NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) · England · 2026/27
NHS Band 6 salary
£39,959 to £48,117 a year, 5 years from bottom to top. Up £1,277 on last year under England’s 3.3% award. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own.
- Salary a year £39,959 – £48,117 3 steps · 5 years from bottom to top
- Hourly wage £20.44 – £24.61 Derived from a 37.5-hour week — not published
- Take-home at the entry step £29,157.82 England, in the pension scheme · work out yours
The pay points
| Step | 2026/27 | 2025/26 | Hourly | Time to next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £39,959 | £38,682 | £20.44 | 2 years |
| Intermediate | £42,170 | £40,823 | £21.57 | 3 years |
| Top | £48,117 | £46,580 | £24.61 | — |
Hourly figures are derived — how, and why they are not published.
What work sits in band 6
11 published profiles score into band 6 from the occupational therapy and nursing and physiotherapy and ambulance service and radiography and midwifery job families — these are the profiles a occupational therapist’s or nurse’s or physiotherapist’s or ambulance service worker’s or radiographer’s or midwife’s post is matched to. A post is banded by matching it to one of these, not by its job title, which is why two jobs with the same title can sit in different bands.
Occupational Therapist Specialist
Job evaluation score 397–465
- Assesses & treats own specialist caseload of clients for professional OT service in a variety of settings
- Provides specialist OT advice to other disciplines
- Supervises students, support workers
- May lead clinical audit, undertake research
Nursing: 6i
Job evaluation score 398–461
- Assesses patients with complex needs/conditions
- Plans, implements and evaluates care. This may be carried out in a specialist area; use specialist nursing skills
- May develop specialist programmes for patients with complex needs/conditions
- Provides day-to-day supervision and/or clinical supervision to others
- May be responsible for a caseload e.g.in the community
Physiotherapy Specialist (Experienced Rotational)
Job evaluation score 399–445
- Assesses & treats own workload of patients/clients & maintains associated records
- As experienced practitioner, rotates between specialist areas every 6 months: (profile does not apply to Physiotherapists undertaking immediate post-registration short rotations)
- Supervises less experienced Physiotherapists/ Assistants/ students working with PH
- May participate in departmental research
Paramedic
Job evaluation score 400–434
- Responds to emergency, urgent and routine calls; provides advanced clinical interventions, including drug therapies at scene; may work as sole practitioner; may administer medication within PGD (Patient Group Directive) guidelines
- Undertakes emergency driving
- Undertakes daily vehicle checks, checks and re-stocks equipment and supplies
Radiographer Specialist (Diagnostic, Therapeutic)
Job evaluation score 400–456
- Assesses, treats or images own specialist workload of Patients/clients and maintains associated records
- As experienced practitioner rotates between specialist areas (profile does not apply to Radiographer undertaking immediate post- registration rotations)
- Supervises recently qualified radiographers, support workers, assistants, students working with post holder
- May participate in departmental research
Clinical Advisor
Job evaluation score 404–436
- Provides specialised clinical assessment, advice and health information to patients/callers including liaison with and referral other healthcare services and professionals e.g. Out of Hours or Primary Care services and other specialist services e.g. dental services.
- Ensures patient safety through welfare and re-assessment calls to service users
- Provides specialised clinical advice and support to colleagues within the call centre (including mentoring new staff)
- Monitors surge demand and clinical risk management.
Nursing: 6ii
Job evaluation score 410–458
- Assesses patients, plans, implements care, provides advice; maintains associated records.
- Provides clinical and managerial support to registered and non- registered staff and students in a range of settings.
- Responsible for work allocation and checking of tasks of support staff and/or less experienced staff.
- May ensure effective running of team in a range of settings in the absence of the relevant manager.
Station/Operational Team Leader
Job evaluation score 411–439
- Provides emergency care, responds to emergencies, urgent and routine calls.
- Provides support to road crews in all aspects of emergency work including scene management; monitors staff attendance, deals with staffing and resources.
