NHS pay rise 2024/25
The 2024/25 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 2024/25 deal landed
The 2024/25 pay round delivered a 5.5% consolidated uplift across all bands. England, Wales and Northern Ireland also introduced intermediate pay points for Bands 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d and 9 for the first time, easing progression at senior levels. Scotland delivered the same 5.5% increase under its multi-year deal.
The NHS Pay Review Body recommended a 5.5% consolidated uplift in its 37th report. The UK Government accepted the recommendation, with NHS Employers publishing the new scales in August 2024. Wales followed with AfC(W) 02/2024 on 30 October 2024, also implementing the new intermediate pay points for Bands 8a and above that had been agreed in partnership with Welsh trade unions. Scotland delivered 5.5% under the first year of its 2024/25 to 2026/27 multi-year settlement.
Uplift by nation
-
England
5.5%
Effective 2024-04-01
-
Scotland
5.5%
Effective 2024-04-01
-
Wales
5.5%
Effective 2024-04-01
-
Northern Ireland
Not published yet
Cash impact at the most-searched bands
For staff in England, the 2024/25 pay rise translates into the following annual cash increases at entry to the most common bands.
| Band | 2023/24 entry | 2024/25 entry | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 5 | £28,407 | £29,970 | +£1,563 | +5.5% |
| Band 6 | £35,392 | £37,338 | +£1,946 | +5.5% |
| Band 7 | £43,742 | £46,148 | +£2,406 | +5.5% |
Union response to the 2024/25 deal
The 2024/25 deal was accepted in England, Wales and Northern Ireland without strike action, marking a clear de-escalation from the 2022 and 2023 disputes that had seen multiple unions ballot for and take industrial action. The decision to add intermediate pay points for Bands 8a-9 was a significant concession to senior nursing and AHP staff who had been campaigning for better progression. Scotland avoided industrial action entirely because the multi-year deal had been agreed in partnership ahead of the formal Pay Review Body process.
Structural changes
Every pay point moved up by 5.5%. Critically, for the first time in many years, the pay structure itself changed at Bands 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d and 9, with new intermediate pay points added between the historic entry and top points. Staff at those bands now progress to the intermediate step after two years and the top step after a further three years, rather than spending five years on a single rate with no internal progression.
England
Pay scales for 2024/25 — NHS Employers
| Band | Minimum | Steps | Maximum | Hourly at top |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 1 closed | £23,615 | 1 | Single rate | £12.08 |
| Band 2 | £23,615 | 1 | Single rate | £12.08 |
| Band 3 | £24,071 | 2 | £25,674 | £13.13 |
| Band 4 | £26,530 | 2 | £29,114 | £14.89 |
| Band 5 | £29,970 | 3 | £36,483 | £18.66 |
| Band 6 | £37,338 | 3 | £44,962 | £22.99 |
| Band 7 | £46,148 | 3 | £52,809 | £27.01 |
| Band 8a | £53,755 | 3 | £60,504 | £30.94 |
| Band 8b | £62,215 | 3 | £72,293 | £36.97 |
| Band 8c | £74,290 | 3 | £85,601 | £43.78 |
| Band 8d | £88,168 | 3 | £101,677 | £52.00 |
| Band 9 | £105,385 | 3 | £121,271 | £62.02 |
England pay scales for 2024/25, effective 2024-04-01. Hourly rate uses the 37.5-hour NHS working week. Source: Pay scales for 2024/25 — NHS Employers.
Scotland
PCS(AFC)2024/5 — Pay and conditions for NHS staff covered by AfC
| Band | Minimum | Steps | Maximum | Hourly at top |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 1 closed | £24,518 | 1 | Single rate | £12.54 |
| Band 2 | £24,647 | 2 | £26,763 | £13.69 |
| Band 3 | £26,869 | 2 | £28,998 | £14.83 |
| Band 4 | £29,116 | 2 | £31,670 | £16.20 |
| Band 5 | £31,892 | 3 | £39,735 | £20.32 |
| Band 6 | £39,912 | 3 | £48,635 | £24.87 |
| Band 7 | £48,788 | 3 | £56,747 | £29.02 |
| Band 8a | £60,126 | 2 | £64,906 | £33.19 |
| Band 8b | £70,986 | 2 | £75,937 | £38.84 |
| Band 8c | £83,837 | 2 | £89,866 | £45.96 |
| Band 8d | £99,534 | 2 | £103,795 | £53.08 |
| Band 9 | £117,732 | 2 | £122,831 | £62.82 |
Scotland pay scales for 2024/25, effective 2024-04-01. Hourly rate uses the 37.5-hour NHS working week. Source: PCS(AFC)2024/5 — Pay and conditions for NHS staff covered by AfC.
Wales
AfC(W) 02/2024 v2 — Agenda for change payscales 2024/2025
| Band | Minimum | Steps | Maximum | Hourly at top |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 1 closed | £23,970 | 1 | Single rate | £12.26 |
| Band 2 | £23,970 | 1 | Single rate | £12.26 |
| Band 3 | £24,433 | 2 | £26,060 | £13.33 |
| Band 4 | £26,928 | 2 | £29,551 | £15.11 |
| Band 5 | £30,420 | 3 | £37,030 | £18.94 |
| Band 6 | £37,898 | 3 | £45,637 | £23.34 |
| Band 7 | £46,840 | 3 | £53,602 | £27.41 |
| Band 8a | £54,550 | 3 | £61,412 | £31.41 |
| Band 8b | £63,150 | 3 | £73,379 | £37.53 |
| Band 8c | £75,405 | 3 | £86,885 | £44.43 |
| Band 8d | £89,491 | 3 | £103,203 | £52.78 |
| Band 9 | £106,967 | 3 | £123,091 | £62.95 |
Wales pay scales for 2024/25, effective 2024-04-01. Hourly rate uses the 37.5-hour NHS working week. Source: AfC(W) 02/2024 v2 — Agenda for change payscales 2024/2025.
Common questions about the 2024/25 pay rise
- How much was the NHS pay rise in 2024/25?
- In England the headline pay rise was 5.5%. In cash terms, Band 5 entry rose from £28,407 to £29,970 (+£1,563); Band 6 entry rose from £35,392 to £37,338 (+£1,946); Band 7 entry rose from £43,742 to £46,148 (+£2,406).
- When was the 2024/25 NHS pay rise paid?
- The new England pay rates were backdated to 2024-04-01. 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 2024/25?
- 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.
- Why did 8a-9 get new pay points in 2024/25?
- Senior NHS nursing and AHP staff had been arguing for years that the single-rate structure at Bands 8a-9 (entry and top with no intermediate point) compared poorly with the multi-step progression at lower bands. The 2024/25 deal added explicit intermediate pay points, giving these staff a tangible progression milestone after two years rather than five.
- What was the cash value of the 2024/25 uplift?
- A Band 5 newly qualified nurse saw entry pay rise from £28,407 to £29,970, a £1,563 annual increase. A Band 6 specialist nurse went from £35,392 to £37,338, up £1,946. A Band 7 ward manager at the top step moved from £50,056 to £52,809, a £2,753 increase.
- Did Scotland get more than England in 2024/25?
- Scotland's 2024/25 deal was the same headline 5.5% as England, but applied to a higher 2023/24 baseline. So in cash terms, Scottish staff at every band earned more than their English counterparts. The Scottish baseline had been lifted by structural changes negotiated in the previous deal.