Nurse career progression: good and fair employment practice
We held a webinar for chief people officers and chief nursing officers to support local leaders with taking forward the collection of nurse career progression recommendations agreed by the Secretary of State in April 2025. The recommendations are part of a stream of work resulting from the 2023 Agenda for Change pay deal.
We've taken the recommendations and created five practical actions that are grounded in insight from nurses, the evidence from NHS data and expertise from NHS employer, professional body and trade union organisations.
Why this is important
As evidenced in recent NHS Staff Survey results, BAME nurses are half as likely to progress from Band 5 roles into Band 6 roles as compared to white nurses. We know that there has been a lot of focus in recent years on supporting career progression for BAME nurses. This webinar highlighted some of this practice and discusses the practical and tangible actions that can be taken forward to support good employment practice around career progression for nurses, which is free from racism and other forms of discrimination.
"This is not an EDI problem; it's a leadership issue. Good leadership is fundamentally anti-racist leadership. Leading all of the people, all of the time, everywhere. Be the leader that the nurses are waiting for." Lord Victor Adebowale CBE, Chair of The NHS Alliance
On this page you will find:
- The webinar recording and presentation slides.
- Five leadership actions to drive nurse career progression.
- Good practice case studies.
Five leadership actions to drive nurse career progression
Developed for chief people officers (CPOs) and chief nursing officers (CNOs), these five asks support the implementation of the seven nurse career progression recommendations. Their aim is to improve staff confidence in recruitment, development and career progression processes, while promoting fairness, transparency and accountability.
1. Leadership and accountability
CPO and CNO commit to jointly lead and own work to remove racism and discriminatory practices from recruitment and career progression processes; and to improve transparency and staff confidence in how CPD funding is used. Ensure appropriate local governance is in place.
Consider:
- Are you working in partnership with your chief people officer or chief nursing officer to implement the nurse career progression recommendations?
- Do you have appropriate local governance in place?
2. Partnership working
- Work with local staff side representatives in reviewing existing work on tackling racism in recruitment and career progression, find out what's working and what isn't working. Consider new approaches if required, drawing on evidence and learning from within your organisation and the wider NHS.
- Find out if you have a local trade union learning representative. If not, explore with your existing local reps how you can work closer together in this field.
- Be clear with your expected standards of behaviour and conduct from all staff.
3. Data, policy and practice
Using workforce data, staff survey data, Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) data and staff feedback, regularly review what your data tells you about career progression and development opportunities in your organisation.
Consider:
- Are you confident your recruitment and progression practices are fair to all and free from discrimination?
4. Decision making
Review the clarity and transparency of decision-making processes for CPD funding allocation and career development and progression opportunities.
Consider:
- Is it clear how decisions are made about secondments or opportunities for staff to gain additional experience or insights?
- Is it clear how CPD funding and training money is prioritised or allocated to services, functions or teams?
- Do you have confidence in the processes which lead to how individuals receive CPD or training money? Often the additional learning will act as a catalyst to future career progression.
5. Measuring and sharing impact
Agree a joint approach including both management and staff side representatives to tracking progress on career progression for nurses, that can also be used for the wider workforce, using local workforce data, staff survey, WRES data and feedback. This links to leadership and accountability, therefore be clear where this is reported.
Agree how the work and its progress is shared and communicated within your organisation.
Consider sharing your work with the NHS Employers team so it can be shared more widely on the NHS Employers website and at networking events.
Consider:
- How will you seek advocacy and engagement to accelerate progress?
Good practice
We have published two new case studies highlighting examples of good employment practice to help strengthen local implementation of the seven nurse career progression recommendations.
- Using CPD funds equitably for fairer access to development
Find out what Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust did to improve the tracking of CPD, enabling more equitable access for all staff. - Breaking down barriers to career progression
Read how North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust explored and broke down barriers to promote greater equity across the organisation.
