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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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.
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.
In this article we take a look at how nursing salaries are determined, how they vary between sectors and some points to consider if you’re looking to increase yours in 2026-2027.
