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Fair Pay for Nursing

Fair pay for nursing

Standing up for fair pay to protect nursing in Scotland.

Nursing is the largest safety‑critical profession in health care, but is still undervalued and understaffed. After years of underinvestment, the government must act urgently to protect patient care by protecting the profession. 

Our fair pay campaign urges members and supporters to come together and fight for the investment needed for a safely staffed workforce. You can demand change today.

NHS pay in Scotland for 2025 - 2027

Our members working in the NHS on Agenda for Change contracts voted to accept the Scottish government's pay offer in 2025.

Pay increases of 4.25% will be paid in 2025-26, and and 3.75% in 2026-27. The deal includes a guarantee that the increases will be at least 1% above inflation in each year.

Find out more

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Find the full details of the NHS pay offer agreed for 2025-26 and 2026-27.

Details of the pay offer

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RCN members in Scotland vote to accept NHS pay offer for the next two years.

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Pay for general practice nursing staff

Find out more about the pay increases agreed for nurses employed directly by general practices.

Changes to Agenda for Change

We're supporting members through the implementation process, after the Scottish government agreed to implement the recommendations from the Agenda for Change review. The recommendations cover:

  • Protected time for statutory, mandatory and profession-specific learning
  • A review of band 5 nursing roles, which is now open for submissions
  • A reduction in the working week.
Two nurses in Scottish NHS uniforms reading a chart