Valuing nursing in the NHS in England
Government commitments we’ve secured – and how they support you
The evidence is clear. Nursing is essential and safety-critical but we’ve been undervalued for too long.
Recognising the true value of nursing means fair career progression, fair annual pay awards and support for NHS nursing staff throughout your career.
Nursing is worth more. You demonstrate this in your work every day. We’ve delivered that message directly to ministers since you voted in record numbers last year to tell the government and the NHS in England that nursing deserves more.
Your voice matters, and new commitments from the government prove this.
Update your details
It’s crucial that we know where you work and what band you’re on.
Three commitments from the Westminster government
After months of discussions with ministers, the Westminster government has committed to:
Increasing graduate pay
The government has asked the NHS Staff Council to prioritise graduate pay in the upcoming structural reform negotiations. This includes nursing roles and all Agenda for Change graduates.
Reviewing the work and salary of every nurse paid at band 5
Every nurse paid at band 5 will have their role reviewed by their employer to make sure your band and job description reflect the job you do. Too many of you are working at a higher level but not paid fairly for it. The government has informed us that additional funding has been made available to employers to support this programme of work and the salary uplifts that will come from it. This is separate to the funding for the 2026/27 cost-of-living pay award and structural reform negotiations.
Establishing a single national nursing preceptorship
As part of the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for England’s professional strategy for nursing, they will lead work with unions, employers and stakeholders to improve the quality and consistency of preceptorships across the country. This is important to ensure every nurse has the best possible start to their career.
A fairer path to career progression
Your terms and conditions include the right to an accurate job description and re-evaluation if you believe you’re working at the wrong grade. But in reality, this has been difficult for nursing staff to access. It’s often been a drawn out, adversarial process.
These commitments from the Westminster government apply to the nursing staff in England. They are not everything nursing needs but are a solid step forward.
We are already supporting RCN band 5 members in Scotland through a job review process, and we have called for career progression for members in Northern Ireland and Wales too.
These commitments invest in the infrastructure of NHS career progression for nursing staff. They are an investment to support you.
NHS employers in England will review all band 5 roles. As your union, we’ll be watching closely and supporting you.
We will share updates on when this work is expected to begin as soon as possible.
The process of this review may differ between employers. That’s why we’ll be asking you throughout this programme of work if your employer has contacted you about this, if reviews are taking place in your workplace and if they are being carried out fairly.
If you’re a band 5 nurse but relied on for the clinical expertise and skill of a band 6, you should get that increase after your review. This change helps value nursing closest to the patient, without additional management responsibilities.
We’ll monitor the process carefully at a workplace, employer and national level as part of the official oversight group.
For up-to-date developments on these reviews, return to this page.
Learn about the steps all job evaluations should go through.
Your pay should accurately reflect the work you do.
We’ll empower and support you – no matter your band – to have your skills, knowledge and experience recognised and ensure this is rewarded through fair pay. You can request your role is evaluated against the new NHS nursing profiles.
Get started with job evaluation
Shifting up the baseline for registered nursing is our starting point.
Alongside the review of band 5 roles, we're launching a new initiative to ensure your band reflects the work you do. More information will be available soon about this work and how you can get involved in your region and employer to ensure the new nursing profiles are implemented fairly.
Get to know the new nursing role profiles and access helpful resources to understand more about job evaluation.
We’re making progress on structural pay reform
You deserve a pay structure that recognises your true value. One that reflects your skill, your sacrifice, and your central role in society.
Talks with the NHS Staff Council on structural reform to address long-standing issues in the NHS pay structure are expected to begin soon. The government has asked the NHS Staff Council to prioritise graduate pay in the upcoming reform discussions. This will include nursing roles and all Agenda for Change graduates.
We’re not fighting for scraps anymore. You need system-wide structural change for the long term.
Nursing staff will have a stronger start to their career
The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for England will publish their professional strategy for nursing this year and lead work with unions, employers and stakeholders to improve the quality and consistency of preceptorships across the country.
