Nurses in England and Wales to Get 3.3% Pay Rise
•February 13, 2026
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Why It Matters
The raise highlights the tension between fiscal restraint and retaining a strained NHS workforce, influencing future labor negotiations and service delivery.
Key Takeaways
- •3.3% pay rise for 1.5 million NHS staff England/Wales.
- •Rise exceeds forecasted 2.2% inflation, below 3.4% CPI.
- •Unions label award an “insult” and real pay cut.
- •Scotland nurses receive 4.4% uplift, above CPI.
- •Doctors, dentists excluded; industrial action risk remains high.
Pulse Analysis
The 3.3% uplift for England and Wales marks the first NHS pay adjustment in six years, signalling the new government's intent to accelerate the pay review timetable. While the increase surpasses the Treasury’s 2.2% inflation projection for 2026‑27, it still lags behind the 3.4% Consumer Prices Index, leaving many staff effectively earning less in real terms. By contrast, Scotland’s 4.4% raise, tied to a CPI‑plus‑1% formula, underscores the divergent devolutionary approaches to health‑sector remuneration across the United Kingdom.
Union backlash has been swift and vocal. The Royal College of Nursing and Unison describe the award as an "insult" that imposes a hidden pay cut, threatening morale among a workforce already stretched by record waiting lists and rising patient complexity. The pay review body’s own report warned of strained industrial relations and the material risk of strikes, echoing recent resident‑doctor voting to extend strike mandates. With doctors, dentists and senior managers excluded from the deal, the sector faces a fragmented compensation landscape that could exacerbate recruitment challenges and fuel further industrial action.
Looking ahead, the modest rise may set a precedent for future negotiations, compelling the Treasury to balance inflationary pressures with the urgent need to retain clinical talent. Fiscal constraints could limit larger awards, prompting the government to explore alternative incentives such as targeted recruitment bonuses or accelerated career pathways. For health‑care providers, the decision underscores the importance of aligning pay policy with broader workforce strategies to safeguard service continuity and patient outcomes in an increasingly competitive labour market.
Nurses in England and Wales to get 3.3% pay rise
Nurses and other NHS staff in England and Wales will receive a 3.3% pay rise in the next financial year, the government has said.
By Jo Faragher
The Department for Health and Social Care initially put forward a slightly lower pay rise to the independent pay review body but said it was happy to accept the recommendation to demonstrate its commitment to NHS staff.
The Welsh government also accepted the recommendation.
Around 1.5 million health staff including nurses, midwives and physios will receive the rise, which comes into force for the 2026‑27 pay year.
In a statement to the House of Commons yesterday (12 February), health secretary Wes Streeting said the uplift was above the rate of inflation for 2026‑27 forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility of 2.2%.
“It will be in pay packets from April for the first time in six years. We have listened to the workforce and understand the difficulties they face when pay awards are not delivered on time.
“That’s why this government committed to speeding up the pay review process, remitting the Pay Review Bodies months earlier than previous years, and submitting written evidence earlier too.”
But unions were angry at the rise, which is still below the current rate of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation, 3.4%.
Professor Nicola Ranger, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said:
“A pay award below the current level of inflation is an insult. Unless inflation falls, the government is forcing a very real pay cut on its NHS workers.
“This knife‑edge game‑playing is no way to treat people who prop up a system in crisis.
“Nursing staff will not tolerate the disrespect of other years, when we were bottom of the pile.”
Helga Pile, head of health at Unison, added:
“Hard‑pressed NHS staff will be downright angry at another below‑inflation pay award.
“Yet again, they’re expected to keep delivering more while effectively being given less, as pay slides behind living costs.”
The pay review body’s recommendation also applies to Northern Ireland, but its devolved government has not made a decision yet.
NHS nurses in Scotland received a total uplift in pay for 2025‑26 of 4.4% as part of an agreed deal to keep annual pay increases at least 1% higher than CPI inflation.
In its report to the health secretary, the body acknowledges that “health services in England, Northern Ireland and Wales face multiple challenges”, including waiting lists and increasing complexity in demand. It added that it was “concerned that industrial relations at a national level are strained” and industrial action could pose a “material risk” to the service.
The pay award covers the majority of the healthcare workforce apart from doctors, dentists and senior managers.
Earlier this month, resident doctors voted in favour of extending their strike mandate for six months as they campaign for more training posts and pay restoration.
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