How much does an allied health professional earn in the UK?
By Gemma Raw
How much an allied health professional can expect to earn in the UK will depend on experience, length of service, qualification and what your profession is.
What is the average pay for a UK allied health professional?
On average, allied health professionals earn £37,832 per year. However, this does cover quite a broad range of roles. Depending on your chosen profession and experience, this will vary. For example, the average pay for an occupational therapist £33,821 per year in England, whereas the average basic salary for a radiographer is £35,971.
Understanding salary bands
Of course, these salaries are averages. Within each role there is a series of salary bands. Let’s take the role of a radiographer just as an example.
If you’re a newly qualified radiographer, you can expect to earn £27,055 (Band 5), with your pay rising to £32,934 within that pay scale. As you become more experienced you can become a Band 6 radiographer and earn between £33,706 and £40,588. Following this pattern, if you become a more advanced radiographer or enter a management role, you can expect to earn between £41,659 and £ £54,619 (Bands 7 to 8).
Each of the 14 different allied health professional roles will each have a pay scale that NHS trusts must work within, although exactly how much you’ll be paid will depend on:
The specific role (your job title)
Your experience
The NHS Trust you are applying to
How many hours you will be expected to work (the standard full-time week for most roles is 40 hours)
Are there any other ways of topping up my salary?
Yes, there are. You may decide to work certain shift patterns (for example weekends and evenings) where there may be enhanced pay. You may also be paid for being on call. It all depends on the role and the NHS trust you work for.
We know it can seem a little confusing but once you have a good idea of the position you wish to apply for, salary expectations are relatively straightforward.
For more information about NHS careers, read our collection of blogs. Alternatively, you can read about the NHS pay deal 2022 here.
