what the role involves

Band 7 covers advanced practitioners, ward managers and clinical team leaders. Advanced nurse practitioners with prescribing rights, advanced paramedics, ward sisters and charge nurses, clinical team leaders, highly specialist therapists and senior pharmacists all typically sit at Band 7. It is the first band where most posts carry significant leadership or management responsibility alongside clinical work.

A Band 7 ward manager runs a single ward: staff rotas, budgets, appraisals, patient flow, audit, complaints, and supporting the most complex patients. A Band 7 advanced nurse practitioner often works in an autonomous clinical role with full prescribing rights, taking on caseloads previously handled by junior doctors. A Band 7 senior pharmacist runs a specialist service like critical care medicines or cancer chemotherapy, leading the team and managing the budget.

How NHS pay is set in Northern Ireland

Health and Social Care (HSC) staff in Northern Ireland sit on the same Agenda for Change framework as the rest of the UK. Pay is set by the Department of Health's Workforce Policy Directorate, which usually adopts the NHS Pay Review Body recommendation. Pay circulars are published as HSC (AfC) letters and apply to staff across the integrated HSC Trusts rather than separate NHS Trusts.

Northern Ireland's health service is integrated with social care, so Agenda for Change covers HSC Trusts rather than NHS Trusts only. The Department of Health takes the PRB recommendation, secures Executive approval (when there is a functioning Executive), and issues an HSC (AfC) pay arrangement circular. Pay is usually applied from 1 April with arrears paid later in the year, often after a delay caused by political processes at Stormont.

How Band 7 pay in Northern Ireland compares to other UK nations

At the top of Band 7 in Northern Ireland, staff earn £54,710 per year for 2025/26. Scotland pays Band 7 more at the top of band: £61,466, a difference of £6,756 per year (12.3% more than Northern Ireland).

Band 7 in Scotland pays roughly 3% to 4% more than England at the top step on the 2026/27 scales. Welsh Band 7 entry is slightly higher than England's. Northern Ireland matches England exactly.

Recent NHS pay history in Northern Ireland

The 2025/26 settlement applied a 3.6% consolidated uplift, matching England and Wales in percentage terms. The previous round (2024/25) was delayed by Executive politics but eventually delivered. The 2026/27 settlement is expected later in 2026 following the PRB report and Executive approval. NI HSC pay has consistently tracked England exactly because the Department of Health applies the PRB recommendation in full.

Common questions about Band 7 pay in Northern Ireland

What is the Band 7 salary in Northern Ireland for 2025/26?: Band 7 in Northern Ireland pays from £47,810 at entry to £54,710 at the top of the scale for 2025/26. Staff progress through 5 years to reach top of band.
Does Northern Ireland pay Band 7 the same as the other UK nations?: No. Scotland pays Band 7 more at the top of band, with a top rate of £61,466 compared to £54,710 in Northern Ireland. The difference is £6,756 per year (12.3%).
What is the hourly rate for Band 7 in Northern Ireland?: Based on a standard 37.5-hour NHS week, Band 7 entry pay of £47,810 works out at £24.45 per hour, rising to £27.98 per hour at the top of band.
How is Band 7 pay set in Northern Ireland?: Northern Ireland's health service is integrated with social care, so Agenda for Change covers HSC Trusts rather than NHS Trusts only. The Department of Health takes the PRB recommendation, secures Executive approval (when there is a functioning Executive), and issues an HSC (AfC) pay arrangement circular. Pay is usually applied from 1 April with arrears paid later in the year, often after a delay caused by political processes at Stormont.