Nurses often migrate to other countries in search of better work environments, opportunities for career growth, and a higher quality of life for themselves and their families. This trend is no different in the UK, despite it being a developed country. A nurse’s work environment and salary have a significant impact on their quality of life, as they must manage their living expenses from their earnings.

If you are thinking of migrating to the UK to work as a nurse, you have two options. One of which is to work for the NHS hospitals, and the second option is to work for private employers such as a Nursing home or a private hospital. The government of the UK has achieved the target of delivering the largest ever sustained growth in the NHS nursing workforce. More than 50,000 additional nurses are currently working in the NHS compared to September 2019. As a result, you may already know that nursing job opportunities in NHS trust hospitals are currently limited in some departments and fully closed in others until further notice. Therefore, if you’re planning to come to the UK to work as a nurse, it’s advisable that you take the OSCE exam and register as a nurse before your IELTS or OET English language test expires.

If you’re looking to start your nursing career in the UK, working as a nurse in a nursing home or private hospital would be a wise decision in the current scenario. However, it’s important to note that nursing job opportunities in nursing homes are also limited, so it’s best to apply for free nurses recruitment to the UK as soon as possible to avoid missing out. It’s recommended that you act quickly, as once nurses become aware that there are limited NHS Trust job vacancies available, there may be a rush of applicants for nursing home positions. Furthermore, if a suitable opportunity arises, you can join a hospital under the NHS trust as a nurse, depending on your contact with the employer. Click here to download a sample contract

Hi there! My name is Jins George, and I am a serial entrepreneur in the HR industry. I specialize in recruiting nursing professionals from India to work in various countries such as the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the US. This blog provides a comprehensive guide on nurses career opportunities in the UK. It will help you make an informed decision about where to work. This guide explains how NHS Trust hospitals, nursing homes, and private hospitals operate in the UK. Moreover, it will also assist you in prioritizing your preferences accordingly.

If you are a nurse planning to migrate to the UK, you should be prepared to adapt to a new work environment and system that may differ from your current surroundings. Typically, NHS hospitals are quite busy with a high number of daily admissions, discharges, and 7-9 direct patient care caseloads to manage regularly. Conversely, working in a nursing home as a nurse means you will have the same patients and set routines, and the medications will be almost identical. In this role, you will be the team leader for 5-7 health care assistants who will assist you with patient care needs. Your duties will include administering medication to patients, maintaining their care plan, clinical record-keeping, delegating tasks to care assistants, and coordinating patient-centred care. As an experienced nurse, managing a team of nursing assistants and coordinating care should not be difficult for you.

Furthermore, establishing and nurturing a therapeutic relationship with patients and their loved ones will enable you to gain insight into their care requirements, inclinations, actions, and customs. This, in turn, can foster a more tranquil and comfortable workplace for you, as well as aid in achieving a desirable work-life equilibrium.

Furthermore, most nursing homes pay an additional £8,500 in the first year and £13,000 in the second year onwards compared to NHS trust hospitals. This creates a great opportunity to fulfil your migration commitments and settle down in the UK. Also, earning an extra £34,500 can give you an advantage when applying for a mortgage after three years.

Area of work

If you are a nurse with experience in a specific area, such as the ICU, and wish to work solely in that field in the UK, then the NHS hospitals are the best option for you. On the other hand, if your experience is diverse and covers various areas of nursing, you can consider working in a Nursing Home. Keep reading to learn about the benefits that NHS hospitals and nursing homes offer to their staff nurses.

How much do Staff Nurses earn in the UK?

Generally speaking, your offer letter from the NHS would be in an annual salary structure. If you want to compare it to a private employer, such as a private hospital or nursing home, it would be difficult because their offer letter would be in an hourly pay structure.

So, I assume your NHS contracted hours are 42 per week, working full time, which means you are able to work 52 weeks in a year contract, and your contract term is three years. Out-country application contracts in the NHS for nurses start at Band 4, which means anyone coming from abroad as a nurse will be on Band 4 prior to obtaining the registration with NMC, and once they have successfully completed the OSCE, the band would be increased to 5.

Your offer letter comes with £23,761.00 per year for a band 4 nurse and £26,214.00 for a band 5 nurse. Your hourly pay with NHS will be £11.44 before you qualify for OSCE and £13.80 per hour after clearing OSCE and getting NMC PIN. We can discuss the NHS nurse’s band and the benefits and salary of different bands in a different blog.

Private employers pay you £11.44 per hour before passing the OSCE, and after clearing OSCE and getting NMC PIN, they normally pay £16.00 per hour, and your gross annual income will be £34,944.00 for the first year. During the second year, the hourly rate of pay increases to £18.00 per hour, and the annual gross income would be £39,312.00. Whereas NHS pay remains the same, £13.80, and as a band 5 nurse, your gross annual salary would be £26,214.00.

Nurses who work for a nursing home or care home earn £8,730.00 more in the first year and £13,098.00 more in the second and third years, respectively, compared to NHS and a total of £34,926.00 during the three-year contract period.

There had been a pay cap of 1% for NHS nurses, which means nurses would only get approximately £0.11 pence per hour. However, the cap is being lifted this year, and the yearly increase will be 1.7%, equivalent to £0.18 pence going forward each year. Whereas in nursing homes, you have a yearly appraisal of your pay.

