NHS Theatre Nurse Salary 2026/27: Bands, On-Call & Unsocial Hours

Last updated: 28 September 2026 · Figures verified against the NHS Employers 2026/27 pay circular.

By the NHS Bands Pay editorial team

Theatre nurse pay bands 2026/27

Theatre nurses — working in anaesthetics, scrub and recovery — are typically Band 5 on qualification, with senior theatre nurses at Band 6 and theatre team leaders at Band 7. The 3.3% 2026/27 award, effective 1 April 2026, applies throughout. Theatre pay is dominated by two things this page covers in depth: on-call and unsocial hours — the components theatre nurses actually argue about, and the reason two Band 5 theatre nurses can take home very different pay.

Theatre nurses start on £32,073 (£16.38 an hour), rising to £39,043 at the top of Band 5. Senior theatre nurses earn £39,959–£48,117:

All figures are full-time equivalent for England; see NHS Band 5 pay and NHS Band 6 pay for the bands in full.

Source: NHS Employers 2026/27 pay award; rates also published by Health Careers NHS.

Take-home pay: worked examples

Approximate monthly take-home for England in 2026/27 (standard 1257L tax code, no student loan, before on-call and enhancements). Pension at the 2025/26 tiers.

That is roughly £2,040 a month at entry and £2,866 at the top of Band 6 — before on-call, which follows.

On-call: the deep dive, with a worked month

Emergency operating lists run around the clock, so theatre nurses join on-call rotas. AfC pays on-call in two parts: an availability payment for being on call (a flat sum per on-call period, with the rate depending on frequency — set nationally, applied locally) and call-out payments when you are called in, usually at overtime rates for the hours worked with a minimum credit per call-out under most local agreements.

A worked illustration for a Band 5 theatre nurse at the top of the band (£19.95 an hour). Suppose an on-call week brings three call-outs: two 3-hour cases and one 5-hour case, all at night:

• 3 hours × £19.95 × 1.5 (overtime) = £89.78 per 3-hour call-out × 2 = £179.55
• 5 hours × £19.95 × 1.5 = £149.63
• Call-out total: £329.18 — plus the availability payments for the on-call periods

A busy on-call month with several such weeks can add £1,000+ to take-home pay — which is why theatre nurses watch their on-call frequency as closely as their band. But the terms are local: availability rates, call-out minimums and how quickly call-outs are paid vary by trust. Always get the on-call policy in writing when comparing theatre jobs; it can be worth more than a pay step. The national framework is in our unsocial hours and overtime guide.

Unsocial hours on theatre rotas

Evening and weekend operating lists attract Section 2 enhancements: +30% for Saturday and weekday nights (8pm–6am), +60% for Sundays and public holidays. At Band 5 entry (£16.38 an hour), a Saturday list hour is worth about £21.29 and a Sunday hour about £26.21; at Band 6 top (£24.58), a Sunday hour is worth about £39.33. Combined with on-call, this is why theatre nursing is consistently among the better-paid Band 5 roles in practice.

Scrub, anaesthetics, recovery: same banding, different days

The three theatre roles share the same pay scale — a scrub nurse, an anaesthetic nurse and a recovery nurse at Band 5 all earn £32,073–£39,043. The differences are in the work and the rota: anaesthetic nurses are often first on the on-call rota for emergency cases; scrub nurses cover the full range of lists; recovery nurses' hours track list finish times, which can mean late finishes paid as overtime. None is systematically better paid — choose by aptitude, not money.

Theatre nurse vs ODP: the direct comparison

The question every theatre department answers at interview. Basic pay is identical at the same band — a Band 5 theatre nurse and a Band 5 ODP both earn £32,073–£39,043, the same enhancements and the same on-call terms. The differences: ODPs train specifically for theatres (anaesthetics/surgery/recovery) and register with the HCPC; nurses train as nurses first, specialise in theatres after, and register with the NMC — which keeps every other nursing specialty open as an alternative. See ODP salary for the full comparison.

Career progression

• Band 5 → 6: senior theatre nurse — list leadership, complex specialties, mentorship; typically 2–5 years.
• Band 6 → 7: theatre team leader, theatre manager, practice educator (£49,387–£56,515).
• Beyond: matron, service manager, advanced clinical practice and surgical care practitioner roles.

Agency theatre nursing vs substantive

Theatre agency shifts pay higher headline hourly rates — scrub and anaesthetic nurses are in constant demand — but with no sick pay, no pension, no paid leave and no on-call structure beyond the hourly rate. Most theatre nurses who want extra income do bank shifts at their own or neighbouring trusts instead: AfC rates plus enhancements, keeping the pension. Compare another on-call-heavy specialty: ICU nurse salary.

Frequently asked questions

What band is a theatre nurse?

Band 5 on qualification (£32,073–£39,043 in England in 2026/27), Band 6 for senior theatre nurses (£39,959–£48,117), and Band 7 for theatre team leaders (£49,387–£56,515).

Do theatre nurses get on-call pay?

Yes — an availability payment for on-call periods plus call-out payments (usually at overtime rates) when called in. A busy on-call month can add £1,000+ to take-home pay; exact availability rates and call-out minimums vary by trust, so check the local policy.

What band is a scrub nurse?

Band 5 (£32,073–£39,043) — scrub, anaesthetic and recovery nurses share the same banding. Senior scrub nurses are Band 6.

Theatre nurse vs ODP salary — who earns more?

Neither. A Band 5 theatre nurse and a Band 5 ODP earn exactly the same basic pay, enhancements and on-call terms — Agenda for Change pays the band, not the profession. The choice is about training route and registration (NMC vs HCPC).

How much does a theatre nurse earn per hour?

Band 5: £16.38–£19.95; Band 6: £20.41–£24.58 an hour (England 2026/27, full-time equivalent, before on-call and enhancements). A Sunday hour at the top of Band 6 is worth about £39.33.

Is theatre nursing well paid?

Basic pay is standard Band 5–6 — but on-call and unsocial-hours payments make theatre nursing one of the better-paid Band 5 roles in practice. The rota is part of the pay: compare on-call policies, not just bands, when choosing between jobs.

How do I become a theatre nurse?

Qualify as a nurse (Band 5) then specialise — most theatre nurses learn scrub, anaesthetic and recovery skills in post, sometimes via a dedicated theatre course. Alternatively, train as an ODP: see our ODP salary guide.

Surgical first assistant: the advanced scrub role

The surgical first assistant — providing skilled assistance directly to the surgeon, including retraction, haemostasis and wound closure — is the advanced edge of the scrub role, typically requiring specific training and sitting at Band 6 (£39,959–£48,117), sometimes Band 7. It is one of the few ways to increase scrub pay without moving into management, and surgical first assistants are in demand wherever consultants operate lists that need skilled assistance beyond the scrub nurse.

Weekend lists and waiting-list initiatives

Trusts running weekend operating lists to cut waiting times need theatre nurses, and those lists attract enhancement or overtime rates — Saturday at +30%, Sunday at +60% on basic. A Band 5 nurse at the top of the band (£19.95 an hour) earns about £25.94 an hour on a Saturday list and £31.92 on a Sunday one. Waiting-list initiative work is often the best-paid regular extra available to theatre nurses — better than ward bank shifts — because the hours are long, skilled and unsocial.

Sources and independence

Source: NHS Employers 2026/27 pay award.

Source: Health Careers NHS: Agenda for Change pay rates.

Source: NHS Employers unsocial hours factsheet (on-call and Section 2).

This is an independent guide and is not affiliated with the NHS. Figures are full-time equivalent (37.5 hours/week) for England. Always check your trust's ESR record and your payslip for your actual pay.