After lobbying, the government has set out a package of commitments to nursing staff in England that start with graduate pay.
The secretary of state for health and social care, Wes Streeting, has set out a package of new commitments to nursing staff in England. These promise fairer recognition, stronger support and a clearer future.
The government has asked the NHS Staff Council to prioritise graduate pay in the forthcoming structural reform negotiations. This includes nursing roles and all Agenda for Change graduates.
Every nurse paid at band 5 will have their role reviewed by their employer to make sure their band and job description reflect the job they do. Too many 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 from the funding for the 2026/27 cost-of-living pay award and structural reform negotiations.
As part of the chief nursing officer 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 announcement is significant progress on career progression for nursing staff. Too many are not being paid fairly and valued for their skills and responsibilities in caring for patients, too often starting and finishing their careers on the same low pay band,” said Royal College of Nursing general secretary and chief executive Nicola Ranger.
The full strategy will be published soon.
Welcome step
Separate from the NHS cost-of-living award, the government has confirmed that funding is available to employers to support this review and the salary uplifts that will come from it.
“Nursing is the safety-critical profession and this investment is paramount for the effective running of the health service. We’ve been clear with the government that all nursing staff need progress in both their careers and their pay packets too. Today, we have seen major investment in one big aspect of career progression, but we now urgently need a fair pay deal that values nursing too,” Ranger added.
The news was greeted as “a welcome step” by independent health and social care think tank The Nuffield Trust, which pointed out that an estimated one in five NHS nurses leave within the first two years of their career.
“This agreement is absolutely right to recognise that poor nurse retention has always been about a combination of factors, not just pay. A lack of career progression has been a key reason nurses leave the NHS, and we have long called for measures to address this, so the government is right to focus on this now,” said Nuffield Trust fellow Lucina Rolewicz.
Though she went on to say that tight NHS finances might be a stumbling block in the future.
“Without additional funding to cover faster promotion, and given that the government is having to deal with similar issues in other parts of the NHS workforce too, it will not be easy to suddenly boost the number of Band 5 nurses progressing into more senior roles,” she added.