- Reports on incidents, complaints and performance to senior management.
Midwifery 6
Job evaluation score 416–454
- Provides a full range of advice and care to women, birthing people, newborn infants and families throughout pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, birth, postpartum and the early weeks of life.
- Acts as a mentor for less experienced midwives and other staff.
- Works autonomously within guidelines and sphere of professional practice.
Physiotherapy Specialist
Job evaluation score 417–465
- Assesses & treats own specialist caseload of patients/clients & maintains associated records
- Supervises, trains, assesses less experienced physiotherapists, assesses students working with postholder
- May participate in research activities
Duty Manager
Job evaluation score 437–449
- Ensure the effective organisation of the shift and deployment of resources, having oversight of planned and spontaneous events, managing the impact on resources or the continuity of business as usual within the shift.
- Ensure compliance, quality and performance standards are met.
- Manages control centre staff
- Responsibility for computer systems
Quoted from National profiles for occupational therapy — NHS Staff Council Job Evaluation Group national job profiles; National profiles for nursing — NHS Staff Council Job Evaluation Group national job profiles; National profiles for physiotherapy — NHS Staff Council Job Evaluation Group national job profiles; National profiles for ambulance service — NHS Staff Council Job Evaluation Group national job profiles; National profiles for diagnostic and therapeutic radiographers — NHS Staff Council Job Evaluation Group national job profiles; National profiles for midwifery — NHS Staff Council Job Evaluation Group national job profiles.
The same jobs at every band they reach, on one page each: ambulance service pay, midwifery pay, nursing pay, physiotherapy pay and radiography pay.
What changes between band 5 and band 6
A occupational therapist’s post moves up when the job evaluation score does, not when enough time has passed. In the occupational therapy family the highest band 5 profile (Occupational Therapist) tops out at 366, and the lowest here (Occupational Therapist Specialist) starts at 397 — the band boundary sits in that gap. Crossing it means the work described at band 5 has changed.
A nurse’s post moves up when the job evaluation score does, not when enough time has passed. In the nursing family the highest band 5 profile (Nursing: 5) tops out at 383, and the lowest here (Nursing: 6i) starts at 398 — the band boundary sits in that gap. Crossing it means the work described at band 5 has changed.
A physiotherapist’s post moves up when the job evaluation score does, not when enough time has passed. In the physiotherapy family the highest band 5 profile (Physiotherapist) tops out at 387, and the lowest here (Physiotherapy Specialist (Experienced Rotational)) starts at 399 — the band boundary sits in that gap. Crossing it means the work described at band 5 has changed.
A ambulance service worker’s post moves up when the job evaluation score does, not when enough time has passed. In the ambulance service family the highest band 5 profile (Duty/Shift Officer – Control Centre) tops out at 391, and the lowest here (Paramedic) starts at 400 — the band boundary sits in that gap. Crossing it means the work described at band 5 has changed.
A radiographer’s post moves up when the job evaluation score does, not when enough time has passed. In the radiography family the highest band 5 profile (Radiographer (Diagnostic)) tops out at 364, and the lowest here (Radiographer Specialist (Diagnostic, Therapeutic)) starts at 400 — the band boundary sits in that gap. Crossing it means the work described at band 5 has changed.
A midwife’s post moves up when the job evaluation score does, not when enough time has passed. In the midwifery family the highest band 5 profile (Midwifery 5) tops out at 392, and the lowest here (Midwifery 6) starts at 416 — the band boundary sits in that gap. Crossing it means the work described at band 5 has changed.
Nights, weekends and bank holidays
Bands 4 to 9 share one unsocial hours rate, so this is the same for band 6 as for any band above 3. All four nations’ rates, and the rules for which hours qualify. Work out the take-home on this band.
| When | Enhancement | Hourly at the entry step | At the top |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, and weekdays 8pm–6am | +30% | £26.57 | £31.99 |
| Sundays and public holidays | +60% | £32.70 | £39.38 |
Which hours qualify, and the rules that decide it — including what is excluded and how the other nations differ.
