Palliative Care Nurse Pay 2026/27

Last updated: 23 October 2026 · Figures verified against the NHS Employers 2026/27 pay circular.

By the NHS Bands Pay editorial team

What NHS palliative care nurses earn in 2026/27: the Band 5, 6 and 7 salary ranges, hourly rates, how hospice pay compares with NHS pay, unsocial hours on 24-hour rotas, London weighting, pension, and the route into the specialty.

Palliative care nurses look after people with life-limiting illness and the families around them: managing pain and other symptoms, coordinating care across hospital, hospice and home, supporting advance care planning, and being present through dying and bereavement. It is one of the most relationship-intensive specialties in nursing, and it draws nurses who want depth rather than throughput. This page covers palliative care nurse pay for 2026/27 in England in full: the Band 5, 6 and 7 salary figures, the honest comparison between NHS and hospice employment, what 24-hour rotas mean for unsocial-hours enhancements, London weighting, pension, and how nurses move into the specialty. For the wider picture, see our guides to Band 5, Band 6 and Band 7 pay.

Palliative care nurse salary 2026/27

The 2026/27 Agenda for Change rates for palliative care nurse posts in England, full-time at 37.5 hours a week, with 2025/26 for comparison:

Source: NHS Employers Agenda for Change pay circular 2026/27 (England, full-time 37.5 hours a week). Hourly rates are annual salary divided by 52.2 weeks and 37.5 hours. The 2026/27 figures include the 3.3% consolidated award effective 1 April 2026.

The banding pattern is consistent across palliative care settings: Band 5 for staff nurse posts in hospice inpatient units, hospital palliative care teams and community teams (the standard entry point); Band 6 for specialist palliative care nurses with autonomous caseloads; and Band 7 for clinical nurse specialists and team leads with service-wide responsibility. Consultant nurse and service-director posts reach Band 8a and above (£57,528 to £64,750 at Band 8a in 2026/27 - see our Band 8a pay guide). The step from the top of Band 5 (£39,043) to Band 6 entry (£39,959) is £916; the full Band 6 range to £48,117 is where specialist palliative care practice sits.

In monthly terms before tax and deductions: Band 5 entry is about £2,672.75 a month, Band 5 top about £3,253.58, Band 6 top about £4,009.75 and Band 7 top about £4,709.58.

What palliative care nursing involves

Palliative care is not a single workplace. Nurses in the specialty work across three main settings, and the setting shapes both the daily work and the pay extras:

• Hospital palliative care teams: advising ward teams on symptom control, supporting complex discharges, and coordinating with community services. Mostly daytime and weekday, with on-call cover.
• Hospice inpatient units: hands-on nursing for patients admitted for symptom management, respite or end-of-life care. Hospices run 24-hour rotas, so unsocial-hours enhancements are a routine part of earnings here.
• Community palliative care teams: visiting patients at home, supporting families, liaising with GPs and district nurses. Evening and weekend cover is common; night nursing in the community is usually a separate service.

The clinical core is the same everywhere: expert symptom assessment and management (pain, breathlessness, nausea, anxiety, agitation), difficult conversations done well, advance care planning, supporting families before and after death, and coordinating the many professionals involved in a dying person's care. Specialist palliative care nurses at Band 6 and above carry autonomous caseloads, prescribe within their competence, and teach and support generalist colleagues. It is the combination of high-level clinical skill and emotional intelligence that makes the specialty hard to recruit for, and it is why experienced palliative care nurses are valued well beyond their band.

NHS vs hospice pay: the honest comparison

This is the question every palliative care nurse asks, and the honest answer is that it depends on the hospice. Hospices in England are independent charities, not NHS employers. They set their own contracts, pay scales and terms, so there is no single "hospice nurse salary" the way there is an NHS band. In practice:

• Many hospices mirror Agenda for Change. To recruit experienced NHS nurses, a large number of hospices explicitly match AfC pay bands and the annual NHS award, so a Band 6 specialist nurse post in a hospice may pay exactly the £39,959 to £48,117 range above. Some hospices state this in the advert; always check.
• Some set their own scales. Smaller or financially stretched hospices may pay below the equivalent AfC band, or above it for hard-to-fill posts. Charitable funding means pay is ultimately set by trustees, not by a national circular.
• Pensions differ. NHS employment means the NHS Pension Scheme. Some hospices offer NHS Pension Scheme membership, but many run their own defined-contribution charity scheme instead, which is a materially less generous benefit. When comparing an NHS post with a hospice post, the pension is often the biggest hidden difference in the package.
• Terms can be more flexible. Hospices sometimes offer more flexible rostering, better staffing ratios and a calmer working environment than an acute trust, which is part of why nurses move to them even where the headline pay matches.

