NHS pay and pensions
This briefing outlines trends in NHS pay and pensions and explains how pay decisions are made
Overview
The government plans to publish a 10-year NHS workforce plan in spring 2026.
In June 2023, NHS England published the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, as commissioned by the former Conservative government. The 2023 workforce plan aimed to increase NHS headcount by 60% by 2036/37.
In its 10-year health plan, published in July 2025, the government said there will be fewer staff in the NHS by 2035 than the 2023 plan had projected but that “those staff will be better treated, more motivated, have better training and more scope to develop their careers”. The 10-year health plan made various proposals related to the NHS workforce and leadership. Detailed information about these proposals and stakeholder commentary can be found in chapter 8 of the Library briefing on The 10 Year Health Plan for England.
Ahead of the upcoming 10-year NHS workforce plan, this page brings together briefings on the NHS workforce, including about workforce demographics, turnover and vacancies rates, safe and temporary staffing policies, trends in international recruitment, and staff pay and pensions.
About the NHS workforce
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International recruitment in the NHS workforce
The NHS uses international recruitment to fill staffing vacancies. This briefing summarises numbers and trends in international recruitment of the NHS workforce, concerns and recent policy.
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NHS workforce: Size, characteristics and staffing levels
A summary of the size and characteristics of the NHS workforce, including the number of hospital doctors, nurses and GPs. It covers workforce diversity data, NHS staff turnover and safe and temporary staffing policies.
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NHS staff from overseas: statistics
Around one in five NHS staff in England report a nationality other than British. This briefing has statistics on the nationality of NHS staff for doctors, nurses and other groups, figures on EU nationals, and changes since the Brexit vote.
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NHS key statistics: England
Summary of NHS demand, performance, backlogs, and capacity of services in England. It covers A&E waiting times, hospital waiting lists, cancer waiting times, ambulance response times, staffing levels including doctors and nurses, vacancies, and more.
