Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the average rate of pay of a qualified nurse with ten years experience in (1) 2010, and (2) 2020; and if adjusted for the purchasing value of the pound, what would be the percentage change in remuneration since 2010.

In June 2010, basic pay, not including any additional earnings, for a newly qualified nurse at the bottom of Band 5, on a full-time equivalent basis (FTE), was £21,176.

We can estimate that, for nurses still working in the Hospital and Community Health Sector (HCHS) in June 2020, average basic pay per FTE was £34,216. This is a nominal increase of 61.6% and reflects pay awards; progression up pay scales within pay bands, promotion to more senior roles in higher pay bands and the effects of the Agenda for Change multi-year pay and contract reform deal (2018/19-2020/21). After accounting for consumer price index inflation this is a real terms increase of 33.2%.

Nurses can also earn premium rates of pay for working during unsocial hours or through agreed overtime. The NHS reward package also includes a generous annual leave allowance and access to a much-valued pension scheme.

These estimates are derived from unvalidated data from the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) Data Warehouse. This is a monthly snapshot of the live ESR system, which is the HR and payroll system for the HCHS sector in England. It does not cover those working in general practice, social care or the independent sector and one NHS foundation trust that has chosen to not use the system.