Well-known national charities in the sector include Marie Curie and Macmillan, but most hospice care is delivered by local independent hospices. Whatever the employer, the questions to ask at interview are the same: does the post follow AfC pay and the annual award, which pension scheme applies, and how are unsocial hours and on-call paid? The answers tell you more than the headline salary.

Unsocial hours on palliative care rotas

How much unsocial-hours pay matters depends on the setting. Hospital palliative care teams working office hours see little of it; hospice inpatient units on 24-hour rotas and community teams covering evenings and weekends see a meaningful uplift. Under AfC Section 2, unsocial hours are weekday nights (8pm to 6am), all of Saturday, and Sundays and bank holidays:

• Band 5: time plus 41% for Saturdays and weekday nights, time plus 83% for Sundays and bank holidays. On 2026/27 basics that is about £23.10 an hour on Saturdays and weekday nights at Band 5 entry, rising to £28.13 at the top of Band 5; Sundays and bank holidays pay about £29.98 to £36.51 an hour across the band.
• Bands 6 and 7: time plus 30% for Saturdays and weekday nights, time plus 60% for Sundays and bank holidays. At the top of Band 6 that is about £31.95 an hour on Saturdays and £39.33 on Sundays and bank holidays; at the top of Band 7, about £37.53 and £46.19.

On-call payments are locally determined within the AfC framework, so hospital teams with an on-call rota should check the exact arrangement in the contract. Our unsocial hours and overtime guide covers the Section 2 rules in full.

Overtime for palliative care nurses

Under AfC Section 3, overtime for staff in Bands 1 to 7 is paid at time-and-a-half: about £24.57 an hour at Band 5 entry rising to £29.93 at the top of Band 5, and £30.62 to £36.87 across Band 6 in 2026/27. Overtime on bank holidays is double time, about £49.16 an hour at the top of Band 6 and £57.74 at the top of Band 7. Part-time staff are paid at plain time for hours above their contracted hours up to 37.5 a week, with overtime rates only above full-time hours. Staff at Band 8a and above have no contractual overtime pay and take time off in lieu instead.

London weighting (HCAS) for palliative care nurses

Palliative care nurses employed by London trusts receive the High Cost Area Supplement: 20% of basic pay in inner London (minimum £5,794, maximum £8,746), 15% in outer London (minimum £4,870, maximum £6,137) and 5% in the fringe zone (minimum £1,346, maximum £2,270). Note that most hospices are outside the AfC framework, so a hospice post in London may or may not include an equivalent London supplement: check the advert.

Worked examples for NHS posts. A Band 5 palliative care nurse at the top of the band in inner London: 20% of £39,043 is £7,808.60, between the minimum and maximum, so it applies in full: £39,043 + £7,808.60 = £46,851.60 a year. A Band 6 specialist nurse at entry in inner London: 20% of £39,959 is £7,991.80: £47,950.80 a year. A Band 7 lead nurse at entry in inner London: 20% of £49,387 is £9,877.40, above the £8,746 maximum, so the cap applies: £49,387 + £8,746 = £58,133 a year. In outer London at Band 5 entry, 15% of £32,073 is £4,810.95, below the £4,870 minimum, so the minimum applies: £32,073 + £4,870 = £36,943 a year. Our HCAS guide has the full zone map.

Pension and benefits

NHS palliative care nurses are in the NHS Pension Scheme, the defined-benefit CARE (career average revalued earnings) scheme. Contribution tiers for 2026/27 are provisional:

• Band 5 entry (£32,073): 8.3% tier - about £221.84 a month (£2,662.06 a year).
• Band 5 top (£39,043): 9.8% tier - about £265.52 a month (£3,186.21 a year).
• Band 6 top (£48,117): 9.8% tier - about £392.96 a month (£4,715.47 a year).
• Band 7 top (£56,515): 10.7% tier - about £503.93 a month (£6,047.11 a year).

