NHS Pay Bands

NHS pay rise 2019/20

The 2019/20 pay deal applied to all staff on Agenda for Change contracts. Each UK nation publishes its own circular: England and Wales follow the Pay Review Body recommendation, Scotland negotiates separately, and Northern Ireland implements once the Executive has signed off.

How the 2019/20 deal landed

The 2019/20 pay round was the second year of the 2018-2021 three-year deal. It continued the restructure begun in 2018/19, consolidating legacy spine points and raising entry pay across all bands.

The 2019/20 figures were defined by the framework agreement signed in 2018 between the UK Government, NHS Employers and the major NHS trade unions. The deal phased in pay scale reform over three years, with progressive year-on-year changes rather than a single uplift percentage. NHS Employers published the implementing 2019/20 pay poster effective 1 April 2019.

Uplift by nation

Cash impact at the most-searched bands

For staff in England, the 2019/20 pay rise translates into the following annual cash increases at entry to the most common bands.

Band 2018/19 entry 2019/20 entry Change %
Band 5 £23,023 £24,214 +£1,191 +5.2%
Band 6 £28,050 £30,401 +£2,351 +8.4%
Band 7 £33,222 £37,570 +£4,348 +13.1%

Union response to the 2019/20 deal

Unions had recommended members vote to accept the three-year deal in 2018, judging it the best achievable outcome at the time. By 2019/20 the deal was being implemented as agreed, although early concerns were already being raised that the cash increases were being eroded by inflation faster than projected.

Structural changes

The number of legacy spine points within each band continued to shrink. Band 1 was closed to new entrants, completing the change introduced under the 2018 deal. Entry pay at every band moved up. The scale was visibly moving towards the three-step (entry, intermediate, top) shape used from 2021/22 onwards.

England

NHS TCS 2019 (AfC) pay poster — NHS Employers

Read the circular
Band Minimum Maximum Hourly at top
Band 1 closed £17,652 Single rate £9.03
Band 2 £17,652 £19,020 £9.73
Band 3 £18,813 £20,795 £10.63
Band 4 £21,089 £23,761 £12.15
Band 5 £24,214 £30,112 £15.40
Band 6 £30,401 £37,267 £19.06
Band 7 £37,570 £43,772 £22.39
Band 8a £44,606 £50,819 £25.99
Band 8b £52,306 £60,983 £31.19
Band 8c £61,777 £72,597 £37.13
Band 8d £73,936 £86,687 £44.33
Band 9 £89,537 £103,860 £53.12

England pay scales for 2019/20, effective 2019-04-01. Hourly rate uses the 37.5-hour NHS working week. Source: NHS TCS 2019 (AfC) pay poster — NHS Employers.

Common questions about the 2019/20 pay rise

When was the 2019/20 NHS pay rise paid?
The new England pay rates were backdated to 2019-04-01. In most Trusts the new rate first showed in monthly pay a few months after the official circular was published, with arrears for the backdated period paid alongside the first new monthly rate. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland followed their own implementation timetables.
Did Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland get the same pay rise in 2019/20?
Each UK nation negotiates separately. England and Wales usually follow the NHS Pay Review Body recommendation, Scotland negotiates directly with trade unions, and Northern Ireland needs Executive sign-off. The headline percentage and the structural shape of the deal can differ between nations.
Was 2019/20 a separate NHS pay deal?
No. The 2019/20 figures were the second year of the 2018-2021 three-year framework deal. There was no separately negotiated 2019/20 settlement, and unions were not in dispute over the headline figures, although by the end of the year there were complaints that the cash increases were being eroded by inflation.
When was Band 1 closed to new NHS entrants?
Band 1 was closed to new entrants from 1 December 2018, as agreed in the 2018-2021 framework deal. Existing Band 1 staff retained their banding but the entry route was redirected to Band 2. The change had taken full effect by 2019/20.