Registered specialist nurses: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time registered specialist nurses in the UK earned a median £45,140 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 16% more than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
That ranks 95th of 382 occupations on this measure.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £39,340 and £52,644.
Median full-time pay: women £45,101 a year, men £45,605 a year.
About 70% of the roughly 87,000 employee jobs are full-time.
Since 2021 it has risen 18.1%, from £38,211, slower than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 82,300 people in this line of work, 14% of them in North West.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £31,764 | £638.50 | £17.57 | £22,622 | £440.20 | £17.50 |
| 20th percentile | £37,700 | £703.30 | £18.92 | £30,522 | £584.40 | £19.09 |
| 25th percentile | £39,340 | £746.90 | £20.20 | £31,854 | £626.40 | £20.05 |
| 30th percentile | £40,288 | £765.30 | £20.71 | £34,410 | £661.60 | £20.69 |
| 40th percentile | £42,446 | £835.90 | £22.64 | £39,026 | £731.30 | £22.67 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £45,140 | £873.40 | £23.55 | £41,095 | £792.90 | £23.50 |
| 60th percentile | £47,927 | £930.00 | £24.82 | £44,240 | £860.70 | £24.85 |
| 70th percentile | £51,046 | £990.60 | £26.20 | £47,330 | £928.20 | £26.59 |
| 75th percentile | £52,644 | £1,012.10 | £27.00 | £48,657 | £942.80 | £27.01 |
| 80th percentile | £53,135 | £1,032.30 | £27.52 | £51,590 | £1,000.50 | £27.65 |
| 90th percentile | – | – | – | – | £1,087.60 | £31.00 |
| Mean | £46,165 | £887.30 | £23.80 | £41,120 | £788.00 | £23.92 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £38,211 | £778.20 | £20.85 | £33,946 | £698.30 | 62 |
| 2022 revised | £41,139 | £812.90 | £22.33 | £38,641 | £749.70 | 59 |
| 2023 revised | £42,127 | £858.90 | £23.08 | £40,168 | £790.30 | 62 |
| 2024 revised | £45,932 | £876.80 | £23.29 | £40,746 | £811.80 | 58 |
| 2025 provisional | £45,140 | £873.40 | £23.55 | £41,095 | £792.90 | 87 |
Registered specialist nurses by region
UK: 82,300 (± 11,100), April 2025 to March 2026. 11 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| North West | 11,400* | ± 4,100 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What registered specialist nurses do
Registered specialist nurses provide specialised nursing care and plan ongoing treatment for the sick, injured and others in need of care, take responsibility for patients within their sphere of practice and assist medical doctors with their tasks, work with other healthcare professionals and within teams of healthcare workers. They advise on and teach nursing practices. (ONS SOC 2020, 2233)
Also covers: advanced primary care nurse, intensive care nurse, clinical nurse specialist, theatre manager (hospital service), ITU nurse, nurse consultant, safeguarding nurse, scrub nurse, theatre manager, theatre sister, clinical specialist nurse, diabetes nurse specialist, diabetes specialist nurse, infection control nurse, operating theatre manager, operating theatre nurse, respiratory nurse specialist and palliative care nurse specialist (21 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Provides specialist care in their area of expertise, assesses patients, determines treatments and conducts a variety of medical procedures
- Consults with and provides guidance to other nurses and healthcare professionals within their specialism
- Gives consultations with patients and their families to explain a patient's condition and possible treatments
- Plans duty rotas and organises and directs the work and training of ward and theatre nursing staff
- Advises on nursing care, disease prevention, nutrition, etc. and liaises with hospital board/management on issues concerning nursing policy
- Plans, manages, provides and evaluates nursing care services for patients, supervises the implementation of nursing care plans
A degree or equivalent qualification is required as well as significant relevant experience. Courses comprise both theoretical and practical work, including placements in hospital and community settings. Full time diploma courses last three years; degree courses last three or four years. Accelerated programmes are available to graduates with a health-related degree. Post-registration training is available for a range of clinical specialisms.
Related
Nursing professionals (median £43,078) · Registered community nurses · Registered nurse practitioners · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026