The employer contributes 23.7% on top, which is why the scheme is such a large part of total reward. Hospice nurses should check which scheme their charity offers before comparing packages: our NHS pension contributions guide explains the tiers and the provisional 2026/27 rates in detail. Other AfC benefits, including the 27 to 33 days of annual leave plus bank holidays and occupational sick pay, apply to NHS-employed palliative care nurses; hospice terms vary by charity.

Palliative care nurse pay in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Pay is devolved, so the figures above are England only:

• Scotland: a two-year deal means 3.75% from 1 April 2026 with a 36-hour week (overtime threshold now 36 hours). Band 5 in Scotland runs £34,494 to £42,977. See our NHS Scotland pay guide.
• Wales: 3.3% implemented 1 April 2026. Band 5 in Wales is £32,557 / £35,114 / £39,631. See our NHS Wales pay guide.
• Northern Ireland: the 3.3% award is recommended but not yet implemented, so do not budget on it until it is confirmed. See our NHS Northern Ireland pay guide.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an NHS palliative care nurse earn?

In 2026/27, NHS palliative care nurses in England earn £32,073 to £39,043 a year at Band 5, £39,959 to £48,117 at Band 6, and £49,387 to £56,515 at Band 7, for a full-time 37.5-hour week under Agenda for Change. The figures include the 3.3% pay award effective 1 April 2026.

What band is a palliative care nurse in the NHS?

Staff nurse posts in palliative care are usually Band 5, which is the standard entry point. Specialist palliative care nurse posts are typically Band 6, and lead or clinical nurse specialist roles in palliative care sit at Band 7. Senior consultant-nurse and service-lead posts reach Band 8a and above.

Do hospice nurses earn the same as NHS nurses?

Not automatically. Hospices are independent charities, so they set their own contracts and pay scales. Many mirror Agenda for Change bands so they can recruit experienced NHS staff, but some do not. Always check the job advert: ask whether the post follows AfC pay and terms, and which pension scheme applies, since some hospices offer NHS Pension Scheme membership and others run their own charity scheme.

Do palliative care nurses work nights and weekends?

It depends on the setting. Hospital palliative care teams are mostly daytime and weekday with on-call cover. Hospice inpatient units run 24-hour rotas like hospital wards, and community palliative care teams cover evenings and weekends. Where hours fall in the unsocial windows, Section 2 enhancements apply: at Band 5, time plus 41% for Saturdays and weekday nights and time plus 83% for Sundays and bank holidays; at Bands 6 and 7, time plus 30% and time plus 60%.

What is the difference between a palliative care nurse and a district nurse?

District nurses deliver general community nursing to housebound patients and usually hold a specialist practitioner qualification at Band 6 or above. Palliative care nurses specialise in symptom control, advance care planning and end-of-life support, working across hospitals, hospices and the community. The roles overlap in the community, and some nurses hold both specialisms. See our district nurse salary guide for the comparison.

How do I become a palliative care nurse?

You need NMC registration as a registered nurse and usually a few years of clinical experience first, often in oncology, elderly care, respiratory or community nursing. Band 5 palliative care staff nurse posts are the entry point. Postgraduate modules in palliative and end-of-life care strengthen applications for Band 6 specialist posts.

Is palliative care nursing emotionally difficult?

It can be. Working with dying patients and bereaved families is emotionally demanding, and good employers build in clinical supervision, reflective practice and team debriefs. Many palliative care nurses say the depth of the relationships and the sense of making a real difference at a critical time are what keep them in the specialty.

Can palliative care nurses work part-time?

Yes. Part-time working is common in palliative care, especially in hospices and community teams. Part-time pay is pro rata of the full-time equivalent salary: a 0.6 WTE Band 6 specialist nurse at the top of the band earns 60% of £48,117, which is £28,870.20 a year before any enhancements. Our part-time pay guide explains the pro-rata rules.