If you work in or near London
A percentage of basic salary, but with a floor and a ceiling — so what band 6 actually gets is not simply the percentage.
| Zone | Rate | At the entry step | At the top |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London | 20% | £7,991.80 | £8,746.00 (the maximum) |
| Outer London | 15% | £5,993.85 | £6,137.00 (the maximum) |
| Fringe London | 5% | £1,997.95 | £2,270.00 (the maximum) |
At band 6 the straight 20% falls between the minimum and the maximum, so it is paid in full.
What band 6 actually pays after deductions
The gross figure is not what reaches your bank. Run through income tax, National Insurance and the pension contribution for an England member in the scheme, each step of band 6 comes out at:
| Step | Gross | Hourly | Pension tier | Take-home | A month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | £39,959 | £20.44 | 9.8% | £29,157.82 | £2,429.82 |
| Intermediate | £42,170 | £21.57 | 9.8% | £30,576.39 | £2,548.03 |
| Top | £48,117 | £24.61 | 9.8% | £34,391.94 | £2,866 |
England, in the pension scheme, standard tax code, no student loan and no salary sacrifice. Unsocial hours and overtime are paid on top of these figures and are not in them. An estimate from published rates, not a payslip and not financial advice — check it against your own before acting on it. Change any assumption, or pick another nation.
Band 6 in the other nations
The four nations set their own Agenda for Change rates, and this year they set four different ones. One of them has not made an award yet, so its figures are the previous year’s — the table says which.
| Nation | Entry | Top | Steps | Week | Hourly at entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | £39,959 | £48,117 | 3 | 37.5h | £20.44 |
| Scotland | £43,231 | £52,679 | 3 | 36h | £23.03 |
| Wales | £40,559 | £48,841 | 3 | 37.5h | £20.74 |
| Northern Ireland 2025/26 — no newer award | £38,682 | £46,580 | 3 | 37.5h | £19.78 |
Hourly rates are not comparable across the row without reading the week column: Scotland works 36 hours where the others work 37.5, so the same salary buys a higher hourly rate there.
If you work part time
What you keep does not scale with your hours. The pension tier is set by your actual pensionable pay too, so some part-time hours fall into a lower tier and pay a lower percentage as well as a smaller amount.
| Hours a week | Gross | Pension tier | Take-home | A month | Kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18.8a lower pension tier | £19,979.50 | 6.5% | £16,866.34 | £1,405.53 | 84.4% |
| 22.5a lower pension tier | £23,975.40 | 6.5% | £19,535.60 | £1,627.97 | 81.5% |
| 30a lower pension tier | £31,967.20 | 8.3% | £24,413.90 | £2,034.49 | 76.4% |
| 37.5 — full time | £39,959 | 9.8% | £29,157.82 | £2,429.82 | 73% |
Entry step, England, in the pension scheme. Enter your own hours.
The step before and after
Below this sits band 5. The next band up is band 7, which most people reach by applying for a different post rather than by progression — the steps within a band are time-served, but moving between bands is not.
Other bands
Sources for the band 6 figures 2 documents · last checked Verified
- NHS Terms and Conditions 2025 (Agenda for Change) — pay bands and pay points from 1 April 2025, England NHS Employers ·2025-26 · Effective · checked · independently checked Verified
- NHS Terms and Conditions 2026 (Agenda for Change) — pay bands and pay points from 1 April 2026, England NHS Employers ·2026-27 · Effective · checked · independently checked Also relied on: NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, version 21 — Section 2 (England), Table 2: unsocial hours payments Pay scales for 2026/27 — High Cost Area Supplement rates, NHS Employers Pay scales for 2026/27 — NHS Employers' HTML publication of the same pay table, used as the corroborating second document Verified