What are the current pay bands and basic salary scales for junior doctors in the UK?
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Executive summary
Junior (resident) doctors’ basic pay in England after the 2024–25 and 2025–26 settlements ranges roughly from about £32,397–£38,831 at the most junior points up to about £63,162 for senior trainees, with average full‑time basic pay for a resident doctor projected around £54,300 in 2025–26 [1] [2]. The government accepted DDRB recommendations that included uplifts (for 2024–25 a 6% plus £1,000 consolidated element; for 2025–26 an average award of about 5.4%), and unions and analysts report cumulative and backdated uplifts that materially raised the basic scales and lowest hourly basic pay to roughly £18.62 after backpay [3] [2] [4].
1. What “junior doctor” pay bands mean in practice — basic pay versus enhancements
“Junior doctor” in current UK reporting is now commonly called “resident doctor”; basic pay is the contractual, nodal‑point salary that rises by stage of training, not simply by annual increments, while significant additional earnings come from unsocial hours enhancements (nights +37%), weekend allowances, on‑call availability payments and local London/other geographical premia [5] [6]. Sources emphasise that basic pay alone understates total earnings because most resident doctors work rotas attracting these supplements [6] [1].
2. The headline ranges and averages you’ll see quoted
Analysts and official briefings put the basic pay range for junior/resident doctors broadly between about £32,397 and £63,162 across grades, with Nuffield Trust giving an illustrative average total full‑time earning of ~£41,300 for first‑year doctors and ~£71,300 for later specialty registrars when supplements are included [1]. The Department of Health’s 2025 pay award guidance expected average full‑time basic pay for a resident doctor to reach about £54,300 in 2025–26 [2].
3. Recent pay settlements that changed the scales
The government accepted the DDRB recommendations for 2024–25 that uplifted each part of the 2016 pay scale by 6% plus a consolidated £1,000, backdated to 1 April 2024; this was presented as averaging an over‑8% rise when combined with prior adjustments [3]. For 2025–26 the DHSC accepted independent pay bodies’ recommendations producing an average award of about 5.4% (4% plus a consolidated £750 in that description), and ministers projected the ~£54,300 basic pay figure for 2025–26 [2].
4. Disputes over how big the increases felt and headline hourly rates
BMA and campaigning material frame the package as substantially higher than earlier government statements — Full Fact and the BMA note that after backdated rises the lowest hourly basic pay moved to about £18.62; some commentators interpret cumulative rises from 2022–23 to 2025–26 as very large (Full Fact notes claims of a ~29% rise on basic rates in some framings) while government commentary stresses these are the largest public‑sector rises for doctors [4] [7]. Different stakeholders emphasise different baselines and whether consolidated payments and backpay are counted, so headline percentages vary between sources [4] [7].
5. Regional and employer variations: London allowance and local trusts
London and certain surrounding areas attract a substantial annual London weighting (UCL HR lists rates such as £5,197 per annum for lower nodal points and £4,678 for higher points as of August 2025), and some locally employed contracts or older 2002 framework arrangements receive bespoke uplifts—so actual pay can differ by trust and contract type [8] [9]. Sources warn that locally employed contracts are uplifted in line with the substantive contract they mirror [9].
6. Practical implication for a junior doctor’s paycheck
Basic salary gives a baseline but most resident doctors’ pay packets include enhancements that vary with rotas. Practical calculators and payroll guides were updated through 2025 to reflect the new nodal‑point structure and premia; third‑party calculators (Mind The Bleep) and trust HR pages are being used to check payslips and back payments [10] [8]. Pulse Jobs and SHR explain that progression is nodal (stage of training) rather than automatic annual increment, meaning moves in pay depend on grade advancement [5] [11].
Limitations and where to go next
Available sources do not provide a single table listing every nodal point with exact pay figures for each grade across the four UK nations in one place; official NHS Employers/BMA circulars and trust HR pages are the canonical sources for exact point‑by‑point salaries and local premia (not found in current reporting). For a precise, personalised figure check your contract type (2016 vs 2002 vs locally employed), nodal point, London weighting and rota enhancements using your trust payslip and the BMA or NHS Employers pay circulars referenced by analysts [5] [7] [8].