NHS Gender Pay Gap Grows to 11.2 Percent as Women Concentrated in Lower Pay Bands

The National Health Service’s gender pay gap widened to 11.2 percent in the latest annual data, a figure that represents the difference between the average hourly pay of male and female employees across the whole health service. The gap persists and is growing despite women comprising the substantial majority of the NHS workforce across most staff groups, reflecting the concentration of the highest-paid roles — consultants, senior managers and speciality doctors — in categories where men remain disproportionately represented.

The NHS gender pay gap is considerably wider than the UK economy-wide figure, which runs at around seven to eight percent. Analysts attributed the difference to the pronounced vertical segregation within health service employment, where women dominate entry and mid-level roles across nursing, allied health professions and administrative functions but remain underrepresented in the highest-paid medical specialities and executive leadership positions.

NHS England’s annual report on workforce diversity also noted an increase in the ethnicity pay gap, which it attributed to the higher concentration of white staff in the most senior and highly paid grades relative to their representation across the total workforce. The organisation acknowledged that both gaps reflected structural features of the employment market that would require sustained and targeted action to address over time.

The data comes against a backdrop of broader discussion about the working conditions facing NHS staff from underrepresented groups. The NHS Staff Survey has consistently found that staff from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds report lower levels of inclusion and fair treatment than their white colleagues, and that the pathway to senior positions remains more difficult to navigate.