Nurses Overtime Pay in the UK

Employees in the UK can work overtime in both the NHS and nursing homes. The NHS offers time and a half for working overtime, which is calculated based on the standard rate of £11.08 per hour once an employee has passed the OSCE exam. Double time is paid for working on bank holidays and 60% additional pay is provided for working on Sundays, which brings the hourly rate to £17.72.

In nursing homes, the standard rate of pay is £15.00 per hour, which increases to £17.00 per hour after completing the first year. Overtime is paid at the same rate.

There is a high demand for enhanced pay, such as overtime, Sundays and bank holidays among staff nurses in the NHS. To ensure fairness, overtime hours are distributed equally among the staff. For example, if a ward requires 36 hours of overtime to cover a week and has 16 staff nurses, the hours will be divided equally, with each staff member receiving 2.25 hours. However, it is not practical to allocate 2.25 hours per week to each staff nurse, so the hours are allocated to three staff members, covering 12 hours of shifts.

If the NHS is unable to cover the shortage of staff with contracted hours, they will issue overtime to employees. However, due to the need for fairness, the first three staff members who work overtime must wait for their turn to work overtime again, which may take six weeks, eight weeks or even longer.

Pension pay in the UK for Nurses

When it comes to pension contributions, both private and public employers are required by law to pay 3% of an employee’s gross income towards their pension. The payment process works as follows: employees must contribute 5% of their gross monthly salary towards their pension, while their employer must contribute 3% of the employee’s gross monthly income.

For example, if you work 42 hours in a nursing home and earn a gross income of £2750.00 per month, £137.50 will be deducted from your salary towards your pension contribution, and the employer will contribute £82.50 towards your pension, making a total of £220.00 per month. If you work in the NHS for the same number of hours, you will earn only £2020.00 per month, and your pension contribution will be £101.00, with the NHS contributing £60.00, making a total of £161.00 per month.

It’s important to note that the pension is a long-term contribution made by both you and your employer each month. Therefore, a difference of £59.00 per month can have a significant impact on the lump sum of your pension when you retire.

Nurses Statutory Maternity Leave in the UK

In the UK, employed pregnant women are entitled to 52 weeks or one year of maternity leave. This leave is made up of 26 weeks of ordinary maternity leave and 26 weeks of additional maternity leave, regardless of whether they work for the NHS or a private employer.

Expecting mothers can take at least 15 weeks of leave before their due date, and their employer is required by law to confirm their start and end dates of maternity leave within 28 days. While on Statutory Maternity Leave, employment rights are protected, which include pay raises, building up annual leave, and availing it for return to work.

Under the NHS scheme, maternity pay is calculated based on the average weekly earnings for the eight weeks ending with the qualifying week, which is the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth. Gross earnings, including banding, are taken into consideration.

NHS employees are entitled to eight weeks of full pay, 18 weeks of half pay, and 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay, leaving 13 weeks of unpaid maternity leave if they choose to take the full 52 weeks of leave.

Private employers, on the other hand, pay 90% of the employee’s average weekly earnings for the initial six weeks and £151.20 per week for weeks seven to 39. Weeks 39 to 52 are unpaid if the employee chooses to take that period as maternity leave.

Regardless of whether an employee works for the NHS or a private employer, Statutory Maternity Pay remains the same at £151.20 per week.

If an employee takes 26 weeks of maternity leave, which is equivalent to 6.2 months of leave, the difference in pay between the NHS and nursing homes is £465.00 and £567.00, respectively, for the first six weeks. For the remaining 20 weeks, nursing homes will pay £151.20 per week, and the NHS will pay £232.00. This means that NHS staff will receive an extra £1463.00 per child compared to nursing home staff.

However, after clearing the OSCE, hourly pay will have a £4.00 difference in the first year and £6.00 in the second year, which is a great financial gain for employees working with private employers. Care homes pay £12,914.00 more compared to the NHS from the second year onwards. Therefore, receiving £1463.00 maternity pay per child compared to almost £13,000.00 is not a financial gain.

Paid holidays in the UK as a Nurse

In the UK, every employee is entitled to at least 28 days of paid holiday per year, whether they work for the NHS or a nursing home. NHS staff’s annual leave entitlement will increase from 28 days to 29 days after 5 years of service, and to 33 days after 10 years of service. On the other hand, nursing home staff are entitled to 39.2 days of annual leave per year.

Sick Pay for Nurses in the UK

As an NHS employee, you are entitled to 6 days of sick leave with pay each year. However, if you work for a private employer, you won’t be paid for any sick leave you take. On the other hand, if you work for a nursing home, you get an additional 11.2 days of annual leave, which can be used to cover any sick days if needed.

If you’re unable to meet your expenses when you’re sick, you may want to consider income protection insurance. This is especially true if you can’t pay your bills with government benefits, such as Employment and Support Allowance, which pays between £74.35 and £113.55 a week. Additionally, income protection insurance may be helpful if your employer doesn’t provide sick pay, or if you’re the main earner in your family.

If you’re interested in learning more about income protection insurance and its benefits for nurses in the UK, we have a video in our UK Nurses playlist. You can click on the link below to see if you’re eligible or to get a quote.