8 Sept 2021 ● Matt Farrah
What Band 5 Salary Nurses Get Paid – And What You’ll Do To Earn It
Updated 5th March 2026
- This article was originally published on 8th Sept 2021, and last updated 5th March 2026
- All figures represent the 3.3% increase set for April 1st 2026
Newly qualified nurses begin their careers in a Band 5 job. These entry level nurses earn £32,073 for their first 2 years. Band 5 nurses with 2-4 years’ experience earn £34,592 a year. The highest possible annual salary within this banding currently is £39,043 once the nurse has over 4 years' experience.
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A Nurse's Duties at Band 5
For a Band 5 general nursing position, first and foremost you’ll need to be NMC registered, which will require you to have a nursing degree.
Within the job, you’ll often be the first point of contact for a patient, and you’ll normally work within a multi-disciplinary team (MDT).
Whether dealing with minor injuries or people with chronic health issues, you’ll help to provide assessments of the patient, evaluate their needs and plan their ongoing journey in your care setting – and beyond.
On any given day, you could be expected to:
- Write patient care plans
- Monitor pulse, blood pressure and temperature
- Observe and record the condition of patients
- Check and administer drugs and injections
- Set up drips and blood transfusions
- Assist with tests and evaluations
- Plan discharges from hospitals
- Communicate with families and friends of patients
This is just a broad guide, as the responsibilities you’ll have could vary greatly according to the specialist area you work in, and whether you’re hospital or community based.
Typically, you’ll be expected to work in a shift pattern that can include evenings, weekends and nights.
But community roles could afford you a more structured, 9-5 role.
More information
- Here's an article by Helen Ingleson, a Matron, on how she moved up the nursing grades in the NHS
- Read our handy Nursing Pay Scale And Bands pay table
- Use our NHS Take Home Pay Calculator
- Claire Carmichael explains her view of the typical starting salary within the NHS' banding system as well as working as agency staff and in the private sector
Nursing Pay Guide
Find out more information about pay in our Nursing Pay Guide which you can jump into for a full, deep dive into salary and pay rates for this job role. We keep all of our pages up to date, using trusted sources and humans, so this is accurate information.
