NHS PRB pay award announcement 2026
Today (Thursday 12 February), the government has announced the 2026/27 pay award for staff under the remit of the NHS Pay Review Body (NHS PRB).
Staff on Agenda for Change NHS terms and conditions will receive a 3.3 per cent consolidated uplift.
Electronic Staff Record (ESR) colleagues have received the detail of the pay award, and have confirmed that the increase will be paid in April salaries, in line with ESR lead times.
As part of the 2026/27 Agenda for Change pay package, the Department of Health and Social Care will begin fast‑paced discussions with trade unions and employers through the NHS Staff Council to agree funded improvements to the pay structure. This builds on earlier work on potential multi‑year arrangements and is supported by separate funding committed following the 2025/26 PRB recommendations. Once agreed, reforms will provide some staff with additional pay increases backdated to 1 April 2026. Priorities include raising pay for the lowest bands and improving pay for graduates across professions.
Pay resources
We have published a new pay scales poster for the Agenda for Change pay award so that you can communicate the details of the pay award to your teams:
Next steps
We will now begin to update our website with all the supporting materials and information on the pay details in accordance with implementation plans and the timetable for all pay-related changes. We will let you know when the latest versions are available.
Further information
- Read the NHS PRB report.
- Read the written Ministerial statement.
- Read our response to the NHS pay announcements.
- Read our 2026/27 evidence to the pay review bodies 26/27.
