NHS Pay Scales for Doctors Explained

join the NHS as an IMG doctor, you want to know how much money you will earn each month. Fortunately, NHS workers in the UK get competitive salaries – especially those who work in senior roles. When moving to the UK as a doctor, you can expect to earn well above the national UK average salary.

The question is, how much is that? That is determined by the NHS medical pay scales, which show you how much basic pay you will get and how much money you’ll earn for any additional hours.

What Are Pay Scales?

NHS pay scales are calculations that determine how much NHS workers (including doctors) get paid. There are varying pay scales for different NHS job titles. When you are given a pay scale, you can see how much basic salary you’ll get and how much you’ll get for additional hours. As a doctor, that involves receiving uplifts, bandings, enhancements, or supplements.

How Do Pay Scales Work?

Every medical pay scale makes a calculation to figure out your:

• Basic Salary
• Other Allowances

Where you fall on a particular pay scale is determined by a range of things, such as your years of experience as a doctor and job title. Then, you will move up the pay scale throughout your career, earning more depending on your job title/experience. Often, moving up involves successful progression through specialist training and time spent in the role.

If you'd like to learn more about the exact calculations for your salary we've created this complete walkthrough guide to NHS Payscales outlining how all basic and additional extras are calculated:

Which Pay Scale Will You Get?

The pay scale you fall under depends on your job offer. So when receiving a job offer, always look at the pay scale – learn what it is and how much you’ll earn.

Remember that every pay scale works slightly differently, particularly when moving up and earning more. Sometimes, you will need to supply certifications to prove your experience, so you don’t have to start at the bottom of a pay scale.

The Pay Scales for Doctors

It’s vital to learn which pay scale you’ll be on. As a doctor, you can expect to be on one of the following.

2016 NHS Junior Doctor Contract Pay Scale

The 2016 NHS Junior Doctor Contract Pay Scale was the new pay scale implemented after the old 2002 scale. It allows you to work up the pay scale as you increase your grade. For example, for FY2, you’ll start on grade code MF01 with the basic salary of £32,398, and then at grades ST1 (coded MS01) and CT1 (coded MC51), the basic salary is £43,923. At the top end is ST8 (coded MS08), which gets £63,152.

Note that the increase in pay does not happen as often. However, the pay increase is often a considerable jump, meaning you’ll receive a significant pay increase when you move up a grade.

On top of the basic grade, you get additional pay for your extra hours (1/40th of basic pay), enhanced hours (37% above standard hourly pay), and weekend allowance (where you’ll get an uplift percentage) calculated as follows:

If you take part in an NHS on-call rota, you’ll receive a flat rate uplift in additional to your basic salary on the pay scale determined by your nodal point on the same pay scale:

2002 NHS Junior Doctor Contract Pay Scale

The 2002 NHS Junior Doctor Contract Pay Scale, sometimes known as the MN37 scale, is an old one – no new entrants get put on this one. However, it still applies to some long standing vacancies, so we thought it best to include it.

With the 2002 NHS Junior Doctor Contract Pay Scale, the basic salary is based on years of experience. Therefore, IMGs would need to prove that they have the same relevant experience from overseas to start on the higher end of the pay scale.

This pay scale uses banding for other allowances (the only pay scale to do so). Banding determines your percentage uplift based on the hours worked and whether those hours were most antisocial or least antisocial. So, for example, band 1A is for 40-48 hours of mostly antisocial hours, which provides an uplift percentage of 50%.

2021 NHS Speciality Doctor Pay Scale

This pay scale is for doctors who have completed their foundation and early core/speciality training years. So, it applies to speciality doctors at an equivalent to grade ST3+.

The 2021 NHS Speciality Doctor Pay Scale (MC75 scale) is made up of lots of pay increments and is based on years of experience. You will usually start at the very bottom of the pay scale and work your way up unless you can evidence similar experience from your native healthcare system. So, for example, if you have one year of experience at an equivalent to ST3+ level, you’ll earn £55,825K; if you have 18 years of experience, you’ll earn £90,000

*Pay and Conditions Circular (M&D) 9/2024

Other allowances are made up of PAs (programmed activities), which are four-hour blocks of work. You get ten PAs for your basic salary, making a 40-hour work week. Any other PAs on top of that comes with an uplift of 10%.

Specialist Doctor Pay Scale

The Specialist Doctor Pay Scale (MC70 scale) was new for specialist doctors in 2021 and was implemented because it was a better option for recruiting very senior doctors.

To get on this pay scale, you must meet the criteria by providing evidence that your experience is equal to that of an NHS specialist doctor. Then, you’ll start with the appropriate years of experience on the pay scale.

*Pay and Conditions Circular (M&D) 9/2024

Other allowances include any PAs over ten, which you will receive a 10% uplift for. There is also the on-call allowance, which you’ll also receive an uplift for. The uplift percentage depends on the nature of the call and how frequent they are.

Consultant Pay Scale

A consultant is the highest post in NHS hospitals. Consultants start on the lowest point of the pay scale (YC72-01 or YC73-01) after qualifying at that level and progress as they gain experience over the years. If you don’t want to start at the bottom end, you will need to provide evidence that you have equivalent experience before getting on the appropriate point of the pay scale.

For additional PAs (any over ten), you will get an uplift of 10%.

How to Stay Updated with Pay Scales

It’s a good idea to stay updated with all things related to pay scales – especially as an NHS doctor! To do so, check out the NHS Pay Circular website. It’s regularly updated and covers changes to NHS salaries.

In Summary

When you start working for the NHS, you should know how much you will get paid and how much more you’ll earn over time. By understanding your pay scale, you can determine your pay for your basic salary and additional hours.

If you would like to know more about working in the NHS and hear about all the latest job opportunities then email us and we’ll be happy to keep you updated.