NHS Nurses’ Pay Rise 2022: What The £1400 Pay Increase Means

£1400 increase is a little more generous for a new starter – but for a more experienced Nurse, it represents a lower rate of increase

The government has finally confirmed a pay rise for NHS Nurses, which will be back-dated to April 2022.

Full time salaries will increase by £1400 for most Nurses, which will equate to at least a 4% rise.

We understand that Nurses in Band 6 and 7 will have an increase that is a little higher than £1400 to ensure it is equal to 4% and not below.

This increase therefore is higher than the 3% the government proposed a few months ago, but still well below the level demanded by many trade unions.

Nurses in Band 6 and 7 will have an increase that is a little higher than £1400 to ensure it is equal to 4%

As a result, it has been heavily criticised by many – primarily because it doesn’t match the current rates of inflation and rapid increase in the cost of living.

What A £1400 Increase Looks Like For The Average Nurse

This pay award means that a newly qualified Nurse at the start of Band 5 will now earn £27,055 a year, up from £25,655.

This represents an increase of more than 5%.

Meanwhile, a Nurse at the start of Band 6 will now earn £33,706, up from £32,306 – representing a rise of just over 4%.

a newly qualified Nurse at the start of Band 5 will earn £27,055 a year, up from £25,655 – a 5% increase

And here perhaps is one part of the problem for some critics.

A £1400 increase is a little more generous for a new starter – but for a more experienced Nurse, it represents a lower rate of increase.

Adding to the government’s problems is the delay in the announcement.

In the months between the suggestion of a 3% rise and the current decision, inflation has increased – as has the cost of living.

That means that any potential increase has lowered in actual value.

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Unions Plot Their Next Move

Unions have been heavily critical, and many are planning further action.

Sara Gorton, Head of Health at Unison, said the increase was ‘nowhere near what’s needed to save the NHS’.

Meanwhile, Royal College of Nursing members will be asked to vote on what action they want to take in response, including the possibility of a strike.

Another challenge that has emerged is where the funding for the pay rise is actually coming from.

As has become clear, the Treasury will only fund 3% of this pay package – and the rest will come from existing NHS budgets.

That equates to an extra £1.8 billion.

What’s Your View On The Pay Rise?

If you’re an NHS Nurse, what do you think of this pay rise announcement?

Will it make a meaningful difference to your finances?

As always, we’re eager to hear your views in the Comments below.

Additionally, if you would like to join our Survey about Why Nurses Leave, we'd love to hear from you.

A note about this article: Our source was the gov.uk press release. When there is an official update to that we will update our information. The lack of clarity from that source is frustrating some of our readers. Especially the part that states that, at Band 6 and 7, the increase will be more than £1400 to ensure any pay rise doesn’t fall beneath 4%. There is further lack of clarity around the Bands higher than 6 and 7. We have heard of different percentage increases there. When exact details are known for each band and years' experience we will post them.

Please note that we will wait until the precise increases per band and pay scale are confirmed and then we will update our various articles, including our Nursing Salary Guide and NHS Pay Calculator.