Specialist nurse: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Specialist nurses (SOC 2233)
About £37,057 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +3.3% on last year
£3,882 a month About £3,088 a month after tax 59 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £38,211 in 2021 to £46,580 in 2026 (+22%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | £26,947 | £32,506 | £38,211 | £44,697 | x |
| 2022 | £31,290 | £36,072 | £41,139 | £47,848 | x |
| 2023 | £33,417 | £36,936 | £42,127 | £47,684 | x |
| 2024 | £31,085 | £37,790 | £45,932 | £52,359 | x |
| 2025 | £31,702 | £39,233 | £45,077 | £52,505 | x |
| 2026 | £33,389 | £39,171 | £46,580 | £53,199 | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £46,580 a year and half earn more. That is 14% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £39,171 and £53,199; one in ten earns less than £33,389.
Ranked by median, it is number 94 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £3,088 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £3,026 in Scotland.
The median for men is £49,162 and for women £45,308, a gap of 8% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £33,389 | £2,782 |
| 20th | £37,876 | £3,156 |
| 25th (P25) | £39,171 | £3,264 |
| 30th | £40,748 | £3,396 |
| 40th | £42,652 | £3,554 |
| Median (50th) | £46,580 | £3,882 |
| 60th | £48,469 | £4,039 |
| 70th | £51,303 | £4,275 |
| 75th (P75) | £53,199 | £4,433 |
| 80th | £54,956 | £4,580 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £49,162 | £48,832 | 9 |
| Women | £45,308 | £46,186 | 50 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £37,057 | £3,088 |
| Scotland | £36,314 | £3,026 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £47,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 24 job titles to SOC 2233 Specialist nurses. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Advanced primary care nurse
- Clinical nurse specialist
- Clinical nurse specialist in palliative care
- Clinical specialist nurse
- Diabetes nurse specialist
- Diabetes specialist nurse
- Infection control nurse
- Infection prevention and control nurse
- Intensive care nurse
- ITU nurse
- Nurse consultant
- Nurse specialist
- Operating theatre manager
- Operating theatre nurse
- Palliative care nurse specialist
- Respiratory nurse specialist
- Safeguarding nurse
- Scrub nurse
- Specialist community public health nurse
- Specialist nurse
- Specialist palliative care nurse
- Theatre manager
- Theatre nurse
- Theatre sister
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Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.