New general practice nurse pay report unveiled at Nursing in Practice London event
Nursing in Practice have published a new and exclusive report examining the pay, terms and conditions of nurses working in general practice, General practice nurse pay: A salary survey of the profession 2026.
The General practice nurse pay: A salary survey of the profession 2026 report was unveiled at our Nursing in Practice London event at the Business Design Centre on Thursday 30 April.
Based on a survey of almost 900 general practice nursing staff, the data and analysis reveals average pay by role, Band level and region – and offers a detailed look into nurses’ benefits packages, pensions and job satisfaction levels. It follows on from our 2025 version of the salary and report.
The report, informed by expert advice, including from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), highlights a widening gap between the contribution of GPNs and how they are recognised and rewarded, and that practice nurses are earning thousands of pounds less than those in secondary care on Agenda for Change (AfC) terms.
Concerningly, our data suggests the situation poses a significant risk to the sustainability of the primary care nursing workforce at a time of increasing demand.
Nursing in Practice editor Megan Ford highlighted some of the report’s key findings during our Nursing in Practice London event, including:
- On average, a Band 6 general practice nurse earns £36,443 – this comes in at much less than the salary set for the entry point of Band 6 on Agenda for Change (£38,682)
- A third (34%) of GPNs did not receive a pay rise for 2025/26
- 32% are thinking of quitting in the next year, largely because of pay and feeling undervalued
- And only 5% say they are offered above statutory maternity pay, while 32% report receiving above statutory sick pay
The launch was followed by a keynote address from RCN chief executive and general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger, who welcomed the report as an important publication and stressed that GPNs are not being paid their ‘value and worth’.
The report also features commentary from a GP from the grassroots organisation Doctors Association UK (DAUK) about the funding constraints faced by GP partners when it comes to paying their nurses, as well as expert advice for nurses on managing their pensions and how to negotiate a pay rise.
Nurses responding to the survey raised countless concerns that their pay does not reflect the work they do, including one GPN who said: ‘Practice nurses don’t get the recognition we deserve. We are highly skilled nurses who work autonomously but are an integral part of the wider team. We deserve the same pay scale as nurses working in secondary care, to reflect our hard work and expertise in general practice. We are the “forgotten nurses”.’
The nursing salary survey report for general practice nurses can be accessed here.