This report looks at long-term trends in pay for UK nurses since the establishment of the NHS Pay Review Body in 1983 to the present day. It explores changes over time, how nurses’ pay has changed relative to other public sector workers, and how pay for UK nurses compares to other countries. As the NHS focuses on how to ‘build back better’ from the pandemic, the report explores whether the current NHS pay system remains fit for purpose. It highlights five key areas where the system could be improved to better address critical nurse shortages and support the future sustainability of the NHS more broadly.

The report underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive NHS workforce strategy which acknowledges pay as a powerful driver of nurse motivation and retention, and places nurse pay at the front and centre of policies to support the NHS’s post-Covid recovery.